‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Premiere Promises “Craziest Cold Open,” Says Creator
The upcoming fifth season of Stranger Things is shaping up to be the biggest and most intense yet. Ross Duffer, one of the show’s co-creators, recently shared some exciting news about the first two episodes, hinting that fans are in for a wild ride.
In an Instagram post, Duffer revealed that the first episode, titled “The Crawl,” is their favorite and most eventful since the very first season. He also teased that the second episode, “The Vanishing of…,” features the “craziest cold open” the show has ever done. He called it one of the sequences they’re most proud of this season.
Stranger Things season 5 will be the final chapter of the beloved sci-fi horror series on Netflix. The season has eight episodes and will be released in three parts. The first batch of four episodes will arrive on November 26, 2025, followed by three episodes on December 25, and the final episode dropping on December 31.
The series is produced by the Duffer brothers, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen, ensuring the same team behind the earlier seasons is involved.
Fans of the show will see familiar faces returning, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, and several others. Amybeth McNulty, who appeared as a guest before, has been promoted to the main cast, and Linda Hamilton joins the show as a new cast member. This lineup promises to bring back the group fans have followed since the beginning.
The story of season 5 picks up a year after the events of season 4, set in the fall of 1987. The main group is focused on tracking down and defeating Vecna, the villain threatening Hawkins and beyond.
Their mission becomes even more complicated when the military arrives in town and starts hunting Eleven. As the anniversary of Will Byers’s disappearance approaches, the group knows this is their final chance to stay together and face a more dangerous enemy than ever before.
Along with the exciting episode news, some promotional material has been released to give fans a glimpse of what to expect. In January 2025, a missing poster for Eleven, also known as Jane Hopper, was revealed, sparking interest about her storyline. Then, in late May, new footage was shown during Netflix’s Tudum event, generating buzz about the season’s emotional and thrilling moments.
The first official poster came out in mid-July, followed by a teaser trailer a day later. Critics, like Aya Tsintziras from Game Rant, praised the teaser for its emotional depth and strong character interactions.
Every battle has led to this 💥 the Stranger Things 5 teaser is HERE! pic.twitter.com/dSYwnfgsER
— sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇs (@Stranger_Things) July 16, 2025
While the creators are keeping the full plot details tightly under wraps, Ross Duffer’s recent social media post has fans eagerly anticipating the start of the season. His words suggest the beginning will be fast-paced, intense, and full of surprises, especially with the cold open sequence that he described as the “craziest” they have ever done.
With the final season’s release just months away, fans are counting down to November 26, 2025, when the first episodes will premiere. It looks like the Duffer brothers are pulling out all the stops to make sure the series ends with a bang, tying up all the loose ends and giving the characters the epic send-off they deserve.
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