We're quickly preparing, emotionally and otherwise, for the imminent kick off of Stranger Things season 5 on Netflix. The final season premieres with the first four episodes on Nov. 26, leading into the second part of three episodes on Christmas Day and the super-sized, big-screen event series finale on New Year's Eve. After years of waiting, it all comes down to this!
However, on Stranger Things Day, which falls on Nov. 6 in honor of the day Will Byers first went missing, Netflix made an announcement that fans have been waiting for. There's more Stranger Things coming in 2026, but not so fast! No, there isn't a season 6 suddenly coming to our watch lists. But the show's first spinoff series will finally be making its premiere.
Netflix has been prepping the release of the animated spinoff series Stranger Things: Tales from '85 for quite some time, and the streamer finally confirmed that the new offshoot will be released in 2026! Currently, there isn't an official release date, but the fact that we won't be going more than a year without the next taste of the Stranger Things franchise couldn't be more exciting!
Stranger Things: Tales from '85 confirmed for 2026 release on Netflix
For those unfamiliar with what to expect from Stranger Things: Tales from '85, Netflix dropped a teaser trailer as the official announcement. The clip shares a glimpse at our favorite characters from the show, as the series takes place in Hawkins during the winter of 1985 and finds our group of young heroes taking on new supernatural monsters and creatures demonizing their town. That puts it somewhere between seasons 2 and 3 on the official Stranger Things timeline.
Even though the animated series features the well-known main characters from the original series, don't expect to hear actors like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard returning to lend their voices to their characters. Netflix revealed the cast list and who we'll be hearing give a fresh take to these iconic characters in 2026. Here's who's voicing who in the animated spinoff:
- Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven
- Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max
- Luca Diaz as Mike
- Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas
- Braxton Quinney as Dustin
- Ben Plessala as Will
- Brett Gipson as Hopper
In addition to the cast members listed above, Netflix also announced that Odessa A'zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips will be voicing other characters in the cast, though it hasn't been revealed whether these are new characters or established Stranger Things characters. We definitely can't wait to find out what's in store for the expansion of this epic world!
While the Duffer Brothers are on board as executive producers, along with Hilary Leavitt and Shawn Levy, showrunner Eric Robles will be leading the charge with this new era of Stranger Things. An episode count has yet to be confirmed along with the release date, but after saying goodbye to the beloved series with season 5, the animated series is exactly what we're going to need.
Stay tuned for more Stranger Things news and updates from Winter is Coming!