 "Netflix crashes briefly as Stranger Things Season 5 finale drops worldwide")
Netflix experienced a brief global outage as fans rushed to stream the much-anticipated Season 5 finale of hit series Stranger Things.
The streaming platform crashed at around 5 pm PT, the exact moment the final episode dropped. According to Variety, the outage lasted for roughly a minute and was resolved after a few refresh attempts. In India, Downdetector data showed a spike in outage reports between 6:22 am and 6:37 am.
The disruption was widely attributed to a surge of viewers logging in simultaneously to watch the concluding episode of the Duffer Brothers-created show. Many fans attempting to stream the finale were greeted with an error message stating: “Something went wrong. Sorry, we’re having trouble with your request.”
As the outage unfolded, disappointed viewers took to social media platforms to express their frustration over being unable to watch the long-awaited finale on time
Not the first Netflix outage for Stranger Things
This is not the first time Stranger Things has strained Netflix’s servers. The platform also faced technical issues during the Season 5 premiere on November 26, 2025, when the first four episodes were released. Netflix was reportedly inaccessible for about five minutes at that time.
Earlier, the release of the final episodes of Stranger Things Season 4 in July 2022 had also led to similar service disruptions. ALSO READ | Stranger Things 5 finale OTT release: When and where to watch last episode?
Stranger Things Season 5 finale: What to know
The finale, titled 'Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up', marks the conclusion of Netflix’s flagship franchise. With a runtime of 2 hours and 8 minutes, it is the longest episode in the show’s history.
Adding to the buzz, the finale also premiered in select theatres across the US and Canada on New Year’s Eve. Co-creator Ross Duffer said around 1.1 million people RSVP’d for theatrical screenings, with 3,500 shows sold out across 620 theatres, according to Variety.
The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was released in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25, and the series finale on December 31, 2025 (January 1, 2026, in India).
The show stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and Sadie Sink, along with several new cast members introduced for the climactic final battle.