Picture Credit: Netflix
With the first batch of episodes having officially hit our screens last week, What’s on Netflix can confirm, following numerous rumors over the past few months, that the animated spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, had already been quietly renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere and is currently eyeing a late 2026 return.
Announced back in 2023 and picking up steam following the conclusion of the flagship series, Tales From ’85 is the first major expansion of the Stranger Things universe on Netflix itself (there have been video games and comic books, but on screen, at least). While fans are now busy diving into Season 1 following its release on April 23rd, 2026, it’s clear Netflix put an early big bet on the “Party” in their new animated form.
The news of an early renewal shouldn’t come as a massive surprise to those tracking Netflix’s recent animation strategy or our reporting on Tales from ’85 thus far.
Much like with high-profile titles like Splinter Cell and Tomb Raider, Netflix often greenlights multiple “seasons” of animated projects in advance to ensure a consistent release cadence. The alternative is the situation we’re currently seeing with Blue Eye Samurai, where there’s a multi-year wait, given the scale and complexity of developing and animating a series after a full renewal.
We first got word of a second season a few years back, when the show was getting into production in late 2023, and we found records that Project Mirkwood (the series working title/codename) had a year 1 and a year 2 listing. Of course, many of the biggest Stranger Things fan accounts have been covering the fact that there’s been a season 2 for quite some time. Most of that stems from a leak late last year that teased Tales from ’85 twice in a single year, in addition to a 10th Anniversary celebration for the series in Q3.
How well is Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 performing so far?
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 made a solid global impact upon its April 23rd release, peaking on the Netflix Top 10 charts on April 25th with an average global ranking of 6.1 and 393 total points. While it only managed to secure the #1 spot in Sri Lanka, the animated spin-off found its strongest initial audience in Eastern Europe and Southern Asia, successfully cracking the Top 3 in countries like the Czech Republic, India, Poland, and Slovakia.
However, the series performed more modestly in major English-speaking markets, peaking at #6 in the United States and #5 in the United Kingdom without ever breaching the uppermost tiers. That said, the series has already cooled in the daily top 10s, so we’ll see how its evolution continues in the weekly global top 10 viewing figures.
What to Expect from Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Season 2
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
Now that the show is out in the wild, we already have our first major clues as to what Season 2 will entail.
The Season 1 finale, “The Countdown,” wraps up with the gang—alongside new additions Nikki and Mrs. Baxter—successfully stopping the Horde Queen from tearing open a new gate to the Upside Down. Eleven manages to seal the gate with the Queen’s super-sized body crushed between dimensions, effectively killing the monster and neutralizing Daniel Fischer’s green-goo-fueled threat.
While the Party settles back down for a fresh D&D campaign with Hopper’s extended curfew blessing, a chilling post-battle scene reveals that the danger is far from over. Back in the Upside Down, a stem bursts from the Horde Queen’s lifeless corpse, blooming into a glowing flower with blue petals and the terrifying, unmistakable maw of a Demogorgon.
Showrunner Eric Robles has already confirmed that this sinister flora is exactly where the next batch of episodes is heading, stating to Netflix:
“The Demogorgon-mouthed flower that we are seeing represents the beginning of what will become a new mystery and chapter in the Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 saga.”
With Nikki and the Baxters officially deciding to stay in Hawkins, and a brand-new Upside Down mutation taking root, the stage is perfectly set for the Party’s return in late 2026.
Are you looking for more episodes of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 later this year? Let us know in the comments down below and we’ll update this post with any official announcement from Netflix as soon as it becomes available.
