Blu-Ray Review: STRANGER THINGS: THE COMPLETE SERIES DELUXE EDITION 4K BOX SET

By The Editors of ASSIGNMENT X / JACOB REILLY

Posted: August 7th, 2026 / 01:27 AM

STRANGER THINGS: THE COMPLETE SERIES DELUXE EDITION 4K BOX SET | ©2026 Arrow Video / Netflix

Distributor: Arrow Video

I have been here since the beginning. I started watching STRANGER THINGS the night it premiered on Netflix and watched ever single drop through to the finale. Sure, there were ups and downs with it, but what series (especially one as ambitious as this one) doesn’t have some lulls in the storytelling. I wasn’t one of the people who hated the series finale. The show was always evolving and changing. The special effects, the storylines, the actors were aging and the ones that started as kids really came into their own by the end of the run.

STRANGER THINGS is something that I had previously purchased physical media of. Target released the first two seasons as collector’s edition VHS homage boxed sets, that I still have simply because they were so cleverly packaged. I never dreamed we would be getting a set as magnificent as the Arrow Deluxe Edition box set on down the line. I can’t sing this set’s praises enough. I feel like the people at Arrow, who always turn out exceptional physical media for enthusiasts and collectors alike, really went above and beyond on this release.

Let’s just start with the 4K transfer. Gorgeous. Watching the series in its original streamed format is fine, but streaming is by its nature inconsistent. You can have signal interruptions which lead to picture and sound degradation or pixelation of whatever you are watching. 4K is so crystal clear in this set, that from the first season, it’s like watching a new show for the first time. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen the picture and heard sound quality like this for those early years of the show. You can do a comparison. Watch a part of the pilot episode on Netflix and then switch over to the same episode on 4K. The picture and sound quality is superior on physical media.

I’m a big supporter and proponent of physical releases. Streaming services tend to remove or even in some cases alter content in their catalogues. Long ago, I started keeping a physical media archive of all my favorite movies and shows, simply because I couldn’t trust streaming services to keep them around in perpetuity, and Arrow has long been one of my favorite companies to purchase from. There are always great special features and bonuses (often physical materials) to accompany a beautiful copy of whatever you are getting.

That leads me to the special features in this set. Five seasons. Five sets of special features including BTS features, bloopers, set tours, and so much more. There are hours of watching for the true fan beyond just the beautiful upgrade of the series episodes. There are also five double-sided posters, one for each season, featuring the original promotional art for each season as well as the new art created specifically for this box set. There is a 148 page behind the scenes booklet that looks like an RPG players manual. There’s a box of physical goodies including stickers, art cards, prop replicas, an iron-on patch for the Hellfire Club, a Scoops Ahoy loyalty card, a Palace Arcade token, a multi-sided die…it’s really a lovely little treasure trove of gifts with purchase. The wraparound box art by Juan Ramos is stunning. There is literally no other word for it. It is a gorgeous blend of elements of all five seasons into one cohesive sprawling image.

The art on each of the seasons is reversible, and each season has a cleverly designed special outer sleeve that when you slide it off, has a reveal for that season’s arc.

Bottom line is Arrow knocked this release out of the park. From the packaging and the physical bonus items to the beautiful quality of the transfers of the episodes and the special features. The price is on this set is well worth it, especially if you’ve been a fan of the show from the beginning. This is truly the definitive way to own STRANGER THINGS and keep a physical copy in your collection for as long as physical media exists.

PURCHASE STRANGER THINGS: THE COMPLETE SERIES HERE