The first season of Stranger Things was released on Netflix on July 15, 2016.

Quick Scoop

  • Official premiere date: July 15, 2016, when all eight episodes of season 1 dropped on Netflix as a full-season binge release.
  • The season is set in 1983 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and follows the disappearance of Will Byers and the emergence of Eleven and the Upside Down.

Why that date mattered

  • Releasing in mid-July 2016 helped the show become a summer word-of-mouth hit, especially as streaming ā€œbinge dropsā€ were becoming a dominant viewing trend.
  • The nostalgic 1980s horrorā€“sciā€‘fi vibe, combined with that summer timing, quickly turned Stranger Things into a major popā€‘culture talking point across social media and forums.

TL;DR: The first season of Stranger Things came out on Netflix on July 15, 2016.

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