Why is ‘Squid Game’ ending with season three?

Four years after it sparked a worldwide sensation, Netflix’s Squid Game comes to an end with its third and final season.

Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, the dystopian survival series revolves around a secret contest where hundreds of people risk their lives in a series of children’s games for the chance to win a life-changing cash prize.

• READ MORE: ‘Squid Game’ season two review: Netflix’s survival thriller will wrap its tentacles around you again

A synopsis for the third season reads: “The final season of Squid Game follows Gi-hun after losing his best friend in the game and being driven to utter despair by The Front Man, who was hiding his true identity to infiltrate the game.

“Gi-hun persists with his goal to put an end to the game, while the Front Man continues onto his next move and the surviving players’ choices will lead to graver consequences with each round.”

Lee Jung-jae leads the show’s cast as Seong Gi-hun, alongside Wi Ha-joon, Lee Byung-hun, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul and Park Gyu-young.

All six episodes of season three were released on June 27, 2025.

Is Squid Game season 3 actually the final season?

If it wasn’t clear from the marketing, Netflix has confirmed the third season of Squid Game will be the show’s last.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk described the third season as the “finale to this story”.

“Personally, I see the third season as being the finale to this story,” he said. “That’s because I believe I’ve had closure to the story I wanted to tell about society through the character of Seong Gi-hun.

“If I ever wanted to go back to the world of Squid Game, it would be about different characters with a different story arc. Some kind of spin-off, maybe. For example, the masked guards. How did they end up here? What do they do in their downtime? Something like that, maybe.”

Do we know anything about a potential spin-off?

At the time of writing, Netflix has not officially announced another show in the Squid Game universe but an English-language spin-off has been rumoured for years.

In April 2023, insider Jeff Sneider claimed Netflix was “courting” David Fincher to produce and direct an “American take on Squid Game“. It was later reported that the show, listed as Squid Game: America, would be written by British writer Dennis Kelly.

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