After becoming Netflix's most-watched original show ever, Squid Game season 2 returned with even more twisted competitions and deadly games. Squid Game season 1 focused on a group of everyday people invited to take part in the titular event, a secretive competition that carries grave consequences for its losers. Those selected all carry heavy financial burdens to bear, the type of debt that can make life one big ball of stress. Despite the likelihood of death, if winning the game can make their lives less of a living hell, the contestants are on board.

Squid Game burst onto the scene and was instantly beloved by both critics and viewers, then rode massive amounts of positive word of mouth to Netflix viewership records. Following its success, Netflix looked to make Squid Game into a broader universe, with multiple spin-offs in development. It's no surprise that Squid Game season 2 was green-lit, though the wait was excruciatingly long. When the sophomore season did finally arrive in December 2024, the Korean masterpiece delivered even more thrills and chills.

Squid Game Season 2 Critical Reception

A Second Season That Lives In The Shadow Of The First

it seems as if the sophomore outing ultimately couldn't crawl out of the shadow of its predecessor, despite being pretty good.

As one of the most highly-anticipated series returns in TV history, Squid Game season 2 had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, it seems as if the sophomore outing ultimately couldn't crawl out of the shadow of its predecessor, despite being pretty good. Snagging a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score in the high 80s, the biggest critique of the season seems to be that it drags its feet throughout the early episodes (via The Guardian). This doesn't detract from the great character work, something that scored high marks from most reviewers.

Though many reviews seemed to disagree on whether a second season was even necessary, ScreenRant opted to accentuate the positives, something the second season had in spades. One of the improvements that season 2 added was expanded scope, and while the show still offers somewhat unsubtle approaches to ideas like income inequality, it isn't the only idea being explored.

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Squid Game season 2 Premiered on December 26, 2024.

Squid Game Season 2 Cast

Who Plays The Squid Game?

The Squid Game season 2 cast was partially confirmed long before many other details about the sophomore season were available. A casting video debuted at the Netflix Tudum event and showed the surviving cast from season 1 who would be back for season 2. This included Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun, Lee Byeong-Heon as Hwang In-ho, Wi Ha-Joon as Hwang Jun-ho, and Gong Yoo as the person who recruits participants for the game.

There were also 12 new cast ing Squid Game season 2, and they make up the bulk of the players who ed alongside Gi-hun:

• Kang Ha-Neul
• Yim Si-Wan
• Park Sung-Hoon
• Yang Dong-Geun
• Park Gyu-Young
• Jo Yu-Ri
• Kang Ae-Sim
• Lee David
• Lee Jin-Uk
• Choi Seung-Hyun
• Roh Jae-Won
• Won Ji-An

The confirmed cast of Squid Game season 2 includes:

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Squid Game Season 2 Trailer

Watch The Teasers Below

With the sophomore season's premiere date scheduled for December 2024, Netflix has revealed more than one teaser trailer for Squid Game season 2. The first opens with an obviously distraught Gi-hun being confronted by the Front Man at his doorstep, the teaser then transitions to the masked guards as they prepare the arena for more deadly games. Gi-hun is once again back in the green and white jumpsuit, and he is just one of many new players who will compete in the games. Though the teaser doesn't reveal much, it hints at a new game involving a rainbow painted on the ground.

Netflix followed up the first trailer with another character-centric teaser, when they released a brief clip centering on the mysterious Salesman. The trailer opens with the recruiter going about his morning routine before heading out into the city for a day's work. With his red and blue Ddakji tile in hand, the Salesman talks directly to the camera when asking the viewer if they want to play a game with him. Interestingly, the final shot in the teaser takes place in the same train station where Gi-hun was recruited in Squid Game season 1.

In lieu of a full trailer, Netflix released a third teaser for Squid Game season 2 that catches up with Gi-hun at the beginning of the games. Reing the familiar games with a reluctant scowl, Gi-hun takes his picture and s the others for a game of "Red Light, Green Light". Though Gi-hun tries to help the others understand the gravity of the situation, a few contestants are brutally murdered. Aftweward, he tries to convince everyone to quit the games, but the greedy contestants turn on him and accuse him of working against them.

Squid Game Season 2 Ending & Spoilers

The Games Aren't Over Yet

After the surprise twist at the end of Squid Game season 1, it was expected that season 2 would similarly tease its successor. Not only did Squid Game season 2's ending tease the third installment, but it also clearly set the story in motion for a climactic finale for the entire series. Unlike the open-and-closed story found in season 1, season 2 leaves a lot of questions unanswered and is clearly just the first part of a two-season arc that will eventually conclude the show in season 3.

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Squid Game Season 3 Setup

A Third Season Is Already Confirmed

Coming weeks before the premiere of season 2, Netflix confirmed that Squid Game would return for a third and final season in 2025. As such, the finale of Squid Game season 2 is really just the beginning of the final story arc that will be explored in the last season. Unlike the previous season, which completed the games in one go around, Squid Game season 3 will likely chronicle the second half of the titular games that started in season 2.

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