Stranger Things: what order to watch everything in
Short answer: the 5 seasons in order, plain and simple. The subtleties come with the expanding universe: the animated series Tales From '85 slots in between seasons 2 and 3, and the prequel The First Shadow, although set in 1959, should be saved for after season 4 — its whole impact rests on a reveal you do not have yet.
Here are the details, with the complete Hawkins timeline.
What the Stranger Things universe contains in 2026
| # | Work | Release | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | Stranger Things, seasons 1 to 5 | 2016-2025 | the main series, finished |
| 6 | Stranger Things: Tales From '85 | 2026 (season 2 on September 17) | animated series |
| 7 | Stranger Things: The First Shadow | stage play (Netflix filmed version announced) | prequel |
The main series is finished: season 5 concluded the story at the end of 2025. What continues is the universe — the animated show renewed for a season 2, the play on its way to Netflix, and more projects at the Duffer brothers'.
The Hawkins timeline (1959-1987)
| Era | Work |
|---|---|
| 1959 | The First Shadow — young Henry Creel, with teenage Joyce and Hopper |
| November 1983 | Season 1 — Will's disappearance |
| October 1984 | Season 2 |
| Winter 1985 | Tales From '85 (animated series) |
| Summer 1985 | Season 3 — Starcourt Mall |
| March 1986 | Season 4 |
| Fall 1987 | Season 5 — the conclusion |
Good news: unlike Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, the main series unfolds in release order — each season follows the previous one by a few months. No traps as long as you stick to the 5 seasons.
Where does Tales From '85 fit?
Chronologically between seasons 2 and 3: the animated show covers a Hawkins winter with Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max between two catastrophes. In practice, watch it any time after season 2 — it is a self-contained adventure, supervised by the Duffer brothers, and its animated format makes it a great breather between two heavy seasons… or a dessert after season 5.
Do not be fooled by the format: this is not a kids' show — the tone matches the mother series, monsters included. Season 2 arrives on September 17, 2026.
Where does The First Shadow fit?
That is the universe's trap. The play takes place in 1959 — chronologically, it is the very beginning. But it tells the youth of Henry Creel, and everything that name implies rests on the central reveal of season 4. Watching it first is reading the last page of the mystery novel before the first.
The right slot: after season 4 (ideally after 5). The filmed version reaches Netflix after Tales From '85 — until then, it plays on stage on Broadway and in London.
The most common mistakes
- Starting with The First Shadow because "it is the beginning of the story". It is the anti-entry point: a prequel written for viewers who know season 4.
- Watching Tales From '85 before season 2. The animated show assumes the group (and Max, and Eleven at the Byers') is already in place.
- Dismissing the animated series as a kids' by-product: it is canon and supervised by the show's creators.
- Waiting for a season 6. There will not be one — the main story is over, and that is exactly as it should be. The universe continues through the spin-offs.
Know the show? Prove it
Knowing the order of the seasons is one thing. Being able to put the events of the series in order is quite another — three decades of story, four gates and a great many Demogorgons later.
Junban has a Stranger Things theme entirely dedicated to that: you get a moment from the series and simply say whether it happens before or after the previous one. Does Eleven close the gate before or after Billy's sacrifice? No dates to memorise, no names to type: you just have to reason.
Solo or with up to 4 players, online or around one table — and the same principle then works across more than 50 themes, from movies to music, Breaking Bad to Star Wars. That is what earns it first place in our comparison of timeline quiz games.
More sagas to sort out: Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and El Camino, what order to watch in and Star Wars, what order to watch the movies and series.