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Following the quick succession of its first two seasons, fans of the animated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 are already asking if we’ll be heading back to Hawkins for a third outing after the arrival of a shortened season 2. Although the door has been left wide open for more stories, a Season 3 renewal is going to come down to one crucial factor: viewership.
Here is everything we know so far about a potential third season of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.
Before diving into the renewal status, if you want to know more about the behind-the-scenes creation of the show, check out our interview with the animated series’ creators. If you are still wondering how the show fits into the wider Duffer Brothers universe, we have a full breakdown of whether the series is considered canon, which has evolved a little, with the series now said to be “not pure canon.”
Has Netflix renewed Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 for Season 3?
Official Renewal Status: Not Yet Renewed (Pending)
As of right now, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 has not been officially renewed for a Season 3. If you’re wondering why Season 1 and Season 2 were released so close to one another, it’s because the series was originally given a two-season upfront order by Netflix. That’s not uncommon with animated shows given the length of time that a show takes to produce in the animation world. We know that this show has been in the works since 2023 and we can see when shows get proper renewals from Netflix in this genre (such as Blue Eye Samurai) they take quite some time to come out. Our understanding is that the initial order has now been fulfilled.
While we hear there has been some early development work and outlining for a third season, it will still need an official green light from Netflix executives to move forward into production.
All this is backed up by Eric Robles, the showrunner, who recently took to Instagram to interact with fans, and when asked about a third season, they made it very clear what needs to happen to get the show renewed:
Viewership motivates a new season pickup so help me spread the word.
How is Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 performing on Netflix?
If viewership is the deciding factor, the current data paints a concerning picture for the show’s future.
Looking at our Top 10 Search tool, the series did feature for two weeks in the global top 10s following the launch of its first season, netting 23.9M viewing hours, equating to 4.9M views. From there, the series went on to pick up a net 40.4M total viewing hours in the first half of 2026, equating to 8.3M views. For an animated show, that’s pretty good but not barnstorming when compared to other Netflix shows, especially the mothership show the series derives from.
Season 2 also appears to be struggling to make a major dent in the global charts. According to early daily top 10 data from FlixPatrol, the series does feature in overall Top 10 TV charts but only in a handful of countries. Over its first few days on the service, it completely missed the charts in major regions, only popping up in the bottom tier (ranks #8–#10) in countries like Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine.
It is performing slightly better in the Kids TV Shows Top 10:
- The Good: It peaked at #2 in Argentina, Chile, and Mexico, and has held steady in the top 3 for countries like France, Italy, Portugal, and Romania.
- The Bad: In major English-speaking markets, it is severely lagging. It’s only reaching #8 in the United States, #6 in Canada, and #7 in Australia on the Kids charts.
For a franchise as massive as Stranger Things, Netflix typically expects dominant, weeks-long stints at the top of the charts. Unless word of mouth spreads as the showrunner hopes, it may face an uphill battle for renewal.
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What to expect from Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Season 3
If the show does return, the writers have left plenty of runway for new stories. Here’s a quick recap of how Season 2 wrapped up and where our characters were left.
How Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Season 2 Ends
The Season 2 finale delivers a classic, multi-pronged Hawkins showdown. With Daniel Fischer (Lou Diamond Phillips) dangerously close to breaking out of the Upside Down, the gang is forced to divide and conquer his mentally controlled flora.
Down in the old Hawkins mines, Dustin, Nikki, Will, and Charlie narrowly survive a swarm of hate sprites by triggering a massive underground eruption. Up on the surface, Lucas and Max manage to evade furious Jeff and his friends by using a motorbike explosion to incinerate the iridescent “murder flowers” covering the local bridge. This fiery destruction proves to be the key: by burning the flowers, they cut off the power source to “Wood Monster Daniel.” Severely weakened, the giant, flower-shrouded tree monster is defeated by Mike and Eleven in the woods. The gate seals shut on its own, and Daniel’s physical body finally withers away in the Upside Down.
The aftermath leaves things in an interesting place. On a personal level, Mike finally works up the courage to ask Eleven to be his girlfriend at the Palace Arcade, and the gang’s video report successfully makes the local news, exposing Samuel Hawkins and exonerating Charlie’s ancestor, Bill “Blood Axe” Dandridge.
Most importantly for the show’s future, we learn that Nikki will be sticking around Hawkins for a while longer, as her mom (Janeane Garofalo) lands a biology teaching job at Hawkins High.
What could Season 3 entail? Timeline hurdles and missing characters…
If you look at the wider discussions and write-ups across the web right now, a potential Season 3 has a very specific set of canon hurdles to jump.
Showrunner Eric Robles has previously mentioned that the goal of the animated spin-off is to bridge the gap right up to the doorstep of the original live-action Season 3. With Season 2 taking place around Valentine’s Day 1985, a third season will inevitably push the timeline right up against the summer break and the opening of the Starcourt Mall.
As outlets fans have pointed out, this creates a major continuity puzzle. Because original animated characters like Nikki (Odessa A’zion) and Charlie don’t appear in the live-action Season 3, a new season of Tales from ’85 will have to wrap up their storylines and explain their sudden absence from Hawkins.
If the show gets renewed, expect Season 3 (or perhaps even some other way to wrap things up) it’d serve as the ultimate connective tissue—tying up these loose animated ends so that the transition directly into the summer of ’85 is completely seamless.
Would you like to see Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 return for Season 3 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
