OTT Guide

11 Must‑Watch Stranger Things Episodes To Rewatch Before Season 5 (OTT Ratings Binge List)

Episodes to rewatch before stranger things 5

Episodes to Rewatch Before Stranger Things 5 – Stranger Things Season 5 is not so far, the official date of release has been confirmed and will be available for streaming on Netflix from today 26 November 2025.  That is to say it is formally a panic-rewatch season among all Hawkins addicts. Rather than watching the entire 34+ hours blindly, OTT Ratings has selected 11 episodes that have to be rewatched prior to next Stranger Things Season 5. 

And you keep in mind all the Demogorgons, all the Kate Bushy moments, all the holy hell twists that are going to have been paid off. These are the main episodes to revisit prior to Stranger Things 5 provided you fully comprehend the entire idea of the Stranger Things show. We guarantee you that you will become a proud fan of the Strange Things series in your group of friends.

11 Must‑Watch Episodes to Rewatch Before Stranger Things 5

Here are the curated list which is made by OTT Ratings after comprehensive research to find out the 11 Must-watch Episodes to Rewatch Before Stranger Things 5 as mentioned below –

1. Chapter One: The Disappearance of Will Byers (S1E1).

When you are choosing episodes to re-watch prior to Stranger Things 5, you begin at the very beginning – the very night that everything goes wrong at Hawkins. This episode presents the main characters (Will, Eleven, Mike, Hopper, Joyce) and gives the initial clues about the Upside Down, Hawkins Lab, and the dark experiments that Season 5 is finally going to elaborate on in full.

OTT Ratings opinion: this pilot remains a mini-movie – dark, cozy and weirdly nostalgic and Season 5 is undoubtedly returning to the first mysteries presented here. This is one of the episodes that you cannot afford to skip should you decide to rewatch a few episodes of Stranger Things before Stranger Things 5.

2. Chapter Seven: The Bathtub (S1E7)

It is the episode during which the children become complete DIY Avengers -school gym, sensory deprivation tank, and Eleven connecting to the Upside Down as a human Wi-Fi extender. It is an important reminder of how her powers are utilized, how she finds people in another dimension and why isolation tanks continue to appear right up to Season 4, and even Season 5.

OTT Ratings recommendation: watch again before Stranger Things 5 to see how remote psychic battles and mindscapes work, and the finale is expected to see even more intense battles within the heads of characters.

3. Chapter Eight: The Upside Down (S1E8)

It is an episode that is the climax of Stranger Things – Joyce and Hopper in the Upside Down, Eleven against the Demogorgon, and the initial massive sacrifice scene that gives the emotional color to all the subsequent seasons. There is also the early visual hints on the structure and rules of the Upside Down, which Season 5 is likely to finally solve completely.

This definitely makes the list of episodes to rewatch before Stranger Things 5 as it reflects what the last season promises: a frantic rescue, stakes of the world being at risk, and Eleven straining all her powers.

4. Chapter Nine: The Gate (S2E9)

The vast majority of the ranking encourages The Gate to be almost on top of all the episodes of the 1st season of Stranger Things and, frankly speaking, they are correct. The closing of the gate by Hopper and Eleven, Will being depossessed of the control of the Mind Flayer, and the snow-ball school dance coming to an end all contribute to this being a fake happy ending that Season 5 will completely shatter to ruins.

It is a necessary episode to watch again before Stranger Things 5, in terms of OTT Ratings storytelling, as it reveals the relationship between the Mind Flayer and Will, the town, and the gate, the same cosmic thread that Season 5 is pulling on to conclude the show.

5. Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer (S2E8)

In case you have forgotten just how scary the Mind Flayer is when he plays people like a puppet, this will be your scary refresher. The episode demonstrates that the creature works via the tunnels underneath Hawkins, runs Demodogs, and armours Hawkins Lab itself, which is reminiscent of Vecna was capable of controlling the Upside Down in general in Season 4 and later.

It will be beneficial to rewatch this before Stranger Things 5 goes and make out the links between the Mind Flayer, Vecna, and the ultimate version of the Upside Down that Season 5 has been hinting to as being fully unlocked.

6. Chapter Four: Sauna Test (S3E4)

Any fan will ask to re-watch their favorite episodes before Stranger Things 5, and the Sauna Test episode will nearly always be among them. That is where the gang trades theories about walkie-talkies on the possibility of possession of one of their members by the horror with the actual horror where Billy is tested whether he is possessed and the Mind Flayer answers this question with a bloody battle in a sweaty small town sauna.

OTT Rating Angle: the episode is a masterpiece of tension and demonstrates the conflict of possession, body horror and moral guilt – topics that Season 5 will likely explore even further with Vecna being in control of Hawkins. Best mid-marathon choice when you are in the maybe I need sleep stage of your episodes to re-watch before Stranger Things 5 binge.

7. Chapter Eight: Chapter Eight The Battle of Starcourt (S3 E8)

It is impossible to discuss the episodes that can be re-watched prior to Stranger Things 5 without mentioning this neon-lit chaos fest. The Battle of Starcourt is everything fireworks, shopping mall climaxes, Russian underground bases, loss of major characters and a temporary shutting of the Upside Down door that evidently did not remain so.

Re-watching this episode ahead of Stranger Things 5 is a good reminder as to why the relationship between Hopper and Eleven works so well, why the Russians are important, and why the influence of the Upside Down runs so deep in creepy forests and basements. This will definitely be a reference to this energy of the end of the world in a mall in the final season.

8. Chapter Four: Dear Billy (S4E4)

Season 4 could have been characterized by one episode, and it is the episode that should be included in the 11 must-watch episodes to rewatch before Stranger Things 5: “Dear Billy”. It is the emotionally ruthless confrontation between Max and Vecna, her culpability towards Billy and the now-legendary escape scene that took Kate Bush back to the number one position.

Story and emotion wise, it is a movie to be revisited prior to Stranger Things 5 as the fate of the character of Max remains a mystery and the next season is going to be based on her trauma, coma, and cursed relationship with Vecna. It is also an ideal reminder that Hawkins is not only battling monsters – it is battling grief.

9. Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (S4E7)

The episode is the lore bomb – the one that answers the question of who Vecna is actually and how he relates with Eleven and how the Upside Down received its very first gateway. With the help of the memory of Eleven, you can observe the life of Henry Creel, the slaughter at the laboratory, and the moment when he is shot into the Upside Down, accidentally causing the appearance of the very monster that will follow her throughout her life. 

Any hardcore fan who has to plan to rewatch some episodes before Stranger Things 5 must include this since Season 5 will provide an answer to what the Upside Down actually is, and this hour is the Rosetta Stone to that puzzle. OTT Ratings refers to this as the most crucial lore episode in the series.

10. Chapter Eight: Papa (S4E8)

Papa is the emotional break up episode between Eleven and Dr. Brenner but it is also a pivotal bridge to the Season 4 finale. You have military action with high stakes, Eleven is finally refusing the manipulative (and in fact, outright fake) that Brenner told her, the feeling that she exists without him in a stronger way, something that Season 5 will push to its absolute extreme.

This episode is a good stab in the eyes of episodes to watch again before Stranger Things 5 in case you need the human and moral element of the story, not the monsters. It establishes the state of mind of Eleven as she enters into the final major confrontation and demonstrates why she is no longer letting adults dictate to her what she is supposed to become.

11. Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (S4E9)

Last, but not the least: The Piggyback is the Season 4 finale, which is almost a prequel to Season 5. Several groups combat Vecna across dimensions, the plan by Max almost kills her, gates tear apart Hawkins, and the town literally cracks open between the normal world and the Upside Down.

This is one of the episodes that cannot be bargained upon in the event you have just a very short list of episodes to rewatch before Stranger Things 5. The emotional residue, loose ends, and visual cliffhanger of the Upside Down bleeding into Hawkins is pumped directly into the apocalyptic set-up of the last season.

What is the point of these 11 Episodes of Stranger Things?

The question they are asking when seeking the greatest episodes to watch again by the time Stranger Things 5 comes around is: Which episodes are directly related to the ultimate battle in Hawkins? The Duffer Brothers themselves have themselves mentioned a group of small episodes as critical refreshers, and fan ratings and ratings confirm these to be the most effective in the series. OTT Ratings combined creator suggestions, IMDb trends, and popular lists to create a rewatch list that includes all the huge twists, fatalities, and Upside 

Down reveals without wasting your precious pre-Season-5 hours. 

Our how to watch Pro OTT hack: Not enough time to consume all the new season of content? At least do this list of episodes to rewatch before Stranger Things 5 to get in the time-trap of a Hawkins crash course.

How To Organize Your Rewatch Before the Seasons 5 Stranger Things?

You have the 11 most important episodes to rewatch before Stranger Things 5 , but now the question arises, which sequence should you watch as much Hawkins as possible in a minimum amount of burnout? It is a basic fan friendly binge plan that OTT Ratings suggests:

  • Day 1: S1E1 The Vanishing of Will Byers, S1E7 The Bathtub, S1E8 The Upside Down – the origin story block.
  • Day 2: S2E8 “The Mind Flayer” S2E9 The Gate – the power-up arc of the Mind Flayer.
  • Day 3: S3E4 “The Sauna Test” S3E8 “The Battle of Starcourt” – Billy, malls, and heartbreak.
  • Day 4: S4E4 “Dear Billy” S4E7 The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” – Max and Vecna take a psychological tour.
  • Day 5: S4E8 Papa, S4E9 The Piggyback – direct runway into the Season 5 of Stranger Things.

In this manner, you can keep revisiting your episodes to watch prior to the release of Stranger Things 5 in the form of an organised mini-marathon rather than Netflix mayhem, and when Volume 1 is released you’ll recall all of your significant scars all over Hawkins.

Don’t miss it: Stranger Things 5 Complete Details.

Knowing what to expect is also beneficial since you are making a rewatch based on the last season. Stranger Things Season 5 will be the final installment, an eight-part supersized season that will be released in three installments throughout the end of 2025 on Netflix, and has a finale that will release on December 31 so as to destroy your New Year in the most delicious way possible.

OTT Ratings has a great article to complement your customized Stranger Things 5 list: knowing Stranger Things Season 5 Release Date Everything We Know about the Season 5 is sure to keep you informed about the schedule, episode names, actors, and all the final spoilings of Netflix, but it still leaves much to read.

What You Should Watch After a Stranger Things Rewatch?

After you have gone through all these episodes to re-watch before Stranger Things 5, you are likely to end up experiencing post-Upside-Down withdrawal. That is where your friends at OTT Ratings come in with the bat like Steve.

Both lists are ideal in case you have already completed your core episodes to rewatch prior to Stranger Things 5 and are just looking to pass the time between volumes without emotionally cheating on Hawkins too much.

Our Thoughts 

Starting with the point where Will goes missing as the pilot and ending with Hawkins being Hawkins as the Season 4 finale. Itself cracks open, these 11 chapters make up the final episodes to re-watch before Stranger Things 5 in order to satisfy the fans who desire the story, emotion, and lore. 

Not just background noise. This carefully selected blend strikes the most important Vecna revelations, Mind Flayer bursts, Eleven power-ups, and character scenes which Season 5 will allude to, riffle and likely ruin you with one final time.


Stick with OTT Ratings for more Stranger Things 5 coverage, including release updates, review scores, and deep‑dive explainers straight on OTTRatings.com, your one‑stop guide to everything binge‑worthy on streaming.
Atul Kalita

Atul Kalita is a BSc IT graduate & Google Certified Digital Marketer having with over 6 years of experience in Digital Marketing and Entertainment niche content creation. With a passion for all things OTT, Atul specializes in crafting in-depth reviews, guides, and analysis of web series, shows, and movies streaming across various platforms. His expertise in entertainment journalism stems from his ability to decode the latest trends in the OTT world. When not immersed in creating content, you’ll find Atul exploring indie films or experimenting with new tech gadgets. His work is also featured by reputed media houses like Mid-Day.com & DigitalJournal.com

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