Squid Game season 2 gets a festive release date on Netflix, and its third and final chapter will be here sooner than you think

A man with a green jacket on looks over his shoulder slightly with a blue sky behind him
(Image credit: Netflix)

"It's been three years. Do you want to play again?". Of course we do, Netflix. Those are the only words spoken in the teaser trailer for Squid Game season 2, but the trailer still includes two really important bits of information: the launch date, which is a very festive December 26, 2024, and the fact that Squid Game season 3 is also happening and coming in 2025.

Here's what we know so far about the return of one of the best Netflix shows.

Squid Game Season 2: what to expect

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk says that Squid Game season 2 will be "worth the wait". Season 2 will pick up after Gi-hun’s jaw-dropping decisions in the season 1 finale, with player 456 determined to discover who's behind the vicious games and bring an end to their "sport". 

According to the official synopsis: "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."

Squid Game: Season 2 | Date Announcement | Netflix - YouTube Squid Game: Season 2 | Date Announcement | Netflix - YouTube
Watch On

The second season of Squid Game will feature many familiar faces. Netflix says that Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, and Wi Ha-jun are back, and there will be plenty of "colorful new characters" too: Newcomers Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Jo Yu-ri, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, and Won Ji-an.

As before, the award-winning Hwang Dong-hyuk writes and executive produces as well as directs. And he promises that this second season will be "even more joyful to the global audience".

Squid Game season 3: what's coming in the final Squid Game season?

Netflix and Hwang Dong-hyuk can't really say much about Squid Game season 3 because they don't want to spoil the story of season 2, which will most likely have a shocking finale or cliffhanger to set the scene for the third instalment. However, Hwang is "beyond excited" and says that "the fierce clash between [Gi-hun and Front Man’s] two worlds will continue into the series finale with season 3, which will be brought to you next year”. 

Gi-hun stares at a Squid Game overseer in a club in Squid Game season 2

(Image credit: Netflix)

There's no doubt that Squid Game season 2 and Squid Game season 3 will be huge hits. The original series wasn't just a hit but a worldwide phenomenon, and even spawned a spin-off reality show based on the fictional reality show. Squid Game: The Challenge has been greenlit for a second season too, but we don't yet know when it will stream.

Squid Game season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.

You might also like

Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

Read more
Gi-hun stares at a Squid Game overseer in a club in Squid Game season 2
Squid Game season 2: release date, trailer, confirmed cast, plot synopsis, and everything else we know about the popular Netflix show's return
Gi-hun handcuffed to a bed in Squid Game season 3
Squid Game season 3: what we know so far about the hit Netflix show's return
In-ho sitting on a chair while he holds his Front Man mask and having his head bowed in Squid Game season 3
Netflix reveals June 2025 release date for Squid Game season 3, and its first clip teases a new mini-game that'll have a big impact on Gi-hun and his fellow contestants
Seong Gi-hun staring intently at a Squid Game soldier in Squid Game season 2
Squid Game season 2 continues to smash records for Netflix, but it's still can't compete with the streamer's most-watched non-English show of all-time
3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem season 2: everything we know so far about the hit Netflix show's return
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us
'Two more seasons after this and we’re done’: HBO says The Last of Us could be on track for four seasons on Max
Latest in Netflix
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A woman holds a phone and looks concerned in Caught
Netflix drops an eerie trailer for a new Harlan Coben show – I just hope Caught is better than the author's previous TV adaptations
Nicole Kidman wears a blue blouse with her arms crossed.
Netflix might be renewing The Perfect Couple and Beauty in Black for season 2, but I don’t get why when it’s canceled shows with poorer ratings
Susan holding her baby in Toxic Town.
Netflix's #3 show has a flawless 100% on Rotten Tomatoes – here are 3 more powerful dramas to watch after Toxic Town
Devil May Cry's Dante has his back to the camera, holding onto a large sword
Netflix's official Devil May Cry trailer features music from my favorite alternative rock band and it's taken me on a serious nostalgia trip
Joe Goldberg and Kate Lockwood sitting at a table and looking at the camera in You season 5.
Netflix releases a killer new trailer for You season 5 but my favorite character is missing from Joe's final chapter
Latest in News
Three iPhone 16 handsets on show
Apple could launch an iPhone 17 Ultra this year – but we've heard these rumors before
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough
Ray-Ban smart glasses with the Cpperni logo, an LED array, and a MacBook Air with M4 next to ecah other.
ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Twitter's massive outage to iRobot's impressive new Roombas
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight