After months of excitement, rumours, and fan theories, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer has finally shared concrete details about the fifth and final season of Netflix’s blockbuster sci-fi series.

In a recent Instagram video, Duffer officially revealed the runtimes for the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5, clearing up weeks of speculation about extra-long episodes.

According to Duffer, the premiere episode, titled “The Crawl,” will run for 1 hour and 8 minutes. The second episode, “The Vanishing of _____,” will be 54 minutes long, followed by “The Turnbow Trap,” running for 1 hour and 6 minutes.

The fourth episode, “Sorcerer,” will act as a mid-season highlight with a runtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Duffer jokingly captioned his post “ACTUAL runtimes,” addressing viral online reports that had claimed each episode would last over 90 minutes. His post came as a relief to fans who had been expecting a marathon-like watch experience.

Netflix has also confirmed that Stranger Things 5 will follow a three-part release format — a first for the series.

  • Volume 1 (four episodes) drops on November 26, 2025

  • Volume 2 (three episodes) arrives on Christmas Day

  • The Finale Episode releases on New Year’s Eve

This festive rollout promises to make the end of 2025 an unforgettable celebration for fans around the world.

Speaking about what’s ahead, Ross Duffer called “The Crawl” his “favourite” and “most eventful first episode since Season 1.”

He described the second episode as having “the craziest cold open we’ve ever done,” while “The Turnbow Trap” is said to be “the most classic Stranger Things-y episode of the season.”

In a major surprise, Duffer also shared that Frank Darabont, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind The Shawshank Redemption, has come out of retirement to direct The Turnbow Trap.

As for “Sorcerer,” the fourth episode, Duffer teased a “massive” and “logistically insane” production, on par with any of the show’s biggest finales.

The final season will bring back the much-loved ensemble, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Maya Hawke, Winona Ryder, and David Harbour, as they prepare for one last face-off with the Upside Down.

Netflix has also released new character posters featuring Eleven, Max, and Erica, each paired with iconic quotes from earlier seasons, adding a wave of nostalgia for fans.

While runtimes for the remaining episodes are still a secret, Duffer hinted that the finale could match the blockbuster-scale episodes of Season 4.

With its mix of emotion, nostalgia, and thrilling action, Stranger Things 5 promises to be a cinematic farewell to Hawkins and to the story that has defined a generation of Netflix viewers.

The countdown begins on November 26, 2025, only on Netflix.