‘Stranger Things 5’ Finale Divides Passionate Viewers: ‘Not Good, But Ultimately Forgivable’

“Stranger Things” has officially come to an end after five seasons and nearly a decade of streaming on Netflix.

The series finale saw Eleven and the rest of the group head into the Abyss to defeat Vecna and save Hawkins one last time. But how are fans reacting to the show’s swan song? Overall, pretty mixed.

Many fans were disappointed with how easily Vecna was defeated and that there were less major characters’ deaths than expected in the finale.

That Stranger Things 5 ending was kinda bunk… I was literally expecting a Vecna phase 2 for half an hour. Nope. And nobody important died or anything. pic.twitter.com/KBEgjudrSX

— crono (@SF_crono) January 1, 2026

main villain killed halfway in, nobody important died, no explanation on henry creel origin story, & only 18 month time jump. stranger things finale was the stupidest fucking ending i’ve seen right up there with the umbrella academy pic.twitter.com/8teznmICcy

— serenity ⋆｡°✩ (@crescentseren) January 1, 2026

Others were frustrated by Eleven’s open-ended ending, in which she disappeared with the Upside Down but may have potentially survived. (If you believe Mike’s theory).

they really just killed eleven. take season 5 back and redo it #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/jlLYgjPicr

— bianca (@B_A_D13) January 1, 2026

So let me get this right … you created a character of an abused little girl who was experimented on HER ENTIRE LIFE she did not know normal life or love and then she finally meets people who love her and are kind and the only option was to “move on” as if she was A BURDEN ????? https://t.co/GGiPNuPLnI

— chloe (@chloesarcher) January 1, 2026

Some even called the ending “predictable” or compared the show’s finale to the end of “Game of Thrones.”

the duffer brothers saying no one predicted the stranger things finale when it was the most predictable finale ever pic.twitter.com/883VUp3kmN

— memenodes (@memenodes) January 1, 2026

Star Wars episode 9, Game of Thrones season 8, Stranger Things season 5… we have an epidemic of writers who can’t close out big franchises

— Matt Convard (@MattConvard) December 27, 2025

But the reactions weren’t all negative, with one person saying it felt like a return to the shows” prime form” despite “plot armor” for many of the characters and the easy defeat of Vecna and the Mind Flayer. Another said that Stranger Things “landed the plane” with “some real elegance in places to boot,” calling it a “worthy end to what turned into a really good series.”

The Stranger Things Finale felt like a return to the shows prime form. Everyone hit their mark,it felt big, it felt epic, it was a worthy finale.But the plot armor along w/ the group pretty easily defeating Vecna & the Mind Flayer will certainly be controversial #StrangerThings5 pic.twitter.com/pxwgJb9eDW

— bwf (@BoredroomWyatt) January 1, 2026

Stranger Things 5: Some mid season clunkiness largely gives way to a more focused narrative and wistful ‘end of line’ vibes. Overall, they ‘landed the plane’ and with some real elegance in places to boot. A worthy end to what turned into a really good series. Season: 8/10 pic.twitter.com/ZvSVqqyhRH

— Richard Hoeg (@HoegLaw) January 1, 2026

Another user acknowledged that while the show’s quality got worse as the seasons progressed its “still not even close to how badly Game of Thrones ended.”

“ST feels like the writers trying to tie everything together in weird ways. Not good, but ultimately forgivable,” they said. “The last season of GoT though felt like the writers were purposely attacking the fans with their decisions.”

Yes, Stranger Things got worse as the seasons progressed, but it’s still not even close to how badly Game of Thrones ended. ST feels like the writers trying to tie everything together in weird ways. Not good, but ultimately forgivable. The last season of GoT though felt like the…

— Barry (@BarryOnHere) December 31, 2025

Others had nothing but praise for the finale, saying the show ended “in the best way possible.”

“I understand why some people will be upset that not many characters died, but after seeing how everyone’s stories were wrapped up, it made sense. Every character got an ending that felt right and true to who they are, and it was really emotional to watch,” one user wrote. “The finale focused on believing, which has been a huge part of the show since season one, and it left us knowing the characters will be okay even though the story is over. This show changed my life, and nothing will ever replace Stranger Things for me.”

The Stranger Things finale was amazing and, in my opinion, ended the show in the best way possible. The final fight was intense, Vecna’s death was satisfying, and Eleven’s ending—closing the gate and leaving it unclear if she lived or died—was exactly how I wanted her story to…

— Relay (@RelayTS) January 1, 2026

All five seasons of Stranger Things are streaming now on Netflix.

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