The highly anticipated third and final season of the South Korean dystopian survival thriller Squid Game, also known as Squid Game 3, is slated for release in 2025. Created by renowned Korean writer and producer Hwang Dong-hyuk, this season will be produced by Netflix.
The cast for this season includes notable actors such as Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Lee Jin-wook, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Jo Yu-ri, and Kang Ae-shim.
Following in the footsteps of its groundbreaking first season, Squid Game Season 2 continues to break records. Within just 11 days of its premiere, the Korean thriller has accumulated an astonishing 126.2 million views, making it the most-viewed Netflix series in that span of time, surpassing the first season of Wednesday. And the viewership continues to grow at a rapid pace.
| Showrunner | Hwang Dong-hyuk |
|---|---|
| Starring |
|
In Season 2, Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) returns to the deadly games, but this time his goal isn’t to win the ultimate prize of 4.56 billion won. Instead, Gi-hun is determined to put an end to the games once and for all and expose their orchestrator—the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun). Unbeknownst to him, the Front Man, or Hwang In-ho, is operating undercover as Player 001, assuming the identity of a man named Young-il. Over the course of the season, Gi-hun forms a bond with Young-il, and the two even team up in a few of the deadly games. However, the deception doesn’t last. By the end of the season, after Gi-hun’s efforts to disrupt the game are thwarted, Young-il reveals his true identity as the Front Man and kills Gi-hun’s close friend. This leaves us with plenty to look forward to in Squid Game Season 3, especially with Gi-hun still unaware of the Front Man’s true identity.
Netflix has confirmed that Squid Game Season 3 will arrive in 2025, offering a quicker turnaround compared to the three-year wait between the first two seasons. In an announcement made on January 1, Netflix teased a new character for Season 3: Chul-su, the boyfriend of the iconic “red light, green light” doll, Young-hee, as previously mentioned by creator Hwang Dong-hyuk.
The gap between seasons will be shorter because Season 3 has already been filmed. Hwang revealed, “I wrote Seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back, and we filmed them consecutively. It’s currently in post-production.” While no official premiere date has been set, some fans are speculating that Season 3 might release on June 27, 2025, based on a now-deleted video from Netflix Korea’s YouTube channel.
Everyone say hi to Chul-su 👋 Squid Game 3 coming 2025. pic.twitter.com/hCgNexjJbC
— Netflix (@netflix) January 1, 2025
Season 2 ends on a thrilling and chaotic note in Episode 7, as Gi-hun leads a rebellion against the game’s overseers. A shootout ensues between the players and the pink soldiers, but when they run out of ammunition, Young-il fakes his death and returns to his original position as the Front Man. In the season’s final moments, the Front Man confronts Gi-hun and kills his close friend, Park Jung-bae (Lee Seo-hwan). Director Hwang explained that this moment was the perfect way to end Season 2, marking a pivotal point in Gi-hun’s character arc.
As for Squid Game Season 3, Netflix has not yet confirmed the full cast, but based on the events of Season 2, we can expect some familiar faces to return. Lee Jung-jae will likely reprise his role as Gi-hun, and Lee Byung-hun will return as the Front Man. The following players are also expected to return, given that most of them survived the deadly games:
- Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi, Player 333
- Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho, Player 388
- Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju, Player 120
- Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik, Player 007
- Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja, Player 149
- Jo Yu-ri as Jun-hee, Player 222
Additionally, we can expect Park Gyu-young to return as No-eul, and Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho, the investigator.
With the events of Season 2 setting up a thrilling continuation, fans are eager to see how Gi-hun’s journey unfolds in the upcoming season.
