Squid Game isn’t a nascent concept in the world of the show – it’s been going on for decades, so here’s a breakdown of all the known winners in the canon, in chronological order.
The series, created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, revolves around a secretive contest in South Korea that pits 456 people of all shapes, sizes, and ages, most of whom are in debt, against each other in a series of challenges like Red Light Green Light and the titular playground game. There’s just one condition: if you don’t win, you die.
The concept tapped into the zeitgeist with unprecedented scale, overtaking Stranger Things to become Netflix’s biggest original show of all time. This week, its reality TV counterpart will also air its finale, with real people competing for $4.56 million.
With fans eagerly awaiting to find out the winner, you may not have been aware that Squid Game – the fictional version that is, with the murders, violence, and whatnot – has been on the go for quite some time. So, here’s all the winners we know.
Squid Game: All known winners
There have been 33 Squid Games in the show’s canon, the last of which was won by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae).
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Below, we’ve listed every Squid Game and its winner, with gaps left for those that haven’t been confirmed.
Year | Game | Name | Player number |
1988 | 1 | No Hyun-woo | 174 |
1989 | 2 | Mun Jang-ho | 129 |
1990 | 3 | Park Pil-sam | 028 |
1991 | 4 | Jang Seung-jong | 063 |
1992 | 5 | Cho Su-jin | 187 |
1993 | 6 | Choi Woo-seong | 112 |
1994 | 7 | Kim Min-su | 258 |
1995 | 8 | Park Tae-jun | 212 |
1996 | 9 | Kim Kwang-hyun | 037 |
1997 | 10 | Kim Yeong-cheol | 069 |
1998 | 11 | Shin Jeong-ung | 399 |
1999 | 12 | Oh Jeong-nam | 377 |
2000 | 13 | Yoon Ji-Eun | 285 |
2001 | 14 | Park Young-Won | 321 |
2002 | 15 | Lim Hyeong-seo | 014 |
2003 | 16 | Choi Yoon-Tae | 338 |
2004 | 17 | Park Hyun-ho | 150 |
2005 | 18 | Cho Jeong-hun | 051 |
2006 | 19 | Son Jeong-hee | 122 |
2007 | 20 | Choi Kyung-soo | 229 |
2008 | 21 | Kim Seong-tae | 376 |
2009 | 22 | Lee Jung-soo | 127 |
2010 | 23 | Lee Seong-su | 325 |
2011 | 24 | Park Mi-kyung | 115 |
2012 | 25 | Bae Dong-il | 033 |
2013 | 26 | Lee Young-hoo | 436 |
2014 | 27 | Kim Tae-woo | 407 |
2015 | 28 | Hwang In-ho | 132 |
2016 | 29 | Joo Seong-hun | 173 |
2017 | 30 | Unknown | 300 |
2018 | 31 | Unknown | 204 |
2019 | 32 | Unknown | 017 |
2020 | 33 | Seong Gi-hun | 456 |
What remains a mystery is just how far the Squid Game empire goes. In the original series, the VIPs mention that the contest in South Korea is their favorite, suggesting that there may be other versions in different countries. You can find out about Gi-hun’s win here and keep tabs on The Challenge here.
Squid Game: The Challenge Episodes 1-9 are available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out our other coverage below:
- Squid Game: The Challenge all eliminations so far
- Squid Game: The Challenge release schedule
- Squid Game: The Challenge filming locations
- Squid Game: The Challenge reviews
- Is Squid Game: The Challenge real?
- Squid Game: The Challenge soundtrack
- How are players eliminated in The Challenge?
- Why Player 299 joined the show
- Did the players actually fall in Glass Bridge?
- Squid Game fans slam “coward” Player 278
- Player 278 trolls fans amid Squid Game backlash
- “Missing” Squid Game: The Challenge player speaks out
- How to apply for Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2
- Players allegedly asked to “pretend” to compete
- Squid Game: The Challenge player details set conditions
- Squid Game: The Challenge producers hit back
- Squid Game: The Challenge contestants threaten lawsuit
- Squid Game: The Challenge receives audience backlash