There is no officially scheduled new Stranger Things episode releasing on January 7, based on the latest publicly shared episode lists and release plans for the series.

Release schedule overview

Stranger Things season 5 has been released in clearly announced batches tied to major holidays, not to a random January 7 drop.

Volume 1 (episodes 1–4) premiered on November 26, 2025, Volume 2 (episodes 5–7) on December 25, 2025, and the finale (episode 8) on December 31, 2025.

January 7 “secret episode” rumor

Some fan discussions and online videos speculate about a hidden or bonus episode arriving on January 7, sometimes called a “secret episode 9” or similar.

Commentators covering these rumors have explicitly said they do not believe a secret bonus episode actually exists, treating it more as fan theory than confirmed plan.

What the official listings show

Official episode guides and databases only list eight episodes for season 5, ending with the finale that debuted on December 31, 2025.

There is no credible official listing, press release, or platform schedule that adds a new Stranger Things episode dated January 7.

So what should fans expect?

  • No new canon episode is expected to appear on Netflix on January 7 based on current official information.
  • Any “January 7” chatter is best understood as unconfirmed fan speculation rather than verified news.

TL;DR: All official schedules point to the story ending with the December 31 finale, and there is no confirmed extra Stranger Things episode dropping on January 7.