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We know that your teen years are when everything turns upside down, but the kids in Stranger Things take the expression to a whole other level. With monsters, psychic powers, and the occasional love triangle to deal with, the Netflix series captures all the drama of our teen years and cranks everything to 11. But what is the best way to watch it?

With Stranger Things season five on the way in 2025, now is the perfect time to get caught up with everyone’s favorite group of kids as they find themselves facing one murderous mystery after another. If you’re a returning fan, we’ve got a breakdown of the chronological order of events of Stranger Things. For new viewers, you should probably stick with the release order, though.

How to watch Stranger Things in release order

Although Stranger Things is set primarily set decades ago in the '80s, the show itself is only a few years old. To watch the show as the creators intended is pretty straight forward.

• Stranger Things season 1 (2016)
• Stranger Things season 2 (2017)
• Stranger Things season 3 (2019)
• Stranger Things season 4 part one (2022)
• Stranger Things season 4 part two (2022)

That's with Stranger Things season five to come soon. Seems pretty straight-forward for now, right? Well... not so fast.

How to watch Stranger Things in chronological order

If you want to watch Stranger Things in chronological order, barring flashbacks, it’s the same as the release order. However, where do all the tie-in comic books and novels fit in? What about some of the major flashbacks? This comprehensive timeline will break down where everything fits.

Please note, some of the novels and comics don’t give exact chronological dates. In order to determine their placement, we’ve looked at contextual clues in the comics/novels themselves, pored through Reddit debates, and browsed the Stranger Things wiki. In some cases we’ve even looked at the color of the foliage in the comic books to figure out what time of year it was.

If there are any discrepancies in the timeline placement, we will edit this list. In the meantime, if you want to know how the Stranger Things media fits in with the show’s timeline, let’s break it down…

• 1959: Stranger Things: The First Shadow
• 1959: Stranger Things season 4 (Henry Creel childhood flashbacks)
• 1969 - 1970: Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds
• 1974: Stranger Things season 2 (Eleven's mother flashbacks)
• July - December 1977: Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town novel (except framing story)
• 1978: Stranger Things: SIX
• September 1979: Stranger Things season 4 (Eleven flashback scenes)
• September 1980: Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons (first act)
• October 1981: Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons (second act)
• Fall 1983: Stranger Things: Tales from Hawkins
• November & December 1983: Stranger Things Season 1
• November 1983: Stranger Things Free Comic Book Day Special 2019
• November & December 1983: Stranger Things: The Other Side (Will's time in season 1)
• November 1983: Stranger Things: Rebel Robin
• November 1983: Stranger Things Free Comic Book Day Special 2020
• Early 1984: Stranger Things: Zombie Boys
• Early 1984: Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus
• June 28, 1984: Stranger Things season 3 episode 1 opening scene
• October 1984: Stranger Things: The Bully
• October & November 1984: Stranger Things season 2
• October & December 1984: Runaway Max
• December 1984: Stranger Things Winter Special one-shot
• December 26, 1984: Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town novel framing story
• January 1985: Stranger Things: Tomb of Ybwen
• Early 1985: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things
• Summer 1985: Stranger Things: Science Camp
• June - October 1985: Stranger Things season 3
• July 1985: Stranger Things Summer Special (police officers Powell and Callahan during season 3)
• Fall 1985: Stranger Things: Into the Fire
• Fall 1985: Stranger Things: Lucas on the Line
• Fall 1985: Stranger Things: Erica the Great
• November 1983: Stranger Things Free Comic Book Day Special 2022
• Winter 1985 - Early 1986: Stranger Things: Kamchatka
• Early 1986: Stranger Things: The Voyage
• Early 1986: Stranger Things: Hawkins Horror
• March 1986: Stranger Things season 4

A Stranger Things animated series and a live-action spinoff are currently being developed for Netflix. At this time, it is unknown where these projects will fit in the overall timeline or even when they will be released. However, we’ll continue to update this guide as we learn more.

Is Stranger Things season 5 coming out in 2024?

There is currently no release date for Stranger Things season five, but we do know that it isn't coming in 2024. What's with the delay? Well, a big part of that is the Hollywood strikes of 2023. Filming was originally set to begin in June 2023, but series co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer decided to postpone production when the WGA Strike began. Once the SAG-AFTRA strike began, this further delayed the production of the season.

With the strikes over, Stranger Things season five went into production in January 2024, but that doesn't mean we'll be back in Hawkins before the year is out. Not only is filming taking a long time due to the massive scale of each episode, but the Netflix CEO confirmed in an earnings call that Stranger Things would be back sometime in 2025.

Is Season 5 the last season of Stranger Things?

It’s true, the Stranger Things saga will conclude with season five. In February 2022 series co-creators Ross and Matt Duffer released an open letter stating that season five would wrap up the series. “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 soon see for yourselves – we are now hurtling towards our finale. Season four will be the penultimate season; season five will be the last.”

If you’ve seen Stranger Things season four, then you know how much of a roller coaster that was. I can’t wait to see what the Duffers have in mind for the final act.

Who is in Stranger Things season 5?

Most of the cast of Stranger Things are coming back for the final season, but they're being joined by some new faces as well. Not only is Sadie Sink back for the final season - even though Max finished season four in a coma - but Linda Hamilton is going to be in Stranger Things season five in a currently undisclosed role. The details of that are probably going to stay under wraps until the series is actually streams on Netflix. The legendary action star is being joined by newcomers Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux for the final season.

Which Episodes of Stranger Things did Shawn Levy direct?

If you're just now hearing about the connection between Shawn Levy, the director of Deadpool & Wolverine, and Stranger Things, let us explain. Levy has served as an executive producer on the series since it first began, but he has also gotten involved behind the camera for two episodes each season. He has directed the third and fourth episode of each season, so the Shawn Levy directed episodes of Stranger Things are:

• Stranger Things season 1 episodes 3 and 4
• Stranger Things season 2 episodes 3 and 4
• Stranger Things season 3 episodes 3 and 4
• Stranger Things season 4 episodes 3 and 4

We know that Shawn Levy is back on set to direct at least one episode of Stranger Things season five, but it hasn't been confirmed which ones he will take on. He has hinted before that his duties directing Deadpool & Wolverine could have seen him get less involved in the final season of the Netflix show, but we'll have to wait to see what happens.

Can I watch Stranger Things on anything other than Netflix?

Are you looking to watch Stranger Things, but don’t have a Netflix subscription? No worries, there are other ways to watch the series. If you like owning physical media, Stranger Things season one and two are available as DVD and Blu-Ray collections. There are currently no official home media releases for the later seasons, so don’t be fooled by the bootlegs that show up online. However, given the popularity of the series, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the later seasons get official releases down the line.

Stranger Things is a valuable commodity for Netflix, which is why the streaming service isn’t eager for viewers to watch the series on other platforms. Your best bet is using a Netflix subscription, even if it’s just for one month. Otherwise, our recommendation is to wait for the complete series to drop as a home media collection sometime after the show concludes.

Now you have everything you need to enjoy Stranger Things! Sit back, grab your remote, and watch out for the Mind Flayer!

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"