Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 trailer: The crawl in Hawkins continues as we travel back to 1985!

As Stranger Things said goodbye at the start of the year, its story hasn’t quite ended. The saga continues through its spin-off with an animated feature titled Stranger Things: Tales from ’85!

The finale of Stranger Things marked an ending that was both deeply anticipated and endlessly debated. While some were moved, emotional, and bid adieu the show with a let go attitude, others were left disappointed, feeling the show owed them more. The divide only grew louder, with conspiracy theories ranging from a “Conformity Gate” twist to claims that an extra episode would eventually surface and deliver the ending fans believed they deserved. The recently released behind-the-scenes documentary made it clear that this was, in fact, the definitive end. Though that didn’t stop online discourse from spiralling into everything from ChatGPT rumours to wildly unrelated personal speculations. Now, no matter where one stands on the finale, there’s no denying that ST built a world rich enough to keep audiences invested well beyond its conclusion.

As we can see with the announcement of the Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, an animated series. It has been in development for nearly three years and is officially confirmed to be canon. Set between Seasons 2 and 3, the story takes us back to a wintry Hawkins.Eleven has closed the gate to the Upside Down,Max has officially joined the group, and the Snow Ball has quietly hinted at new friendships and romances beginning to take shape. The series follows the familiar “party” once again - Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Eleven, Max and Steve too as they find themselves pulled into another mystery. While the gate may be shut, danger hasn’t disappeared. This is still the period before the Starcourt Mall summer, when darker forces were slowly regrouping beneath the surface of Hawkins. 

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Even if it is placed in continuity from the ST timeline,Tales from ’85 isn’t positioned as a filler chapter. The show is designed to tell an original story that fits into existing continuity while standing firmly on its own. From the teaser it looks like the animation style leans into the spirit of ’80s cartoons, but with a modern edge. The Duffer Brothers remain involved as executive producers, with Eric Robles serving as showrunner, ensuring the tone remains true to the DNA of ST. This animated format also allows the series to expand the mythology in new ways with introducing new characters and never-before-seen supernatural threats that weren't part of the show. Alongside the original group, new faces add new dynamics and features a new voice cast, rather than the original actors.

Though this isn’t the first time Stranger Things has experimented with branching out. The Broadway play The First Shadow explored the origins of Henry Creel and his transformation into Vecna. Similarly, Stranger Things: One Way or Another, a novel released in December 2025, followed Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley as they investigated a new mystery in post-collapse Hawkins, bridging the gap between Seasons 4 and 5.Tales from ’85 continues this tradition not just as another spin-off, but as a tribute to the era that inspired Stranger Things in the first place. By embracing animation, the series pays homage to ’80s pop culture while proving that even though the main story has ended, the world of Hawkins still has plenty left to say. And for that, this animated feature has us excited to take us back to Hawkins in April!

Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is set to stream on Netflix on April 23, 2026.