10 Best Episodes of Stranger Things So Far, Ranked Over 9.0/10 On IMDb

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Over five seasons, Stranger Things has been setting up an epic battle between the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, and the deformed psychic villain Vecna, who was once Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower). Over almost a decade, the dark dimension of the Upside Down and the monsters within have been attacking Hawkins, contributing to some dramatic, intense, exhilarating, emotional, and hilarious moments in some of TV’s best episodes. Ten Stranger Things episodes have scored over 9.0/10 on IMDb, taken from each season of the popular sci-fi series.

10) “Chapter Seven: The Bathtub” — Season 1, Episode 7 (9.0/10)

With a rating of 9.0/10 based on 31k votes, Stranger Things season 1’s penultimate episode, “The Bathtub,” marked the convergence of many of season 1’s disparate plot lines, setting the stage for the finale. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her young allies escape from Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) and his team, with Eleven even using her powers to flip a van in an instantly-iconic scene. This episode also established a strong relationship between Eleven and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), which persists to this day. Packed full of suspense, tension, emotional character moments, and catharsis when Eleven remotely finds Barb (Shannon Purser) and Will (Noah Schnapp) in the Upside Down, “The Bathtub” is a fantastic episode.

9) “Chapter Six: The Spy” — Season 2, Episode 6 (9.1/10)

Stranger Things season 2, episode 6, “The Spy,” may prove to be incredibly important as the series heads into its final episodes. This story revealed Will to be a spy for Vecna—his identity unknown at the time—having been implanted with particles from the Mind Flayer during his time in the Upside Down. This episode also birthed the popular partnership of Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery), saw a hilarious evolution in the romance between Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and features an intense sequence involving the Demodogs. With tight writing, compelling performances, and true horror elements, “The Spy” is a prime example of Stranger Things’ storytelling.

8) “Chapter Nine: The Piggyback” — Season 4, Episode 9 (9.1/10)

Stranger Things season 4’s finale, “The Piggyback,” earned the series another 9.1/10 score with 43k ratings compared to “The Spy’s” 29k. “The Piggyback” marked one of the biggest event episodes Stranger Things has seen so far, with an epic scope exploring Eleven using her regained powers to fight Vecna, Hopper (David Harbour) returning from his incarceration in Russia, Vecna completing his plans for Hawkins after briefly killing Max (Sadie Sink), and the Hawkins team exacting their last scheme against the villain. This episode expanded the series’ mythology more than most others, and perfectly set the stage for Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season, as the Upside Down started to bleed into the real world.

7) “Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer” — Season 2, Episode 8 (9.2/10)

With 31k scores, Stranger Things season 2, episode 8, “The Mind Flayer,” reached a 9.2/10 rating on IMDb, making it season 2’s second-highest-rated episode. “The Mind Flayer” saw the gang come up with a final plan to save Will and dispel the Mind Flayer from his body, but this came at the tragic cost of Bob’s (Sean Astin) life. Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) using memories to bring Will back added to the emotion following Bob’s gruesome death, and this episode also marked the return of Eleven after her divisive stint in Chicago. Heart-wrenching, incredibly emotional, intense and dramatic, and featuring a heroic sacrifice, “The Mind Flayer” is one of Stranger Things’ most memorable instalments.

6) “Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt” — Season 3, Episode 8 (9.2/10)

So far, every season finale of Stranger Things has made a home among the top ten most highly-rated episodes, including season 3’s “The Battle of Starcourt.” This episode marked the last stand of our team against the horrific physical manifestation of the Mind Flayer, comprised of the mulched corpses of various rats and Hawkins residents. While Joyce, Hopper, and Murray (Brett Gelman) fight against the Russians, the heroes in the mall are helped by Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who sacrifices himself to save his sister and her friends. Eleven loses her powers, Hopper is seemingly killed, and the Mind Flayer is apparently destroyed, but this was indeed not the end for Stranger Things.

5) “Chapter Nine: The Gate” — Season 2, Episode 9 (9.3/10)

Stranger Things season 2’s finale, “The Gate,” racked up a 9.3/10 rating on IMDb with 34k scores, making it more popular than the season 3 finale. After “The Mind Flayer,” Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy manage to rid Will of the particles, allowing the others to burn the Upside Down’s tunnels beneath Hawkins, and allowing Eleven to level-up her powers to close the titular gate. The epilogue at the school dance was heartfelt and satisfying, but with a tease that the Mind Flayer is still watching from the Upside Down, hinting at future drama in Stranger Things season 4 and beyond. With a high production value, emotional payoffs, and a triumphant narrative, “The Gate” is one of the series’ most memorable stories.

4) “Chapter Eight: The Upside Down” — Season 1, Episode 8 (9.3/10)

Following the finales of Stranger Things season 4, season 3, and season 2, season 1’s final episode, “The Upside Down,” clocks in at 9.3/10 with 36k scores. This episode finally saw the Hawkins team rescue Will from the Upside Down, marked Steve’s transition into a hero alongside Nancy and Jonathan, and saw Eleven increase her power to kill the Demogorgon attacking her friends. Where Eleven went after this is still unclear, but Stranger Things season 5 could explain this mystery several years later. This episode also teased Will’s deeper connection to the Upside Down and long-lasting effects of his stay there, which will all come to a head in Stranger Things’ upcoming final episodes.

3) “Chapter Four: Dear Billy” — Season 4, Episode 4 (9.5/10)

“Dear Billy” quickly became one of Stranger Things’ most influential, critically-acclaimed, and talked-about episodes ever following its release in season 4. Most notably, the episode’s use of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” brought the iconic song back into the limelight, and presented Sadie Sink with one of her most intense and incredible on-screen moments. “Dear Billy” also included a cameo appearance from horror legend Robert Englund as Victor Creel, and has achieved a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Regarded as one of the best episodes of TV in 2022, if not ever, Stranger Things’ “Dear Billy” is only outmatched by two other instalments of the sci-fi series.

2) “Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” — Season 4, Episode 7 (9.6/10)

Throughout Stranger Things season 4, we were led to believe that Eleven had used her psychic powers to kill all the other child subjects of Dr. Brenner’s experiments in Hawkins Lab. Season 4, episode 7, “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” revealed that it was actually One, Henry Creel, who carried out this heinous act, forcing Eleven to send him into Dimension X, where he became Vecna. This feature-length episode also revealed more about the exact nature of the Upside Down, Hopper’s time in Russia, Henry Creel’s history, and Brenner’s true intentions, marking a huge shift in Stranger Things’ narrative. “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab” was the intense ending of season 4’s volume 1, but has still been out-rated by the finale to season 5’s first volume.

1) “Chapter Four: Sorcerer” — Season 5, Episode 4 (9.7/10)

Stranger Things season 5 released four episodes on November 26, 2025, as part of its first volume, and the volume’s finale, “Sorcerer,” quickly became the highest-rated episode of the series yet. Earning 9.7/10 with 47k ratings, “Sorcerer” marked Vecna’s return during the Demogorgons’ attack to collect Hawkins’ children for the villain’s ultimate plan. “Sorcerer” also marked Kali’s (Linnea Berthelsen) return from the series’ lowest-rated episode, but hopefully with a brighter future. Max also reveals the truth of where she and Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) are, but it was Will finally tapping into Vecna’s hive mind to get psychic powers of his own—which he uses to destroy three Demogorgons and save his friends—which is “Sorcerer’s” most powerful and poignant moment. We can’t wait to see how this pays off in Stranger Things’ next and final four episodes.

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