when will episode 9 of stranger things come out

There is currently no confirmed episode 9 of Stranger Things , and Netflix has not announced any plans to release one.

What’s officially confirmed

• Season 5 of Stranger Things was announced and marketed as an eight‑episode final season, with episode 8 serving as the series finale.

• Neither Netflix nor the Duffer Brothers have announced a bonus or secret episode 9, and coverage from major outlets explicitly states there is no secret episode 9 planned or released.

What’s going on with “Conformity Gate”?

• A fan theory called “Conformity Gate” spread on social media claiming episode 8 was a Vecna-created illusion and that a “true” episode 9 would drop on January 7.

• Articles and commentators note that this theory is driven by perceived “plot holes,” visual details (like character hand positions mirroring Vecna), and cryptic teaser-style posts, but they also stress that it remains pure fan speculation.

Did episode 9 ever drop?

• As of reporting on January 7, entertainment outlets checked Netflix and confirmed that no episode 9 appeared on the service on the rumored date.

• One widely cited piece bluntly states that “there is no secret episode 9 of Stranger Things airing tonight on the predicted date of January 7, despite the enormous online movement.”

What is coming instead?

• Netflix has announced a behind‑the‑scenes documentary, often described as the final official Stranger Things release, scheduled to premiere on January 12.

• This documentary, focusing on the making of the last season, is being treated as the farewell companion piece rather than an additional story episode.

So, when will episode 9 come out?

• Given current information, the realistic answer is: there is no scheduled release date, because episode 9 does not officially exist.

• Unless Netflix or the creators make a new announcement changing this, fans should assume that the story ends with season 5, episode 8 and that any talk of an extra episode is just enthusiastic fandom theory.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.