After two years of anticipation, Netflix has finally confirmed the timeline for Stranger Things season 5’s story. Netflix’s Stranger Things became a massive hit upon its release in 2016, partly due to its compelling sci-fi horror premise and partly due to its setting and nostalgia for the 1980s. With three main age groups covering the story, aka middle schoolers, high schoolers, and parents, the show has been able to pay tribute to numerous aspects of life in the early and mid-1980s. However, there were plenty of questions about how far Stranger Things season 5’s series-ending decade coverage would go.

So far, Stranger Things’ timeline has covered three years of the 1980s. Season 1 began in the fall of 1983, season 2 picked up in the fall of 1984, season 3 covered the summer of 1985, and season 4 concluded in the spring of 1986. While Stranger Things’ season 4 finale ended with a cliffhanger revealing Vecna’s takeover of Hawkins, the show’s creators confirmed that there would be a time jump when the characters return in season 5. Netflix has now given the exact timeline of season 5’s story, which sets the record for Stranger Things’ biggest time jump.

Stranger Things Season 5 Is Set In The Fall Of 1987

Stranger Things’ Final Season Takes Place 4 Years After Will First Went Missing

A new teaser from Netflix for the 2024 Stranger Things Day celebration confirms that season 5’s primary setting is in the fall of 1987. This means that Stranger Things season 5 takes place exactly four years after the pilot episode, as Will Byers originally vanished on November 6, 1983. Of course, while Stranger Things season 5’s story is confirmed to be set in the fall of 1987, it’s always possible that there will be more time jumps to follow. Season 1 ended with a one-month time jump to Christmas, with Stranger Things season 3’s ending including a three-month time jump.

Therefore, while it now seems that the timeline will stop shortly before 1988, the series might still conclude a few time jumps to reveal what happens to Stranger Things’ main characters in the future. Since the younger teens are set to graduate from high school in the spring of 1989, it might be fitting to include a final time jump as they simultaneously wrap up their childhoods and close the curtains on the 1980s. However, Hawkins’ final battle against Vecna and the Upside Down will likely still be set in the fall of 1987.

Stranger Things Season 5 Takes Place A Year And A Half After Season 4

The Party Will Already Be 16 Years Old In Stranger Things Season 5

When the characters return in Stranger Things season 5, a year and a half will have already passed since the season 4 finale. This marks the longest time jump between seasons for Stranger Things; the gap between seasons 1 and 2 was about ten months, the jump from season 2 to season 3 was approximately six months, and the time between seasons 3 and 4 was about nine months. With such a long gap, the teens are going to look very different from how they were in the final moments of Stranger Things season 4, both physically and emotionally.

Stranger Things Season #
Season Premiere Timeline
Season Finale Timeline

1
November 6, 1983
December 1983

2

3
June 28, 1985
October 1985

4
March 21, 1986
March 29, 1986

5
Fall 1987
TBC

The 18-month gap brings Stranger Things’ younger characters to very different places in their adolescence and young adulthood. The Party will be approximately 16–17 years old in Stranger Things season 5; Erica is about 12–13; Jonathan, Nancy, and Robin will be about 19–20; and Steve Harrington will be around 20–21 years old. One of the biggest changes will be with Mike and Nancy’s younger sister Holly Wheeler, who began Stranger Things as a toddler but should seemingly be around eight years old in season 5.