The first trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 has teased shock reveals for the Netflix show and answers to questions fans have been asking for years.
Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 follow:
The trailer picks up in the aftermath of the catastrophic events of Vol. 1 and the awakening of Will’s powers. Will (Noah Schnapp) and his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), have a heart to heart in which she reassures him the battle against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) isn’t over.
Everything we have ever assumed about the upside down has been dead wrong.
Volume 2 of the final season of Stranger Things arrives Dec. 25th at 5pm PT. pic.twitter.com/GIbx0SErFD
— sƃuᴉɥʇ ɹǝƃuɐɹʇs (@Stranger_Things) December 15, 2025
Meanwhile, Holly (Nell Fisher) and Max (Sadie Sink) are trying to escape what we believe to be Vecna’s 1950s fantasy world, and they’re walking through strange doors to do it.
Then we get what I think is the killer quote from the trailer, which comes from Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo): “this whole time, everything we’ve ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong.”
Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) are then seen looking at some sort of red, potentially dimensional mass that is whirling around above them. Whatever this is, it seems key to understanding the true nature of the Upside Down, which Stranger Things co-creators Ross and Matt Duffer have promised to explain in this fifth and final episode.
Elsewhere, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) calls on Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), who she rescued from captivity by the military in Vol. 1, to help her find and kill Vecna. We see shots of Vecna / Henry Creel in various states as the central characters become increasingly distressed. Briefly, we see Will use his new powers again, as evidenced by his eyes turning all white as they did at the end of Vol. 1. Clearly, this is all gearing up for a big final showdown.
Ross Duffer took to Instagram last week to outline what to expect from Vol. 2. Episode 5, titled Shock Jock, picks up moments after the end of Sorcerer. Frank Darabont directed this one, although Duffer said Shock Jock is “far darker, and far scarier” than Darabont’s previous episode, Turnbow Trap.
Episode 6 is called Escape from Camazotz, which was directed by Shawn Levy. “It’s the biggest episode of the three,” Duffer said, “and the performances make us cry every time we watch it.” It sounds like we might get a character death in this one. And based on the name, the episode will revolve around Holly and Max’s attempt to break free from the mind prison created by Vecna.
And finally, Episode 7 is called The Bridge, which the Duffer brothers co-directed with Levy. “Don’t want to say too much, but aside from the finale, it’s probably the most emotional chapter of the season,” Ross Duffer teased. More character deaths, perhaps?
Even with this trailer, we have a number of lingering burning questions. We see some sort of power wave fly across the sky of the Upside Down. What is its purpose? Is Vecna actually the ultimate villainous power in Stranger Things, or is it the Mind Flayer? And, as the trailer teases, what is the Upside Down really?
Where this is all going in Volume 2 is a matter of intense speculation among fans — and something we here at IGN have discussed ourselves (check out our article, Stranger Things Season 5: Our Biggest Burning Questions After Episodes 1-4, to find out more).
Stranger Things Season 5 debuts on Netflix in three parts. The first four episodes arrived for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26. The next three episodes premiere on Christmas Day, and the series finale will debut on the streamer and in over 350 theaters nationwide on New Year’s Eve.
Stranger Things Season 5 release dates:
VOL 1 – November 26, 5pm PTVOL 2 – Christmas, 5pm PTTHE FINALE – New Year’s Eve, 5pm PT
We’ve got plenty more on Stranger Things, including Ross Duffer’s call to arms for fans to turn off “garbage” TV settings before watching Season 5. And be sure to check out our Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 1 spoiler review.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
