Everything We Know About Stranger Things' Live-Action Spinoff, Other Worlds

Published Nov 6, 2026, 12:46 PM EST

El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.

The Stranger Things franchise is about to grow, as Netflix has confirmed the first official details about the Duffer Brothers' upcoming live-action spinoff. This Stranger Things spinoff has been in the works for a while; the project was originally announced in 2022 after Stranger Things season 4's gargantuan premiere, as the streamer looked to expand its biggest pop culture juggernaut. So far, Stranger Things' only other major spinoffs are the animated Stranger Things: Tales From '85, set between seasons 2 and 3, and the Henry Creel-centric prequel play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which will end its run in London and New York in December and January, respectively.

It's been almost exactly a year since Stranger Things season 5's long-awaited premiere, the perfect time to reveal what's next for Matt and Ross Duffer's retro science-fantasy universe. The result is Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a live-action series that will transport viewers to the iconic Stranger Things world but not the familiar streets of Hawkins, Indiana. This really is a whole new "adventure."

Netflix Confirmed Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure Is Happening

On Stranger Things Day, November 6, 2026 — die-hard fans will know this as the day Will Byers first disappeared in season 1 — Netflix confirmed the official series order for Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure. Matt and Ross Duffer are listed as joint co-creators with longtime Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry, who also wrote the script for Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Trefry will act as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Joe Wright, known for his work on 2005's Pride and Prejudice and Oscar-winner Darkest Hour, will direct the first three episodes (the total number of episodes is still unconfirmed).

In response to the Other Worlds announcement, Trefry told Netflix:

"It is my insane honor and privilege to be bringing this new chapter of Stranger Things to life alongside [the Duffer Brothers] and our incredible director, Joe Wright. With the support of Netflix and [Shawn Levy's] 21 Laps, we have had the time of our lives returning to all the horror, wonder and mystery of the flagship, while also telling a wholly new story, one we hope will blow your minds and break your hearts all over again. There are so many more mysteries to explore. Welcome to Other Worlds."

Other Worlds Is A Prequel Set Before Stranger Things & The First Shadow

To celebrate the news, Netflix also released a brief, atmospheric teaser for Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure (via X). It opens with a vintage bike and a choppy radio broadcast, then pans to what looks like another shady government facility and a thunderous sky. It ends with a funky new retro Other Worlds logo — designed with the iconic Stranger Things red — and confirms that the show will take place in Marion, Nevada, beginning on April 19, 1955. This places Other Worlds before both the '80s-set Stranger Things and The First Shadow, which is set in 1959.

It's also the first Stranger Things story far removed from the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. As the Duffer Brothers told Netflix, "It’s Stranger Things, but also thrillingly fresh, with a new setting, new heroes and villains." That doesn't mean it's completely unconnected to Hawkins or even characters like Vecna and the Mind Flayer, though. In fact, Stranger Things' final episode and Henry Creel's worst memory might shed more light on what will happen in the new series.

After all, Other Worlds' now-confirmed location and timeline track with what the Stranger Things masterminds have previously shared about the new story. One of the most harrowing scenes in Stranger Things' final episodes is Henry Creel's recollection of the first moment he connected with the Mind Flayer. After finding and attacking a terrified, frenzied scientist in an underground desert cave — The First Shadow's Dr. Brenner confirms it happened near a military installation in Lincoln County, Nevada, and that the scientist was a Russian spy — Henry opens the man's briefcase and finds a mysterious, glowing red rock.

The Nina Project base run by Dr. Brenner that Eleven visited to regain her powers in Stranger Things season 4 was also located in the Nevada desert.

After the finale, Matt Duffer explained that "The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it." He also promised that, even though it wouldn't be a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer, "it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining." The memory shows a younger, eight-year-old Henry; his family moved to Hawkins in 1959. Though the Duffers previously confirmed Other Worlds and Stranger Things wouldn't share any characters, this could be the link that ties everything together.

Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure Is Expected To Release In 2028 On Netflix

Netflix was even kind enough to share a release window for Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure. The spinoff is expected to premiere in 2028. That means the show could theoretically arrive in a little over a year with a January 2028 premiere, though that seems unlikely. Casting apparently has yet to begin. Netflix could also release the series in April 2028 to match the show's April 19 setting, though that isn't guaranteed, either. Will Byers famously disappeared in the fall (and the epilogue took place at Christmas), but the first season was released in July.

Still, even if Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure only premieres at the end of 2028, that's just three years between the end of Stranger Things and the start of its first live-action spinoff. That's not too outlandish, especially since fans sometimes have to wait nearly three years for new seasons of the same show. All in all, it's an exciting time to be a Stranger Things fan.

Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure arrives on Netflix in 2028.

Stranger Things