Stranger Things season 5 premiere crashes Netflix, fans demand quick fix

Netflix faced widespread outages as millions of viewers rushed to watch the premiere of Stranger Things Season 5.

Many users in the United States reported that they could not access the platform, and some viewers in India also experienced disruptions.

The outage occurred shortly after the first four episodes of the final season were released at 5 pm PT on Wednesday. PEOPLE magazine reported that the sudden surge caused the streaming service to glitch, leaving fans locked out of one of the year’s most anticipated premieres.

Viewers who had waited three years for the final chapter flooded social media with complaints.

One user wrote on X, "NETFLIX FIX YOURSELF RIGHT NOW BRO, I'VE BEEN WAITING THREE YEARS."

Another said, "OH MY GOD NETFLIX PLS FIX YOURSELF I WANNA WATCH."

Netflix said the problem was resolved quickly. A spokesperson told PEOPLE that "some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes."

The crash came soon after series co-creator Ross Duffer said in an Instagram Story that Netflix had boosted its server capacity. He claimed the platform had "increased bandwidth by 30 per cent to avoid a crash."

Season 5 marks the beginning of the end for the blockbuster sci-fi series. The new episodes are set in fall 1987, following a smaller time jump from Season 4, which took place in spring 1986.

The final battle against the “Upside Down” will see the return of familiar cast members, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, David Harbour, and Winona Ryder.

According to Netflix’s fan site Tudum, Season 5 will have eight episodes. PEOPLE reported that Episodes 5, 6, and 7 will release on December 25, while the series finale will arrive on December 31.