'Stranger Things' Season 3 Release Time: Here's Exactly When You Can Watch

Stranger Things Season 3 is almost here, and by dropping the new episodes right at the start of what will be a four-day weekend for many, Netflix is making it easy to watch the entire thing before your co-workers can spoil it for you. But what if you still want to binge through the entire eight-episode season as soon as possible? In that case, here’s what you need to know about the exact Stranger Things Season 3 release time so you can start watching as soon as it hits Netflix.

The official release date for Stranger Things Season 3 is July 4, but what time will it drop? By now, any die-hard Netflix fans who’ve stayed up late for a new series should know that the company isn’t making things easy for subscribers on the East Coast. New Netflix originals hit the streaming service at 12:01 a.m. Pacific time (that’s 3:01 a.m. Eastern). So that’s when you can expect new episodes of Stranger Things to arrive.

If you absolutely need to watch Stranger Things Season 3 as soon as possible, you’ll want to stay up pretty late, especially if you’re on the East Coast like me. Or, alternatively, go to bed early and set an alarm for 3 a.m. If you’re lucky, you might just make it through all eight episodes before falling back asleep.

Of course, we don’t actually recommend watching the entire thing in one sitting, especially not that late at night. You’re definitely better off savoring the new season. (It could be over a year before we get another one). And since Stranger Things Season 3 drops on July 4, you don’t have to worry about that annoying co-worker spoiling anything.

Just put your phone away, enjoy the holiday (if you’re celebrating), and make sure to finish watching Stranger Things Season 3 by Sunday night so you can talk about it at work on Monday.