who played young will byers in season 5

In Stranger Things season 5, the “young Will Byers” you see on screen is played by child actor Luke Kokotek , with Noah Schnapp’s de‑aged face digitally composited onto his performance for the Season 1–era Will scenes.

Quick Scoop: What They Did

• Netflix used a body double (Luke Kokotek) to physically portray an 11–12-year-old Will, matching the look and movement of early-season Will.

• Visual effects then de-aged Noah Schnapp’s face and mapped it onto Kokotek’s performance in key flashback and Upside Down sequences, creating the illusion of the exact same Will from season 1.

Why Fans Are Talking About It

• The opening of season 5 features a very young Will in the Upside Down, which made viewers wonder if Netflix had secretly cast a new “young Will” or used advanced VFX only.

• Behind-the-scenes coverage clarified that Kokotek performed on set while the de-aging pipeline reused and referenced Schnapp’s original season 1 work to keep Will’s expressions emotionally consistent.

Mini FAQ & Context

• Is Noah Schnapp still playing Will in season 5?
  Yes—Noah Schnapp plays present-day Will and also provides the facial performance reference that is de-aged for younger flashbacks.

• Is Luke Kokotek credited?
  Season 5 credits list Luke Kokotek specifically as the actor for 12-year-old Will, alongside another child actor (Miles Marthaller) credited for kindergarten-age Will in brief flashback material.

TL;DR: The young Will Byers you see in Stranger Things season 5 is Luke Kokotek on set, with a de-aged Noah Schnapp face and performance layered over him for the final shots.

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