The beauty of Stranger Things lies in its meticulous attention to 1980s detail, from the hairstyles to the movie posters. But when a show is this detail-obsessed, fans become detail-obsessed critics—and sometimes, the tiniest nostalgic blunder slips past the props department.
Retro video game fans are currently having a field day pointing out one such Nintendo-related blunder spotted in Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1. This isn’t a major plot hole, but it’s the kind of fun, deep-cut mistake that only the most dedicated ’80s enthusiasts would ever catch.
The Case of the Confused Console
In the first volume, we are introduced to the lovable bully Derek Turnbow, portrayed by Jake Connelly. During a scene in Episode 3, we see Derek focused intently on a game of Ghosts ‘n Goblins, complete with a classic NES controller in his hands.
On the surface, everything checks out: Stranger Things Season 5 kicks off in the fall of 1987, and the NES port of Ghosts ‘n Goblins had been released in North America back in November 1986. Everything is temporally sound.
However, as eagle-eyed fans—specifically those at retro video game site Time Extension—were quick to point out, the footage on Derek’s television screen is not the NES version of the game. It is actually the arcade version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins.
The dead giveaway? The thick black border at the top of the screen, which is a tell-tale feature of the arcade cabinet’s display.
The Unlikely Scenario of an Arcade Cartridge
Could Derek somehow be playing the arcade version on his TV via some unlikely ’80s-era pirate cartridge? Not a chance. We even see the correct Ghosts ‘n Goblins NES cart when Derek’s older sister, Tina, rips it out of the console (perhaps a little too quickly—was the flap already open?!).
What most likely happened here is that a member of the production team, scrambling for clean gameplay footage, simply grabbed the more visually rich arcade recording by mistake. It’s an easy, honest mistake, but it’s one that completely breaks the immersion for anyone who spent hours trying to beat the infamously difficult NES port.
It’s a testament to the show’s intense scrutiny that fans notice something like this. The series is packed with fun Easter eggs and hidden details, and sometimes, those details just spill over into the realm of blooper gold. And honestly, Derek is doing pretty well for a 12-year-old in 1987; he’s got a full-size Sega Hang-On arcade cabinet right there in his bedroom! A slightly confused console is probably the least of his concerns.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 debuted on November 26. The next three episodes premiere on Christmas, and the series finale will debut on the streamer and in over 350 theaters nationwide on New Year’s Eve.
