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Netflix released the opening five minutes of Stranger Things 5 during a Tudum premiere transmission on November 6, 2025. The footage is the start of Episode 1, “The Crawl,” not a separate trailer; Netflix’s first four episodes premiered on November 26, 2025.
What Netflix released
The preview is the actual opening sequence of “The Crawl,” the first episode of the fifth and final season. Netflix described it as the first five minutes of the premiere, making it different from the separate Season 5 teaser campaign. Netflix Tudum’s account of the opening identifies the episode and describes what appears in the footage.
Netflix, rather than an unauthorized account or the Duffer Brothers acting as independent publishers, distributed the preview. Matt and Ross Duffer are the series creators, and they took part in the Tudum event.
When and where the preview appeared
The opening debuted during Netflix Tudum’s Stranger Things 5 premiere transmission on November 6, 2025. Tudum published its companion article the following day, November 7. Those are the event and article dates, respectively—not conflicting release dates.
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- In 1980s Indiana a group of friends witness supernatural forces and government exploits. In searching for answers, they unravel a series of mysteries.
- Netflix Tudum’s premiere-event page records the November 6 transmission and the preview shown during it.
- Netflix’s official YouTube upload, “Stranger Things 5 | First Five Minutes,” is the video source.
What happens in the opening
Spoilers for the preview follow.
The sequence returns to 1983, the period of Will Byers’ original disappearance. Alone in the Upside Down’s forest, Will takes shelter in a makeshift fort. A Demogorgon finds him and drags him toward Vecna’s lair; Vecna appears at the end of the sequence. Netflix’s written account describes dialogue between Vecna and Will, but the preview alone does not establish the full plan behind their encounter.
Why the opening matters
The scene places Will and the circumstances of his disappearance back at the center of the show’s mythology as its final season begins. That connection is an interpretation of the scene, not a confirmed explanation of every mystery it raises. It also begins with immediate danger rather than first settling into an extended return to ordinary life.
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- In 1980s Indiana a group of friends witness supernatural forces and government exploits. In searching for answers, they unravel a series of mysteries.
In Tudum’s article, Ross Duffer said the season starts unusually quickly. Matt Duffer described Hawkins as being under severe restrictions and surveillance. Together, those comments give context for the urgency around the opening without resolving what the scene means for the full story.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteWhen the full season premiered
Season 5 arrived on Netflix in three installments, rather than as one complete-season launch. Netflix’s release information lists a 5 p.m. Pacific Time release for each drop:
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| Release | Episodes | Date and time |
|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | 1–4 | November 26, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT |
| Volume 2 | 5–7 | December 25, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT |
| Finale | 8 | December 31, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT |
These dates and times are Netflix’s announced schedule, listed by its Media Center page for the series. The first four episodes—including “The Crawl”—premiered on November 26.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the preview now
The clip was a pre-premiere preview when it debuted in 2025. With the season’s releases complete, it is now best viewed as an introduction to the final season’s opening scene. Watch the official Netflix upload for the footage, or use Tudum’s written description if you want to avoid seeing the sequence.
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