Netflix unveiled the official trailer for Stranger Things 5 today, promising fans an epic conclusion to the beloved saga this holiday season. The two minute and forty second long trailer teases incredible action sequences, emotionally fraught moments, and the tragic chance that some of our favorite Stranger Things characters might not survive the final fight against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Series co-creators, executive producers, writers, and directors Ross and Matt Duffer also shared with Netflix’s official site, TUDUM, that this season will start off different than any iteration of Stranger Things that has come before.

“I think what’s unique about this season is that it starts a little bit in chaos because our heroes ultimately lost at the end of Season 4,” Ross Duffer said. “We usually set up their normal life and how they’re going about school, and then we introduce the supernatural element. But in this case, this season is sprinting from the start.”

“They’re not experiencing normal life. Nothing in Hawkins is normal anymore,” Matt Duffer added to TUDUM. “Their movement is restricted, and there are Big Brother cameras everywhere. So not only are they active — their everyday, normal lives are anything but.”

The trailer sets this up from the start, with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) first confiding in Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) about their dire situation and then telling the whole group the plan: “We find Vecna. We end this once and for all. Together.”

Later, Eleven warns Mike that this war they’re fighting isn’t like one of his Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. “You don’t get to write the ending,” she says, tendering touching his cheek.

We then get a super montage of insane battle scenes, crazy explosions, and emotional embraces all set to the sound of Queen‘s “Who Wants to Live Forever?”

The final moments of the trailer are especially juicy for fans (like yours truly) who have speculated for years about the creepy connection between supervillain Vecna and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Vecna “summons” William to him, insisting that our sweet Will the Wise will “help” Vecna achieve his ultimate evil goals.

Stranger Things Season 5 will drop on Netflix in three parts later this year:

Volume 1 (Episodes 1-4): November 26, 2025 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT 

Volume 2 (Episodes 5-7): December 25, 2025 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

The Finale (Episode 8): December 31, 2025 at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT