When is Stranger Things season 5 coming out? Possible release date, cast and what else we know so far

Stranger Things has become one of the most talked about shows since it first dropped on Netflix back in 2016, and since then, we’ve seen Eleven and the gang from Hawkins battle it out against the upside down, secret government organisations, supernatural forces and just the general mindfield of growing up.

Season four of the sci-fi Netflix original was been pitched as its most ambitious instalment yet, with the latest offering being split into two volumes.

With fans already racing through both volumes of season 4, viewers have started looking to the future with speculations about what season five could have to offer.

This is what we know so far about the fifth season of Stranger Things.

Will there be a fifth season of Stranger Things?

First and foremost - yes, there will be a fifth season of Stranger Things.

Creators Matt and Ross Duffer confirmed earlier this year that the show would be coming to an end with a fifth and final season.

Prior to the release of the fourth season of Stranger Things dropping on Netflix, the Duffer brothers wrote an open letter to fans about the show.

In it, they wrote: “Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four but - as you’ll see for yourselves - we are now hurtling toward our finale.

“Season four will be the penultimate season; season five will be the last.”

At the time, they revealed that season four would be released in two volumes, with the first released on 27 May and the second then released five weeks later on 1 July.

Where volume one boasted seven episodes, volume two only had two - however, episode eight clocked in at one hour and 25 minutes long and the finale, episode nine, a whopping two hours and 30 minutes.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter in 2020, Ross Duffer said: “Season four won’t be the end. We know what the end is, and we know when it is.

“[The pandemic] has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story.”

Who will be in the cast?

Beware: spoilers for season 4

Unfortunately not everyone made it out of season four alive, but there is still a huge cast of characters that are likely to be returning for the final season of Stranger Things, although no official announcements have been made quite yet.

In terms of the kids, that includes Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Noah Schnapp as Will, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Sadie Sink as Max and Priah Ferguson as Erica.

For the teens of the group, that includes Joe Keery as Steve, Maya Hawke as Robin, Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan and Eduardo Franco as Argyle.

Finally, for the adults, we’ll probably see David Harbour as Hopper, Winona Ryder as Joyce and Bret Gelman as Murray all make a return.

When will it be released?

Given that the second volume of season four dropped on Netflix earlier this year, and filming for season five hasn’t even commenced yet, there has been no official word on when the last season of the show could be making its way onto Netflix.

The good news for fans is that they might not have to wait around too long for the final season.

In an interview with Variety, when asked if there would be as big of a gap between season four and five as there was between three and four, the brothers said: “Don’t hold us to it, but the gap should be quite a bit shorter this time, due to the fact that we already have an initial outline, and we can’t imagine there will be another six-month forced hiatus.”

Could there be a spinoff show?

The Strangers Things creators have also hinted that there could be a sequel or spinoff series on the horizon.

In their letter to fans, the Duffer brothers wrote: “There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things; new mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes.”

When asked about potential spin offs by Variety, the creators said: “We do have an idea for a spinoff that we’re super excited about… but we haven’t told anyone the idea yet, much less written it.

“We think everyone - including Netflix - will be surprised when they hear the concept, because it’s very, very different.

“But somehow Finn Wolfhard - who is one crazy smart kid - correctly guessed what it was going to be about. But aside from Finn, no one else knows!”