This Christmas, Netflix has a special gift for Squid Game fans.
It’s been almost three years since the Korean survival thriller debuted on Netflix and became one of the service’s most successful shows. After a long period of uncertainty, it was finally confirmed that the second season of Squid Game will arrive in December 2024.
The dystopian show follows a group of civilians who are desperate to win a huge cash prize. They are put through a series of gruelling challenges, where they face off against one another in twisted versions of children’s games. If they lose, they face deadly consequences.
However, this time, the competition will look different. Not only will there be new bloody challenges, but also a spark of revolution that may lead to the destruction of the game once and for all.
If you want to know when the show will be returning, who will be back and what we expect it to be about, we have everything you need to know.
When will Squid Game season 2 be released?
The second season of Squid Game will debut on Netflix on Thursday, 26 December 2024.
Netflix
Squid Game season 2 cast – who is returning?
Netflix confirmed at the Tudum event that the following cast members will return:
- Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun
- Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho
- Gong Yoo as the Recruiter
- Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man
Joining them will be the following new additions, who are all so far in unnamed roles:
- Yim Si-wan
- Kang Ha-neul
- Park Sung-hoon
- Yang Dong-geun
- Park Gyu-young
- Lee Jin-uk
- Yang Dong-geun
- Kang Ae-sim
- Lee David
- Choi Seung-hyun
- Roh Jae-won
- Jo Yu-ri
- Won Ji-an
Is there a trailer for Squid Game season 2?
Here’s the teaser from Geeked Week, which shows Seong Gi-hun back in the role of a player:
You can also watch the first teaser for season 2 on X, in which Seong Gi-hun promises revenge on the game makers.
You can also check out the official cast announcement here:
The Game begins in the third teaser for the series:
In the latest teaser, Gi-hun tries to explain to new participants what the game is all about:
Thanks to the latest trailer, we discover that Gi-hun has a hidden agenda:
What will the plot of Squid Game season 2 be?
Here’s the official synopsis for the second season of the show:
Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.
Season 1 finished with Seong Gi-hun making a snap decision to re-enter the game after encountering the recruiter once again (following a quick stop off at the hairdressers to get a flashy new ‘do).
The latest trailer sheds more light on Gi-hun’s plan. The man is indeed returning to the competition, but his plan isn’t only to destroy the game but also to overthrow the world order that makes it possible to exist. Therefore, he explains its rules to other participants and exposes the organizers. He then wants to unite fellow players against the common enemy who exploits them all.
However, as we can see in the clip, this won’t be an easy task – not only will the organizers fight back, but the players’ solidarity leaves much to be desired.
Part of what make the show such a success is its awful games, so we are expecting more gruesome and elaborate sets for the second series. The latest teaser shows a running race, with competitors falling down to their deaths.
Fans of the series should also check out the reality competition spin-off, Squid Game: The Challenge season 2.
Netflix
Will Squid Game return for season 3?
In 2023, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Variety that there was a “50-50” chance that the second season of the show would be the last – now we know that Netflix has already green-lit the season 3.
In the latest teaser, it’s revealed that the third and the final instalment of Squid Game will appear in 2025.
Will there be a remake of Squid Game?
While it may sound strange and a bit unnecessary, yes – Netflix is preparing an American version of the Korean survival thriller. The mind behind the series will be David Fincher, known for his passion for twisted, violent stories with characters entangled in bizarre intrigues. It’s enough to mention Se7en, Gone Girl or…The Game – a 1997 thriller in which a wealthy businessman portrayed by Michael Douglas takes part in a disturbing game that interferes with his daily life.
Fincher is expected to begin work on a Squid Game remake in 2025. For now, there’s no information on the series’ plot, cast or release date.
How to watch Squid Game
As you may have already guessed, Squid Game is a Netflix Original, so it is only available on Netflix.
Plans start from $6.99/£4.99 per month for ad-supported viewing, and $9.99/£6.99 for ad-free viewing. You can sign up on Netflix and check out our guide to all the plans here.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.