‘Stranger Things’ Likely To Follow ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Harry Potter’ After Season 5 Ends

Stranger Things has become a multi-platform franchise — comics, novels, a stage show, mobile apps, board games, and more — but there’s still something fairly obvious missing.

And that gap has become all the more visible now that Netflix’s sci-fi property has seen tie-ins ranging from mobile game releases to VR experiences and, most recently, a surprise crossover with “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024”. For a franchise that has tapped into almost every other medium so far —  including gaming — where’s the big-budget AAA game (preferably an open-world one)? At this point, it’s a no-brainer.

When Will We Get an Open-World Stranger Things Game?

One possible answer could be timing. With Season 5 finally nearing the end, with Volume 1 having recently premiered, Volume 2 landing on December 25, and the finale on December 31, it would probably make things easier for a game project if the main flagship series was out of the way first — that way, fans could re-focus their attention without the distraction of the Netflix series.

It could also be why the animated spinoff series, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, isn’t arriving until next year.

But with the core show out of the way, the franchise is free to do some breathing and venture into other mediums of storytelling. In this instance, gaming. As we’ve said, there are already plenty of gaming experiences, but there’s currently no full-fledged title.

Related: Netflix Loses ‘Stranger Things’ Finale to the Big Screen

Stranger Things Could Follow Harry Potter and Star Wars

Of course, there are also business and creative factors. Major open-world gaming require deep investment and a partner willing to commit to multi-year development and live-service support — risks Netflix and the Duffers may prefer to manage after the show’s narrative arc is complete.

Other IPs have already taken that leap: “Hogwarts Legacy” delivered an expansive open world for Harry Potter‘s sprawling Wizarding World and Ubisoft shipped “Frontiers of Pandora” as a planet-scale adventure, demonstrating that audience appetite exists for franchise open worlds. There’s also Ubisoft’s open-world Star Wars game, “Outlaws”.

Ideally, an open-world Stranger Things would center on Hawkins — small-town life, the arcade, the lab, and a mirrored Upside Down to explore. But for now, fans will likely keep seeing the franchise continue to expand into mediums it’s already ventured into, rather than the open world some have been imagining.

Stream Stranger Things on Netflix Now

Stranger Things seasons 1 — 4 and Season 5 Volume 1 are now streaming on Netflix.

Volume 2 will premiere on December 25 and the finale will premiere on December 31 (availability depends on your region/time zone).

Would you like an open-world Stranger Things video game? Let us know in the comments down below!