STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler and Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

We’ve got a long wait in front of us for Stranger Things season 5. There’s always a long wait between seasons, but seeing as this will be the final season, it makes sense that the Duffer Brothers will want to take their time and ensure the last season is the best it can be.

On the plus side, the wait between season 4 and season 5 should not be nearly as long as the lengthy hiatus between season 3 and 4, which mostly came down to the show filming in several different locations and the pandemic causing a six-month break during filming.

Still, we’re probably going to be waiting until at least the summer of 2024 to see how the show ends. So what do we do in the meantime to keep busy? Luckily, there are a lot of ways to keep yourself locked into the Stranger Things world while you wait for new episodes.

STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley and Joe Keery as Steve Harrington in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Stranger Things has expanded well beyond the confines of a Netflix television show. There are two novels for adults and three for young readers, but if you’re a diehard fan I suggest reading all five. While the books are not officially canon, more canon-compliant, they’re still fun and can provide additional insight into the characters you love most.

Like the books, Stranger Things also has a vast and exciting world of comics and graphic novels to explore. Many side characters get their day in the limelight in the comics, including minor characters like the bully Troy, Kali (008) and Lucas’s younger sister, Erica.

There are also fun, holiday specials like a Halloween and Christmas one-shot and at least one comic series focuses on an adventure with Bob Newby! We go into more detail on all the comics in this handy guide to all the Stranger Things media in chronological order.

Stranger Things Game 3 art. Cr. Netflix.

Did you know that there are a couple of different Stranger Things mobile games available to play for free? You’ll need to download the Netflix Games app to play them but there’s a few, including the 16-bit adventure game Stranger Things: The Game which takes place between seasons 1 and 2 and its follow-up, Stranger Things 3: The Game.

The main difference between the two is that Stranger Things 3 offers co-op play and it’s available on more consoles, like Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. There are also real games like Stranger Things Monopoly and the Eggo card game you can purchase from retailers.

Since Stranger Things season 5 is going to be the final season and we already know that it’s going to focus more on the original characters and stay in Hawkins, Indiana, now is the best time to rewatch the show.

In fact, you might want to rewatch multiple times to soak it all in. I have a strong feeling that the fifth season is going to contain a lot of callbacks and easter eggs to the early seasons as a way to celebrate the show’s run and honor its legacy.

It’s common knowledge at this point that Stranger Things is sometimes considered nostalgia porn. The Duffer Brothers love classic films from people like Steven Spielberg and some of the most iconic sci-fi/horror movies.

As such, there are tons of older projects you can revisit that might help you appreciate the series more. Below is a short list of movies and television shows you can watch while you wait for season 5, but there are tons more and the fan-run wiki has a great list that can serve as a starting point.

Again this is a very small list compared to the massive amount of influences and pop culture references throughout the show, but it’s a fantastic place to start!

STRANGER THINGS. Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022

Once you’re completely caught up on the show, you can always spend some time reading theories about the final season. Reddit has plenty of theories in the main subreddit, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes theories can be incredibly fun and provide an addictive rabbit hole to keep you entertained and guessing until the show returns.

The Stranger Things cast is filled with extremely talented individuals and many of them have starred in other projects, either before, during or after filming the show.

If you can’t get enough of the show, you might want to consider checking out the cast’s filmographies. Below is a brief list of projects worth watching that feature members of the cast in prominent roles.

Many of the cast members also have new projects coming up but they won’t be available until late 2022, 2023 or beyond.

With all the Stranger Things content out there, it would be very easy to miss some of the after shows. But there actually is an after show that goes along with Stranger Things season 2 on Netflix called Beyond Stranger Things.

Unfortunately, Netflix didn’t release any official after show on the service for the follow-up seasons. But they did share a volume 1 and volume 2 after show during Geeked Week for season 4. The first half is embedded above and you can watch the volume 2 after show here.

Once you delve into the after shows, you could always spend time searching individual cast interviews and behind-the-scenes content on YouTube.

That will keep you busy for hours. Considering buying Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, the official behind-the-scenes companion guide to the show or Visions from the Upside Down, the show’s official art book.

Finally, if you love the cast, make sure you stay up-to-date with them by following them on social media! Most of the main cast members have an active Instagram and regularly post updates about what they’re working on, or even share fun photos and videos with their co-stars.

Are you excited for Stranger Things season 5? How do you plan to keep busy until it comes out?

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