(Credits: Netflix)

Alright, deep breaths… The Stranger Things 5 trailer is officially dropping TODAY, and if your heart isn’t racing yet, respectfully, what is wrong with you?

People, please, this isn’t your other five-second teaser with dramatic breathing and flickering lights. This is THE trailer. The one we’ve all been waiting for since 2022, when Netflix ended season four by literally tearing Hawkins in half, along with our souls.

Dear Stranger Things fans, we have come a long way, quite literally. We have all survived a million fan theories, fake leaks, and cast interviews that told you absolutely nothing. You can’t deny the fact that you have rewatched seasons one through four, pretending it’s “for context”. Who hasn’t argued with strangers online about whether Max is still alive or will stay alive? And now, after all of it – the waiting, the hype, the mental breakdowns – Netflix finally said, “Yeah, fine, here you go.”

The announcement came out of nowhere, by the way. One minute, everyone was busy making Halloween plans, and the next, Netflix dropped the bomb: trailer, October 30th. Cue mass hysteria. Fandom pages are on fire, people are scheduling watch parties, and the rest of us are just pacing around like we’ve been told the world’s ending at midnight.

This might be the first time in the history of Netflix that people will be organising watch parties for a trailer. Honestly, we don’t blame them.

One last trip to Hawkins (and your feelings)

Here is what you need to know before the trailer hits your timeline. The final season jumps to 1987, right after the world-ending disaster we saw last time. Hawkins is split open, Vecna’s still alive and very much vibing, and Eleven, our poor, traumatised Eleven, is gearing up for one last fight. The Duffers have already hinted that this season is darker and more emotional, which is saying something for a show that has killed off half our emotional stability already.

You’ll probably see Hopper looking haunted, Will’s neck-tingling visions back in full force, and Max lying in that eerie, hospital-lit coma we all saw in the teaser, a brutal reminder that this show doesn’t do happy endings easily. The trailer is rumoured to focus on the first few episodes, which means Netflix is definitely hiding something big.

And if you think this is just another trailer, oh no. This is the beginning of Netflix’s most dramatic release plan ever. The first four episodes land on November 26th, then three more on Christmas Day, and the finale drops on New Year’s Eve in actual theatres. So, congratulations, we are all going to end the year crying in public.

Fun fact: David Harbour said the last episode feels more like a “giant movie than a TV show,” which sounds both exciting and emotionally irresponsible. The Duffer brothers have apparently gone all out with a final heartbreak that will keep us talking till 2030.

So yeah, brace yourself. This is not just a trailer day; this is the start of goodbye. The last time you’ll hit refresh on YouTube, waiting for that red logo to flicker. The last time you’ll analyse a frame like it’s for a job assignment. And honestly? You owe it to your inner 2016 self to lose it one last time.