A full Squid Game recap ahead of third and final season | indy100

Netflix

Warning: Major spoilers ahead

When Squid Game first landed on Netflix in September 2021, no one – not even its creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk – could have predicted the cultural earthquake it would trigger.

The dystopian Korean thriller quickly became a global obsession, smashing records to become the most-watched show in Netflix history with over 1.65 billion viewing hours. Now, nearly four years later, the hotly anticipated saga is preparing to bow out with its third and final season, dropping on 27 June.

Squid Game follows 456 cash-strapped contestants who agree to take part in a mysterious competition, lured by the promise of a life-changing 45.6 billion won (just over $38 million).

The catch? Each round is a high-stakes twist on familiar childhood games — but losing comes with deadly consequences. Under the watchful eye of masked guards in pink jumpsuits and their enigmatic leader, known only as The Front Man, the players must navigate a series of brutal challenges where survival is the ultimate prize.

Having filmed seasons two and three back to back, Hwang returns with the last chapter just six months after season two’s much-anticipated debut.

Whether you're a seasoned fan needing a refresher or a curious newcomer bracing for the mayhem, here’s everything you need to remember before the final game begins.

Season one

At the heart of Squid Game is Seong Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck chauffeur battling a gambling addiction, mounting debts, and the responsibility of caring for his elderly, sick mother. Estranged from his young daughter and desperate to turn his life around, he sees the mysterious competition as his last shot at redemption.

After playing a game of Ddakji with a random salesman at a subway station, Gi-hun is recruited as the 456th player in a deadly contest disguised as childhood games.

The opening game, Red Light, Green Light, quickly teaches Gi-hun the deadly rules of the island: fail, and it’s instant death.

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Other notable contestants include Kang Sae-byeok, Player 067, a quiet North Korean defector fighting to reunite her family, and Cho Sang-woo, Player 218, Gi-hun’s childhood friend who is on the run after embezzling money from his clients.

Meanwhile, Hwang Jun-ho is a police officer who goes undercover as a guard in a pink jumpsuit to search for his missing brother on the island. And how could we forget Oh Il-nam, Player 001 — an elderly man battling a brain tumour who chooses to join the games, fearing death more in the outside world than on the island itself.

Gi-hun teams up with his childhood friend and the elderly Player 001 — forming an unlikely alliance as they take on the next game, Ppopgi.

The challenge? Carefully cutting out a specific shape — triangle, star, circle, or umbrella — from a fragile honeycomb toffee called dalgona, a popular Korean street treat.

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As the games progress, other unruly players band together, resorting to murder to boost the prize money and secure their survival.

Gi-hun’s team, now bigger with new members, manages to win the Tug-of-War thanks to advice from the older player 001. But in the next round, the players are forced to turn on one another during a tense and brutal marbles game.

Sang-woo deceives Ali Abdul, leading to his death. Sae-byeok’s friend Ji-yeong sacrifices herself for Sae-byeok to survive. Gi-hun exploits Il-nam’s dementia to win, only to realise it was planned before Il-nam apparently dies.

Only Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok survive the next deadly challenge — crossing a series of fragile glass panels. Sadly, Sae-byeok is badly hurt during the game.

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Before the final round, Gi-hun and Sae-byeok promise to protect each other’s families and keep their alliance intact. But Sang-woo betrays them, killing the injured Sae-byeok.

Meanwhile, Jun-ho, the undercover cop searching for his brother, uncovers the dark origins of the Squid Game — and discovers that The Front Man is his missing brother.

In the final showdown — the actual Squid Game — Gi-hun wins. He refuses to kill Sang-woo, who takes his own life so Gi-hun can claim the prize.

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Gi-hun then meets the game’s creator, the elderly Il-nam, who reveals the deadly contest was designed for the amusement of the rich. Il-nam makes a final wager — and loses.

After fulfilling his friends’ last wishes, Gi-hun plans to leave for the US. But a chance encounter with the mysterious salesman pulls him back, hinting that the deadly games are far from over.

Season two

Season 2 sees Gi-hun willingly return to the game — not for the money, but to take it down from the inside. Still shaken from his previous win, he’s determined to expose the truth and those behind it.

As Gi-hun infiltrates the new round of games, he partners with Detective Jun-ho, who’s still investigating the organisation. They agree to stay connected using a tracker hidden in Gi-hun’s tooth — but the plan falls apart when communication is lost.

Jun-ho and his team continue their mission by boat, hoping to locate the game’s base, but things take a dark turn when one of his men is killed after spotting suspicious behaviour from Captain Park.

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Meanwhile, The Front Man — Jun-ho’s brother — returns in disguise, entering the games under a false identity.

The new challenges are even more twisted than before, including gruesome versions of Red Light, Green Light, Six Legs, and Mingle.

Tensions rise until some of the players revolt and storm the control room.

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Gi-hun and Jung-bae choose to surrender. But the moment they do, Jung-bae is executed by the Front Man.

As the rebellion simmers and alliances crack, the season builds toward an explosive finale, with everything set in motion for Gi-hun’s final fight in Season three.

Season three: What to expect

The third season of Squid Game marks the final chapter in the global phenomenon, and Netflix has confirmed some of the cast returning for the grand finale:

Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun (Player 456)
Lee Byung-hun as Front Man
Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho
Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi (Player 333)
Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho (Player 388)
Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju (Player 120)
Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik (Player 007)
Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja (Player 149)
Jo Yuri as Jun-hee (Player 222)
Lee David as Min-su (Player 125)
Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (Player 124)
Park Gyu-young as No-eul

"A failed rebellion, the death of a friend, and a secret betrayal — Squid Game Season three picks up in the aftermath of Season two’s bloody cliffhanger. Although Gi-hun is at his lowest point yet, the Squid Game stops for no one," the streaming platform shared as a teaser.

"So Gi-hun will be forced to make some important choices in the face of overwhelming despair as he and the surviving players are thrust into deadlier games that test everyone’s resolve. With each round, their choices lead to increasingly grave consequences."

Watch the trailer now:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

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