1
Credit: NetflixWhen Stranger Things premiered on Netflix in 2016, it arrived as a genre mash-up that felt both familiar and entirely unique. Drawing from ’80s horror, science fiction, and Spielberg-era adventure, the series built a world around a small Indiana town and a parallel dimension and quickly became one of the platform’s defining originals.
Nearly a decade later, the show has now concluded with its fifth season, which wrapped on December 31 (New Year’s Eve). With the story now complete, it’s time to look back at the full run and see how each chapter stacks up against the others.
Here’s a ranking of all five seasons of Stranger Things, from worst to best.
Stranger Things Seasons Ranked
5. Season 3
Even the weakest season of Stranger Things is still excellent television. But Season 3 finds itself at the bottom as it leans too heavily into body horror, with the Mind Flayer’s grotesque “Juju Zombies” AKA “The Flayed” making this the most overtly violent installment. At the same time, the tone swings hard in the opposite direction, embracing a more comedic tone and teen drama.
Jim Hopper, played by David Harbour, though still a great addition to the Hawkins gang, feels more exaggerated the third time around, often leaning into outright cartoonish behavior. The stakes are high and the spectacle is undeniable, but the balance between horror and humor feels off. It’s intense and often fun — but also the show at its most uneven.
4. Season 2
Season 2 struggles with the familiar problem of “sequelitis”. Much of it revisits ideas and structures that worked better the first time around, and it never quite recaptures the sense of magic that defined the first season. Still, it introduces memorable characters and villains, including the instantly endearing Bob Newby, played by Sean Astin, Max Mayfield, AKA “Mad Max” (Sadie Sink), and the terrifying Demo-dogs.
The second season is also notable for its divisive standalone episode (“The Lost Sister”) in which Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) leaves Hawkins and meets Kali, AKA Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), another super-powered teen from Hawkins National Lab. While jarring, it deepens the mythology and does some much-needed world-building for Season 5.
3. Season 1
The season that started it all remains solid. Stranger Things Season 1 introduces Hawkins, the Upside Down, and characters who are instantly iconic: Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Eleven, Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Jim Hopper, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).
The atmosphere, music, pacing, and performances are on point, together creating a mystery that unfolds with absolute confidence. It’s a near-perfect opening chapter that set the standard for everything that followed. The one criticism? There’s some serious strobe lighting during Eleven’s showdown with the Demogorgon that almost makes it unwatchable.
Related: New ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Film Gets Trailer and Release Date Amid Viral “Fake Ending” Theory
2. Season 5
Despite some significant criticism (for instance, there’s a petition from fans demanding an “extended cut”), the fifth and final season of Stranger Things delivers on scale and ambition. Some story beats feel rushed, especially the final confrontation with Vecna, AKA Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) in the Abyss, but the season is packed with memorable moments.
The reveal that Will possesses powers tied to the Hive Mind is nothing short of jaw-dropping, while Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) going head-to-head with an actual Demogorgon also stands out as one of the most shocking moments in the show’s history.
Eleven’s emotional death anchors the finale, providing a somber and definitive end to the story. Stranger Things Season 5 marks the end of an era. Fortunately, there’s more content to come, with all eyes now turning to the animated series Tales From ’85, which will see the return of the entire gang (with a new voice cast). It will premiere on Netflix later this year.
1. Season 4
Season 4 stands as the series at its absolute peak. Expansive, meticulously crafted, and cinematic in scope, it introduces Vecna as a villain worthy of the show’s mythology and raises the stakes across the board. This time, the world is under threat — not just Hawkins.
From Eddie Munson’s death and Max’s graveyard levitation to the Hawkins earthquake and the supernatural storm cloud, the season is filled with instantly iconic imagery.
Eleven’s confrontation with Vecna and the season’s cliffhanger are also among the season’s most unforgettable moments. Throw in the cultural resurgence of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” and Season 4 feels like Stranger Things operating at full power — a finale-worthy chapter before the actual ending even arrived.
Where To Watch Stranger Things Seasons 1 — 5
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming on Netflix. The Season 5 documentary One Last Adventure is also now available.
Tales From ’85 is coming later this year. Watch the official teaser below:
Stranger Things Season 5 stars Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/Henry Creel), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Were you hoping for a “secret episode” or were you satisfied with the ending you got? Let us know in the comments down below!