The Best Episodes of Stranger Things
Every episode of Stranger Things ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Stranger Things!
When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.
Top Episode Highlight
The best episode of "Stranger Things" is "Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab", rated 9.6/10 from 41408 user votes. It was directed by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer and written by Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer. "Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" aired on 5/27/2022 and is rated 0.2 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Chapter Four: Dear Billy".
9.6/10 41,408 votes#1 - Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 2022-05-27
As Hopper braces to battle a monster, Dustin dissects Vecna's motives — and decodes a message from beyond. El finds strength in a distant memory.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer
9.4/10 37,659 votes#2 - Chapter Four: Dear Billy
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 2022-05-27
Max is in grave danger... and running out of time. A patient at Pennhurst asylum has visitors. Elsewhere, in Russia, Hopper is hard at work.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Paul Dichter
9.3/10 27,418 votes#3 - Chapter Eight: The Upside Down
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 2016-07-15
Dr. Brenner holds Hopper and Joyce for questioning while the boys wait with Eleven in the gym. Back at Will's, Nancy and Jonathan prepare for battle.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: N/A
9.3/10 25,888 votes#4 - Chapter Nine: The Gate
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 2017-10-27
Eleven makes plans to finish what she started while the survivors turn up the heat on the monstrous force that's holding Will hostage.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
9.2/10 23,249 votes#5 - Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 2017-10-27
An unlikely hero steps forward when a deadly development puts the Hawkins Lab on lockdown, trapping Will and several others inside.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
9.2/10 31,040 votes#6 - Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 2019-07-04
Terror reigns in the food court when the Mind Flayer comes to collect. But down below, in the dark, the future of the world is at stake.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
9.1/10 21,472 votes#7 - Chapter Six: The Spy
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 2017-10-27
Will's connection to a shadowy evil grows stronger, but no one's quite sure how to stop it. Elsewhere, Dustin and Steve forge an unlikely bond.
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Kate Trefry
9.1/10 32,957 votes#8 - Chapter Nine: The Piggyback
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 2022-07-01
With selfless hearts and a clash of metal, heroes fight from every corner of the battlefield to save Hawkins — and the world itself.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
9.0/10 23,338 votes#9 - Chapter Seven: The Bathtub
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 2016-07-15
Eleven struggles to reach Will, while Lucas warns that "the bad men are coming." Nancy and Jonathan show the police what Jonathan caught on camera.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Justin Doble
8.9/10 23,758 votes#10 - Chapter Four: The Body
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 2016-07-15
Refusing to believe Will is dead, Joyce tries to connect with her son. The boys give Eleven a makeover. Nancy and Jonathan form an unlikely alliance.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.9/10 21,750 votes#11 - Chapter Four: The Sauna Test
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 2019-07-04
A code red brings the gang back together to face a frighteningly familiar evil. Karen urges Nancy to keep digging, and Robin finds a useful map.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Kate Trefry
8.8/10 24,182 votes#12 - Chapter Three: Holly, Jolly
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 2016-07-15
An increasingly concerned Nancy looks for Barb and finds out what Jonathan's been up to. Joyce is convinced Will is trying to talk to her.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Jessica Mecklenburg, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.8/10 22,353 votes#13 - Chapter Six: The Monster
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 2016-07-15
A frantic Jonathan looks for Nancy in the darkness, but Steve's looking for her, too. Hopper and Joyce uncover the truth about the lab's experiments.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.8/10 20,052 votes#14 - Chapter Five: Dig Dug
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 2017-10-27
Nancy and Jonathan swap conspiracy theories with a new ally as Eleven searches for someone from her past. “Bob the Brain” tackles a difficult problem.
Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Jessie Nickson-Lopez
8.7/10 20,680 votes#15 - Chapter Seven: The Bite
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 2019-07-04
With time running out -- and an assassin close behind -- Hopper's crew races back to Hawkins, where El and the kids are preparing for war.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.6/10 22,515 votes#16 - Chapter Five: The Flea and the Acrobat
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 2016-07-15
Hopper breaks into the lab while Nancy and Jonathan confront the force that took Will. The boys ask Mr. Clarke how to travel to another dimension.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Alison Tatlock
8.6/10 21,849 votes#17 - Chapter Eight: Papa
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 2022-07-01
Nancy has sobering visions, and El passes an important test. Back in Hawkins, the gang gathers supplies and prepares for battle.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer
8.5/10 28,485 votes#18 - Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 2016-07-15
On his way home from a friend's house, young Will sees something terrifying. Nearby, a sinister secret lurks in the depths of a government lab.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.5/10 19,851 votes#19 - Chapter Three: The Pollywog
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 2017-10-27
Dustin adopts a strange new pet, and Eleven grows increasingly impatient. A well-meaning Bob urges Will to stand up to his fears.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Justin Doble
8.5/10 19,593 votes#20 - Chapter Four: Will the Wise
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 2017-10-27
An ailing Will opens up to Joyce -- with disturbing results. While Hopper digs for the truth, Eleven unearths a surprising discovery.
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Paul Dichter
8.5/10 19,825 votes#21 - Chapter Five: The Flayed
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 2019-07-04
Strange surprises lurk inside an old farmhouse and deep beneath the Starcourt Mall. Meanwhile, the Mind Flayer is gathering strength.
Director: Uta Briesewitz
Writer: Paul Dichter
8.5/10 20,006 votes#22 - Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 2019-07-04
Dr. Alexei reveals what the Russians have been building, and Eleven sees where Billy has been. Dustin and Erica stage a daring rescue.
Director: Uta Briesewitz
Writer: Curtis Gwinn
8.5/10 19,702 votes#23 - Chapter Six: The Dive
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 2022-05-27
Behind the Iron Curtain, a risky rescue mission gets underway. The California crew seeks help from a hacker. Steve takes one for the team.
Director: Nimród Antal
Writer: Curtis Gwinn
8.4/10 24,440 votes#24 - Chapter Two: The Weirdo on Maple Street
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 2016-07-15
Lucas, Mike and Dustin try to talk to the girl they found in the woods. Hopper questions an anxious Joyce about an unsettling phone call.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
8.3/10 20,279 votes#25 - Chapter Two: Trick or Treat, Freak
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 2017-10-27
After Will sees something terrible on trick-or-treat night, Mike wonders whether Eleven's still out there. Nancy wrestles with the truth about Barb.
Director: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Writer: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer