Outer Banks season 5: release date, episode count and what we know
David White
The Pogues are getting one last treasure hunt. Outer Banks returns for a fifth and final season this August, and unlike last time there is no waiting around for a second batch. Here is the confirmed date, the episode count, what the season is actually about and how to keep your place in it.
When does Outer Banks season 5 come out?
Season 5 premieres globally on Thursday 20 August 2026 on Netflix. That date comes from Netflix’s own announcement, alongside the first teaser and a set of first look photos, so it is as firm as these things get.
Netflix releases new seasons at midnight Pacific time, which works out at 3am Eastern and 8am in the UK. If you are in Britain the whole season is sitting there waiting for you before work on the Thursday, which is either convenient or a problem depending on how you feel about your Thursday.
How many episodes are there, and do they all drop at once?
Ten episodes, roughly an hour each, and yes: all ten arrive on 20 August.
That is a deliberate change from season 4, which Netflix split into two parts released weeks apart and annoyed a fair few people in the process. The final season goes out in one piece. No part one, no part two, no mid-season gap to get spoiled in.
Practically, that means about ten hours of television in a single sitting if you are determined, or a comfortable week if you are not. It also means the internet will be finished with it by roughly the Saturday, so if you are pacing yourself, mute a few words.
Where can you watch Outer Banks season 5?
Netflix, exclusively, in every territory. All four previous seasons are on there too, so a rewatch before the finale is a single subscription and no hunting around.
There is no separate purchase or add-on channel involved, and no broadcast window. Any Netflix plan gets you the season, though the cheaper ad tier caps you at lower resolution.
What is season 5 about?
Mild spoilers for season 4 follow, so skip to the cast if you are behind.
The final season picks up with the Pogues reeling from what happened in Morocco, and Netflix’s synopsis is blunt about the shape of it: the group face threats from Chandler Groff, the Corsairs and the Kooks at the same time, and end up in an uneasy alliance with Rafe in order to survive and avenge their friend.
Creators Jonas Pate, Josh Pate and Shannon Burke return as writers and executive producers, and a chunk of the season was shot in Croatia, which suggests the treasure hunt has drifted a long way from the Outer Banks themselves.
Who is in the cast?
Chase Stokes returns as John B, with Madelyn Cline as Sarah, Madison Bailey as Kiara, Jonathan Daviss as Pope and Carlacia Grant as Cleo. Drew Starkey is back as Rafe, alongside Austin North, Fiona Palomo, J. Anthony Crane and Cullen Moss.
Rudy Pankow is not listed in the season 5 cast, which will not surprise anyone who watched season 4 to the end.
Two big August releases, four days apart
If you are already booked in for Lanterns on 16 August, the two overlap neatly: Lanterns runs weekly on HBO Max while Outer Banks sits there as a complete season you can eat at your own pace. One show gives you a Saturday appointment, the other gives you a weekend.
The awkward part is that they behave completely differently. A weekly show needs reminding about; a full season drop needs remembering where you got to at 1am on a Friday.
How to keep your place in a ten episode drop
This is exactly the problem TrackShows exists for. Follow Outer Banks, tick episodes off as you watch them, and On Next always shows you the one you are actually up to, even if you stopped mid season and came back in September.
When you finish the last episode the show moves into your Completed section rather than cluttering up your list, which is a nicer send off than scrolling past a series you have already finished. There is more on how that works in our post on completed shows, and the full feature list lives on the features page.
For the weekly shows either side of it, turn on notifications and you get a single push the day a new episode is out, never marketing. Our guide to getting notified when new episodes air covers how that compares to relying on the streaming apps, which are consistently bad at telling you.