The final chapter of Stranger Things is set to return with a highly anticipated fifth season. The new installment of Netflix’s hit sci-fi series will continue the Hawkins saga with longer episodes, major story developments, and the conclusion of the Duffer Brothers’ acclaimed universe.

Ross Duffer reveals official runtimes of first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5

Ross Duffer, co-creator of Stranger Things, revealed the official runtimes for the first four episodes of the show’s fifth and final season. In an Instagram post shared on October 13, Duffer confirmed the following runtimes:

Chapter One: “The Crawl” – 1 hour and 8 minutes

Chapter Two: “The Vanishing of…” – 54 minutes

Chapter Three: “The Turnbow Trap” – 1 hour and 6 minutes

Chapter Four: “Sorcerer” – 1 hour and 23 minutes

He captioned the video “ACTUAL runtimes,” addressing online speculation about the episode lengths.

The post directly refutes viral claims and reports suggesting that every episode of Season 5 would exceed 90 minutes. Duffer’s clarification follows a Puck News report published early in October that stated episodes would “run from 90 minutes to two hours long.” Netflix plans to release Stranger Things Season 5 in three parts. Volume I, featuring four episodes, will premiere on November 26. Volume II, with three episodes, is scheduled for December 25. The final episode will stream on December 31.

In August, Duffer also shared an update on the post-production process, writing, “Chapters One and Two: locked, mixed, scored, colored, DONE.” He added that “The Crawl” is “the most eventful first episode since Season 1” and described Episode 2 as having “by far the craziest cold open we’ve ever done.”

The final season continues the story with returning cast members Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, and Gaten Matarazzo. It also features Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, and Maya Hawke.

“Sorcerer” will serve as the mid-season finale when Volume I debuts on Netflix on November 26, 2025.