WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Squid Game Season 2, including character deaths and the finale’s outcome. Only proceed if you’ve finished watching or don’t mind knowing key plot points.
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Netflix‘s most-watched series is preparing for its endgame, with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirming that the brutal survival drama will conclude with an explosive third season in 2025. Following the Dec. 26, 2024 release of Squid Game season two, fans won’t face another three-year wait for resolution. The upcoming third season, which has already completed filming and is now in post-production, promises to deliver the final chapter in Seong Gi-hun’s quest for vengeance.
“Honestly, when I was working on the first season, I didn’t have any plans or thoughts about there ever being further seasons,” Hwang told Entertainment Weekly, revealing he lost “eight or nine teeth” due to the stress of writing and directing the first season. However, the show’s overwhelming success changed his perspective. “I knew that there was so much expectation and curiosity as to what would Gi-hun do next by the fans, so I didn’t want to end it here,” he explained. “It was almost my mission or my role to further tell that story.”
Where Season 2 Left Us
The second season concluded with a failed rebellion that sets up the stakes for the final chapter. After a chaotic uprising involving Os attacking Xs, Gi-hun orchestrates an ambitious plan to overthrow the games. The rebellion initially shows promise as contestants overtake guards and seize their weapons, but the situation turns dire when the Front Man reveals his true colors.
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In a devastating finale, Gi-hun and Jung-bae make significant progress toward the control room, engaging in intense gunfights along the way. In a crucial moment, Gi-hun gives In-ho his last ammunition to help their cause – a decision that proves fatal when In-ho betrays them, killing his fellow soldiers before revealing himself as the Front Man and executing Jung-bae in front of Gi-hun.
Meanwhile, Myung-gi and Hyun-Ju are forced back to the player quarters as ammunition dwindles, where they’re cornered by guards announcing the rebellion’s end. The season’s post-credits scene adds another layer of mystery, showing players 096, 100, and 353 approaching Young-hee’s statue alongside a new companion statue as the light turns green.
What to Expect in Season 3
Creator Hwang has promised an intensifying story arc for the final season.
“With each episode it’s going to get better. With each season it’s going to get better and a more expanded story, more intense story, and definitely more entertaining. So just be sure to watch it until the very end!” he told Variety.
The final season will focus heavily on Gi-hun’s emotional state following his failed rebellion.
“Gi-hun having lost everything, including his best friend, and all of his attempts going to failure, it’s now, what is he going to be like?” Hwang teased. “What state is Gi-hun going to be in? And what will he choose to do? Will he continue on with the mission? Is he going to give up or persist?”
Surviving Cast Members
Despite season two’s bloodshed, several key players survived to continue their stories:
- Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun
- Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho
- Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man
- Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju
- Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho
- Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee
- Park Gyu-young as No-eul
- Chae Kook-hee as Seon-nyeo
- Lee David as Min-su
- Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik
- Im Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi
Unresolved Plotlines
Several compelling storylines await resolution in the final season:
- The fate of Myung-gi and his pregnant girlfriend
- Park Yong-sik and his mother’s story
- Hyun-ju’s journey toward gender-affirming surgery
- The mysterious fortune teller Seon-nyeo
- The North Korean defector’s search for her son
- The revelation behind the Front Man’s transformation from police officer to game master
The Stakes
The final season carries the weight of resolving not just Gi-hun’s personal vendetta but also the fate of the games themselves. Hwang has confirmed in a letter to fans that the season will feature “a final battle with a clear winner,” promising a resolution to the “fierce clash between their two worlds.”
With 45.6 billion won (approximately $31 million USD) still at stake, the games continue to draw desperate participants into their deadly scenarios. The financial motivation remains a powerful force driving the narrative, reflecting the series’ ongoing commentary on economic desperation and survival.
Release Timeline
While Netflix hasn’t announced an exact premiere date, the streaming service has confirmed a 2025 release window. Industry speculation suggests the final season might follow season two’s pattern with a late 2025 debut, possibly around the holiday season. Hwang has hinted at a more specific timeframe.
“We will be announcing the launch date for season 3 soon,” he said. “I probably expect that to launch around summer or fall next year.”
Interestingly, Hwang’s approach to crafting the final season marks a departure from his usual creative process.
“Usually when I get to writing a script, I do it where I think of the ending first, and then I try to make the journey, or the path to reach that ending the most entertaining way possible,” he explained. “But this time around, it was actually different. I started out writing the story thinking of a particular ending, but along the way, I realised that this is not where the story should be headed, so I changed the ending mid-process.”
Marketing Teasers
While no full trailer has been released, the season two finale included glimpses of what’s to come. The post-credits scene featured the return of the iconic Red Light, Green Light doll Young-hee, now joined by a male counterpart named Cheol-su, set against a painted sunset. The railroad crossing signal’s change from red to green suggests new deadly challenges await the surviving contestants.
As the global phenomenon prepares for its conclusion, audiences can expect the signature blend of social commentary, intense human drama, and shocking twists that have made Squid Game Netflix’s most successful series to date. The only question remaining is whether Gi-hun will finally succeed in bringing down the games or if the Front Man’s twisted vision will prevail.
Squid Game is streaming on Netflix.
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Image courtesy of Legendary Pictures
