It’s almost time to return to the games: Squid Game Season 2 is coming to Netflix next week, so make sure you know exactly what time it’s dropping and what to expect from the new episodes.
Squid Game was a phenomenon the likes of which Netflix (or any other streaming service, for that matter) had ever seen. To this day, it’s still the platform’s most-watched original title ever, beating Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Bridgerton alongside… well, everything else.
Developed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, it had an irresistibly sinister premise: on a faraway Korean island, 456 players compete against each other in a series of games to win a life-changing sum of money. However, if they lose, there’s no consultation prize – they’re killed.
Season 2 will follow Gi-hun, aka Player 456, and his mission to find the Front Man and end the games for good – and it’s nearly here.
What time is Squid Game Season 2 out?
Squid Game Season 2 premieres on Netflix at 12am PT/3am ET on December 26. If you’re not based in the US, we’ve listed other time zones for you below:
- 12am PT
- 3am ET
- 4am Brazil
- 8am UK
- 9am Central European Summer Time
- 12:30pm India Standard Time
- 5pm Australia
- 7pm New Zealand
How many episodes are there?
There are only seven episodes in Squid Game Season 2. The first season had nine episodes, so Season 2 has a two-episode reduction.
However, there’s a good reason why: Season 3 was filmed at the same time, and the seventh episode felt like a natural break-point for the final stretch. Think of it more like a mid-season finale, like we used to get with The Walking Dead (and Invincible Season 2, but that won’t be repeated in Season 3).
Speaking to Deadline, Hwang explained: “I wrote Seasons 2 and 3 at the same time, and we were in production for both simultaneously, and currently we are in the post-production process for Season 3.
“When I was writing the script for the two seasons, I felt like there was a big turning point or an inflection point, and that was the end of Episode 7, so I thought that it would do it justice to have a separate season after that. That’s why I had first seven episodes as Season 2 and then the rest of Season 3.”
As for what that “turning point” is… you’ll just need to wait and see.
Squid Game Season 2 schedule
Here’s some good news: Squid Game Season 2 will drop all seven episodes on December 26, so you can watch the whole thing if you want to.
Netflix spearheaded the binge model, but it’s been trialing staggered releases over the past two years. For example, Cobra Kai Season 6 has been split into three parts, Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to be chopped into at least two volumes, and Physical 100 dropped new episodes weekly.
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Thankfully, the long wait for Season 2 will end on December 26 (but make sure you watch it as quickly as possible to avoid spoilers).
What is Squid Game Season 2 about?
Squid Game Season 2 will mostly follow Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as he “returns to the deadly games with one goal in mind: to end the horrifying competition once and for all.”
Spoiler warning for Season 1: last time we saw Gi-hun, he’d won the competition, he was filthy rich (45.6 billion won, to be exact)… and he was miserable. He was debt-free, but he was wracked with guilt and plagued by the horrors of the games.
With newly dyed hair, he was about to fly to America to see his daughter… until he saw the ‘ddakji’ man preying on someone else. The Front Man phoned him and told him to get on the plane, but Gi-hun refused and vowed to put a stop to the games.
According to Netflix’s official synopsis, “Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”
Hwang added: “Season 2 explores how Gi-hun follows through on his words after leaving the airport. Gi-hun’s endeavor to find out who these people are and why they do what they do is the core story of Season 2.
“He wants to return to a ‘normal’ so-called life. [But] there’s something inside him that has already been broken, where he cannot return to the way he was before. He understands… that he has changed in a way where [that’s] no longer possible.
“That is why I believe that character decides to return [to Squid Game], turn away from [his daughter], and begin this further journey.”
When is Squid Game Season 3 coming out?
Squid Game Season 3 will be released sometime in 2025, but we don’t have an exact date right now.
“I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit at the end of this story. We’ll do our best to make sure we bring you yet another thrill ride,” Hwang wrote in a statement.
Until Squid Game Season 2 arrives on December 26, find out what the creator said about David Fincher’s American remake. You can also check out our list of the best TV shows of 2024.
