The time has finally come to don our best 80s get-up and march into battle as we dive into the fifth and final season of Stranger Things – and it looks like a record-breaking number of viewers seized the opportunity to head back to Hawkins.
The last instalment of the hit series, which first premiered in 2016, landed on Netflix on 26 November at 1am GMT (UK), 8pm EST (US) and 12pm AEDT (Australia).
But within minutes of being released, reports of the streamer crashing flooded in from users who were left unable to watch the long-awaited episodes.
According to outage tracker Downdetector, there were more than 14,000 reports of Netflix outages within the 24 hours surrounding the release, with people around the world also flagging issues on social media.
With anticipation at an all-time high – and some fans even declaring Stranger Things "easily the best show Netflix has ever created" – it's no surprise Netflix experienced an overwhelming surge of users.
The crash is even more notable given the preparation involved; co-creator Ross Duffer revealed on Instagram prior to the launch that Netflix had 'increased bandwidth by 30%' specifically to avoid this scenario, yet the demand still overwhelmed the system.
© NetflixThe new season's release crashed the streamer
Viewers react to Netflix crash
Viewers were quick to take to X, formerly Twitter, to air their frustration with the glitch.
One viewer wrote: "I've been watching all the Stranger Things seasons again to prepare for season 5 and I'm currently in s4 ep 9 so I didn't notice that Netflix just crashed because everyone is entering now to watch season five. Netflix fix yourself ASAP I've been waiting 3 years."
© NetflixWill you be tuning into season 5 vol 1?
Meanwhile, another said: "Netflix pulling a classic: drop stranger things 5, watch the world lose its mind, then crash harder than Hawkins after the gates opened. 24+ hours later and it's all red loading hell no episodes, just rage."
A third added: "Was super pumped to watch Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 until Netflix crashed and is down. This is really sad."
In a response issued to Reuters, Netflix confirmed: "Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes."
© COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025All four episodes of the show are in Netflix's top 10
Stranger Things season 5 breaks streamer records
Considering the outage, it's no surprise that Stranger Things has also broken a new record for Netflix.
Ahead of the season five release, fans had been rewatching earlier episodes to get back up to speed with the gang in Hawkins – and as a result, all four previous seasons are currently in Netflix's global top 10. It's the first time a single show has ever taken over the entire chart.
© Photo: NetflixSadie Sink was filmed listening to 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)'
Other records broken by Stranger Things
This isn't the first time Stranger Things has been responsible for breaking records.
In June 2022, Kate Bush's 1985 hit song 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)' featured prominently in season four, and the track went viral. Over 36 years after its original release, the song reached number one on the UK's Official Singles Chart and stayed in the top 10 for nine weeks.
© Getty ImagesKate Bush broke records after the single found popularity again
The surge in popularity earned Kate Bush a historic achievement: at 63 years old, she became the oldest female artist to top the UK chart, surpassing Cher, who previously held the record at age 52 with her hit 'Believe'.
Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 is available to watch on Netflix. Volume 2 (apisodes 5 -7) land on 26 December while volume 3 (episode 8) lands on 31 December.
