'One last time': Stranger Things prepares to say goodbye as final trailer drops

Netflix has released the trailer for the final episode of Stranger Things, signalling the end of one of the platform’s most successful shows. The finale, titled The Rightside Up, will stream on December 31, 2025, on Netflix, with a simultaneous theatrical release.

The episode is the eighth and last chapter of Season 5. The season was rolled out in two parts, with the first four episodes released on Thanksgiving Day and the next three arriving on Christmas Day. Episode 7 ended with a major reveal that now drives the final confrontation.

In the previous episode, Max, played by Sadie Sink, regains consciousness and discloses the ultimate plan of arch-villain Vecna. She explains that Vecna aims to merge the human world with a parallel dimension beyond the Upside Down, referred to as the Abyss. The group then prepares a risky mission to enter the Abyss, rescue the children held there and destroy it using a bomb.

The episode closed with a disturbing scene in which Vecna, still disguised as Henry Creel, leads his brainwashed victims in a séance as they are transported into the Abyss.

The newly released trailer, described by Netflix as “one last trailer,” revisits key moments from across the series, including battles with Vecna and other monsters, while teasing a final showdown that draws together the show’s long-running storylines.

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger Things premiered in July 2016 and quickly became a global hit. Seasons two and three followed in 2017 and 2019, while Season 4 was released in two volumes in 2022. The franchise has also expanded beyond television with a stage production, Stranger Things: First Shadow.

The finale has a runtime of two hours and five minutes and will mark the series’ first major big-screen outing, with screenings beginning on New Year’s Eve and continuing through January 1, alongside its release on Netflix.