Stranger Things Reveals Time Jump Between Seasons 4 and 5 (And Its Length)

Netflix’s teaser for Stranger Things Season 5 put one key detail front and center: the time skip. Season 5 takes place in the fall of 1987, meaning about a year and a half will have passed in the show’s timeline since the end of Season 4. A lot could have changed for Hawkins, Indiana in that time.

Stranger Things Season 4 took place in March of 1986, so jumping ahead to at least September of 1987 will be the biggest time skip the series has made so far – though not by much. That may help account for the long gap between seasons and how much the actors have matured in the meantime. However, we can assume there are also narrative reasons that will be revealed when the final season premieres. According to the teaser, Stranger Things 5 will be out in 2025, but no firm release date has been announced yet.

Stranger Things Season 1 began on Nov. 6, 1983, which is why Netflix recognizes Nov. 6 as “Stranger Things Day.” Season 2 picked up in the fall of 1984, while Season 3 only jumped ahead to the summer of 1985. Finally, Season 4 jumped less than a year as well, setting its story in March of 1986. When Season 5 picks up in the autumn of 1987, it will be the first season to skip more than 12 months.

Wednesday’s teaser did not show us any new footage or dialogue from the upcoming season, but it did give us all eight new episode titles. They tease some of the mysteries and concepts coming our way in the new season, including terms from Dungeons and Dragons like “Sorcerer” and “Escape from Camazotz,” as well as some self-referential ideas like “the Rightside Up.” It promises: “In the fall of 1987 one last adventure begins.”

Stranger Things was originally planned as a four-season story, but producers teased the possibility of a fifth season as far back as 2017. Even then, commenters questioned if the show’s young cast would look the part by the planned ending, and the show has been hit with numerous delays that only complicated the issues further. First, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the filming of Season 4, and later the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike delayed the writing of Season 5. On top of that, the cast needed accommodation for other projects including David Harbour’s work in the MCU and Winona Ryder’s role in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

The latest word is that Stranger Things Season 5 is “almost done shooting,” according to Finn Wolfhard. He gave a progress report to PEOPLE last month, adding: “It’s going great, and it has been unbelievable. It’s been very special. I mean, being able to just be with everyone knowing it is the last season has been really great, but it’s pretty surreal.”

Stranger Things Season 5 is due out next year, but there is no release date just yet. Previous seasons are streaming now on Netflix.