After the series finale of the South Korean series, Squid Game, the Netflix hit doesn’t seem to be stopping with the an American take on the global phenomenon on the horizon. The ending scene of Season 3 of Squid Game features the Front Man travelling to San Francisco. It is there that he sees Cate Blanchett in an alley recruiting a man with a game of Ddakji in the same way the Recruiter did in South Korea. As Blanchett and the Front Man make eye contact, the implication is clear: they are both aware that Squid Game is not just happening in South Korea and is far from over. A westernized version promises to deliver the same high-stakes drama, moral dilemmas, and brutal eliminations that captivated millions.
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The beauty of Squid Game lies in its deceptively simple, childlike games twisted into life-or-death challenges, forcing participants to confront their own humanity (or lack thereof) in a pressure cooker of a situation. The American spinoff has a golden opportunity to tap into a rich vein of classic playground games, transforming them into terrifying trials that reflect the cutthroat nature of survival. As we eagerly await confirmation of an American version of the series, here are seven quintessential American games that, with the right dark spin, could make for truly unforgettable, and utterly horrifying, challenges.
1) Capture the Flag
Capture the Flag, a quintessential team-based game of strategy and athleticism, could be transformed into a harrowing task. Two teams, perhaps distinguished by different colored jumpsuits, vying for a flag on opposite sides of a vast, booby-trapped arena. The “base” where the flag resides could be a fortified, highly dangerous zone, perhaps with automated turrets or electrified fences protecting it. Players caught in enemy territory or attempting to capture the flag would face instant, brutal elimination, making every sprint and every strategic maneuver a desperate gamble for survival.
The true terror would be not just from the physical dangers, but from the psychological toll. Teammates would be forced to make impossible choices, sacrificing one another to draw fire or create diversions. The “jail” concept could be reinterpreted as a literal holding pen where captured players face a final, gruesome fate if their team fails to rescue them within a time limit. This game would demand cunning, cooperation, and a willingness to betray for victory, perfectly encapsulating the brutal essence of Squid Game.
2) Simon Says
“Simon Says” takes a chilling turn when the penalty for disobedience is death. Imagine players lined up, facing a menacing “Simon” figure, similar to the “Red Light, Green Light” imposing statue, whose commands must be followed precisely. Any deviation – moving when Simon didn’t say, or failing to move when he did – results in immediate, public execution. The game would escalate in complexity and speed, with “Simon’s” instructions becoming increasingly intricate and designed to trip up even the most skilled player.
The psychological torment would come as players are forced into absurd or humiliating actions, knowing a single misstep means their demise. The game could incorporate purposeful false starts and conflicting commands, pushing participants to the brink of panic and paranoia. This twisted version of “Simon Says” would exploit human fallibility and the fear of authority, forcing players to confront their own reflexes and obedience under the most dire circumstances.
3) Duck, Duck, Goose
This seemingly innocent schoolyard game becomes a terrifying lottery of life and death. Players sit in a circle, and the person who is “it” walks around tapping heads, chanting “Duck, duck, duck…” until they choose a “Goose.” The “Goose” must then chase “it” around the circle, trying to tag them before they sit in the “Goose’s” empty spot. In the Squid Game version, being chosen as the “Goose” would be an immediate death sentence if you fail to tag “it” before they sit, or if “it” manages to tag you first after you’ve been chosen.
The brutal twist would be the agonizing anticipation for those in the circle, never knowing if they’ll be the next chosen “Goose” to face a desperate sprint for survival. The “it” person holds absolute power, their choice sealing someone’s fate. This game would highlight the arbitrary nature of death and the cold, calculated decisions made by those in control, turning a childhood game of chase into a frantic scramble for survival.
4) Dodgeball
Dodgeball, a game of agility and targeting, would become a ruthless battle for survival where being hit means instant elimination (death). Picture a large arena filled with players, armed with your everyday rubber dodgeballs. Each time a player is hit, they are immediately eliminated. The game wouldn’t end until only a handful of players remain, or until a strict timer runs out, leading to mass elimination. Special, more deadly balls (i.e. electrified) could be introduced throughout the game, or specific zones that are lethal to enter, forcing players into dangerous positions.
The brutality would lie in the pure chaos and the constant threat of being targeted. Alliances would form and break in an instant, and players would be forced to use others as shields, or deliberately target weaker opponents. The sheer physicality and the constant threat of being hit and therefore “out” (permanently) would create an intensely terrifying experience, reducing human interaction to primal self-preservation.
5) Musical Chairs
Musical Chairs, a classic game of speed and quick reflexes, takes on a chilling new dimension in the Squid Game universe. As the music plays, participants circle a shrinking number of chairs. When the music stops, everyone scrambles for a seat. However, in this version, those left standing when the music stops aren’t just “out” – they’re eliminated in a gruesome fashion. The tension would be unbearable, as players jostle, shove, and even deliberately trip each other to secure a spot.
The psychological impact would be crushing, as players are forced to betray and physically overpower their fellow “teammates” for the chance to survive. As the number of chairs dwindles, the desperation would escalate, leading to increasingly violent and cutthroat competition. This game would expose the rawest aspects of human selfishness and the desperate scramble for a lifeline when faced with inevitable doom.
6) Red Rover
“Red Rover, Red Rover, let [player’s name] come over!” This seemingly innocent line becomes a death sentence in the Squid Game rendition. Two lines of players, holding hands, face each other. One side calls over a player from the opposing line, who must then attempt to break through their clasped hands. If they succeed, they get to take a player back to their team. If they fail, they join the opposing team – or in this brutal version, they face immediate elimination.
The savagery would come from the sheer physical impact of attempting to break through a human chain, knowing failure means death. The “calling over” process would be a terrifying lottery, as players anxiously await their name to be called, knowing they might be forced into a no-win situation. There also would be a fair amount of strategy involved in this version of Red Rover, as weaker and older players would be easy targets to “call over,” thus shrinking the pool of competitors. The game could also introduce weighted vests or obstacles for the person being called over to overcome, making their desperate charge even more difficult. This game would expose the fragility of human alliances and the brutal reality of being sacrificed for the group’s survival.
7) The Floor is Lava
“The Floor is Lava” transforms from an imaginative game of avoiding the ground into a literal trial by fire. Players would be confined to a dangerous environment where the “floor” is not just dangerous, but actively literal lava. A platform could slowly descend into a pool of molten lava, forcing players to jump onto whatever items could save them from a fiery death. They would have to navigate using unstable furniture, ropes, or other precarious objects, with a single misstep meaning agonizing death.
The brutality would stem from the constant, looming threat of actual lava and the desperate need for balance and spatial awareness. The environment itself would be the enemy, slowly but surely claiming victims. The game could also incorporate elements where players must cooperate to create safe passages, only to be forced to betray each other to secure the last remaining safe spots, similar to “Sky Squid Game” seen in Season 3 of the series. This would be a relentless test of agility, quick thinking, and the ultimate will to survive against an unforgiving, deadly landscape.
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