If you hoped to watch the Stranger Things season 5 finale on New Year’s Eve, you may be out of luck… if you’re in the UK. Episode 8 will drop soon, and this is what time it’ll be released.
It still feels unreal that one of the platform’s biggest hits is coming to an end. Stranger Things hasn’t just dominated pop culture — it helped define Netflix’s rise and pulled in massive viewing figures season after season.
However, the fifth season’s release schedule has split opinion. Volume 2 dropped on Christmas Day… in the US, with UK viewers forced to stay up late or get up early on Boxing Day to watch the new episodes.
Tonight could be similarly frustrating, so if you want to watch the Stranger Things finale before it’s spoiled for you, here’s what you should know.
What time is Stranger Things season 5 episode 8 out?
Stranger Things season 5 episode 8 will premiere at 1am GMT on Friday, January 1, on Netflix.
So, if you’ve logged onto Netflix today hoping to watch the finale, you’ll need to wait a little longer.
It’s also fair if you feel slightly misled. Here’s the thing: episode 8 will be released in the US and Canada today, but due to the time difference, it’s dropping after the bells in the UK and other territories.
If you’re in North America for New Year’s, it’ll be released at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Otherwise, you’ll need to ditch your party to watch the finale or do your best to avoid spoilers.
Sadly, if you were hoping to watch the last episode on New Year’s Eve, you’re out of luck.
The finale is being released at exactly the same time across the world. That means it’s dropping on December 31 for viewers in the US and Canada (at 5pm PT/8pm ET), but fans in other territories will need to stay up late.
How long is the Stranger Things finale?
Stranger Things season 5 episode 8, titled ‘The Rightside Up’, as a two hour and eight minute runtime.
It was previously announced to be 125 minutes long. However, while it has a feature-length runtime, it’s still not the longest episode in the show.
Season 4’s finale, ‘The Piggyback’, was a mammoth 149 minutes long, and the entire season ran for over 13 hours.
It may still have longer episodes than typical TV, but the fifth season is significantly shorter. If you were to binge it start to finish, it’d take just over 10 hours. So, if you want to rewatch the whole thing before the finale, you’d better clear some time on New Year’s Eve.
Volume 2 recap before the finale
Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 ended with Eleven, Mike, and the whole group entering the Upside Down.
Before we got there, Max and Holly fled Vecna’s mind prison after finding an abandoned mine shaft – a gap in his memories that allowed them to escape.
However, while Max woke up in the real world (and narrowly survived a demogorgon attack), Holly found herself somewhere even scarier than the Upside Down: the Abyss.
In short, the Upside Down was revealed to be a wormhole (also referred to as the “bridge”) connecting Hawkins to the Abyss, an alternate dimension. This is Vecna’s homeworld (where Eleven first sent him), and it’s why Eleven has been unable to track him.
Vecna wants to cause a collision between Earth and the Abyss and reshape the world. That’s why he took the kids: they’re “weak” and the perfect “vessels” to amplify his power.
By the end of the season, the crew has a plan to stop him. Rather than trying to access the Abyss by flying thousands of feet in the air, they’ll allow Vecna to begin his plan. However, when the Abyss is reachable via the Upside Down’s radio tower, they’ll climb in and stop him before it’s too late.
Also, two other big things happened: Jonathan and Nancy broke up (don’t worry if that wasn’t clear to you – it was confusing), and Will came out to everyone and revealed he “doesn’t like girls”.
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Stranger Things season 5 volume 3 will be released on January 1. Seasons 1-4 and season 5 volumes 1 and 2 are available to stream now.
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