Stranger Things: Tales from '85 release date and trailer finally revealed

Following the New Year's Eve series finale of Stranger Things, fans have been missing the series something bad and haven't stopped thinking about the events of the ending once. But we knew that Netflix would be releasing the animated spinoff series sometime in 2026, which would allow us to reunite with our favorite characters in a different but still satisfying way.

Well, as it turns out, our return trip to Hawkins will be happening sooner than we thought! Given that Stranger Things just came to an end, we probably weren't expecting the spinoff to premiere until summer. Thankfully, we won't be waiting quite that long as Netflix dropped the teaser trailer for Stranger Things: Tales from '85 and set the release date for the new series.

Netflix reveals Stranger Things: Tales from '85 trailer and release date

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 will be released worldwide on Thursday, April 23 on Netflix. The streamer hasn't confirmed how many episodes the series will contain and how many will be included in the April drop, but it's exciting enough that we're heading back to Hawkins so soon. Not only are we heading back to Hawkins, we're uncovering a new mystery with our heroes.

While the original cast of Stranger Things doesn't return to lend their voices to their characters, a new crop of actors brings our favorite characters back to life for an adventure that takes place between season 2 and season 3 of the live-action original series. As the trailer teases, the team joins forces to battle a new threat from the Upside Down. Watch the trailer in the video below!

Since the animated spinoff takes place between seasons 2 and 3, we can obviously expect the new series to share continuity while also building on the show's lore with new standalone adventures. Even though the crew looks to be getting back to normal life following the massive events of season 2, the trailer finds a dangerous threat looming larger over them after surviving Eleven closing the gate to the Upside Down. Before Vecna arrived, the monsters were still scary and menacing.

Check out the Stranger Things: Tales from '85 synopsis via Netflix's press release:

"Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this untold story set in the Stranger Things universe."

We'll have to wait and see if the untold story from 1985 adds anything to the overall story of Stranger Things and where season 5 ended (most likely not), but fans shouldn't write off this new animated spinoff. If you're missing the show and want to spend more time with Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Max, Steve, and the whole gang, this is the perfect opportunity. The stakes are still high, but as executive producer Eric Robles explained, the mission was simply returning to a simpler time.

"One of the many things we talked about was how awesome it would be if you just got to hang out with these kids on these adventures that are not about saving the world," Robles said.

Make sure not to miss out on the continuation of the Stranger Things franchise when Stranger Things: Tales from '85 premieres Thursday, April 23 on Netflix.