Over the weekend, several fans asked Doctor Strange co-writer C. Robert Cargill on Twitter if the movie is set before Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
However, Cargill debunked that idea, saying that Doctor Strange begins in 2016.
A brief shot of Avengers Tower in New York City confirms that, meaning that the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron have already occurred.
So when we met the egotistical Stephen Strange as a surgeon, it’s early into 2016, though it’s harder to determine the month.