Squid Game (2021)
Original title: 오징어 게임
Squid Game is a 2021 Korean-language action & adventure series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. It stars Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-jun and Jeon Young-soo.
Hundreds of people drowning in debt receive the same strange invitation: play a set of childhood games for a fortune. Seong Gi-hun, a broke gambler with a daughter he can barely see, takes the offer and steps into a sealed world where 456 desperate players compete for a 45.6 billion won prize. The catch is that losing carries a price far steeper than money. Hwang Dong-hyuk's Netflix phenomenon turns hopscotch and tug-of-war into a brutal study of inequality, dressed in candy colours and clean geometry. Lee Jung-jae leads a sprawling ensemble.
Quick answers
What is Squid Game about?
Hundreds of people drowning in debt receive the same strange invitation: play a set of childhood games for a fortune. Seong Gi-hun, a broke gambler with a daughter he can barely see, takes the offer and steps into a sealed world where 456 desperate players compete for a 45.6 billion won prize. The catch is that losing carries a price far steeper than money. Hwang Dong-hyuk's Netflix phenomenon turns hopscotch and tug-of-war into a brutal study of inequality, dressed in candy colours and clean geometry. Lee Jung-jae leads a sprawling ensemble.
When was Squid Game released?
Squid Game was released on 17 September 2021.
How many episodes does Squid Game have?
Squid Game has 22 episodes across 3 seasons.
Who made Squid Game?
Squid Game was created by Hwang Dong-hyuk.
Where can I watch Squid Game?
Squid Game is available on Netflix.
Where to watch Squid Game
Stream: Netflix
Cast
- Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun / Player 456
- Wi Ha-jun as Detective Hwang Jun-ho
- Jeon Young-soo as Game Guide (voice)
- Lee Byung-hun as Front Man / Hwang In-ho
- Yim Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi / Player 333
- Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee / Player 222
- Park Gyu-young as Kang No-eul / Guard 011
- Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja / Player 149
- Lee Jin-uk as Park Gyeong-seok / Player 246
- Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik / Player 007
- Park Sung-hoon as Cho Hyun-ju / Player 120
- Kang Ha-neul as Kang Dae-ho / Player 388
Similar series
Explore Squid Game guides
Squid Game in our writing
- Companion guide: Battle Royale: The Complete Guide to Last-One-Standing Death Games
- Companion guide: Deadly Games & Death Tournaments
- Companion guide: Villains & Great Antagonists
A few thoughts on Squid Game
If the death-game hook grips you, Battle Royale is its literary ancestor, and King's The Institute traps gifted children in a facility that treats their lives as expendable. Assassination Classroom plays a deadlier school game for dark laughs, while The Last of Us matches the desperate, every-choice-counts survival.
Death-game thrillers where losing costs everything
Squid Game turns hopscotch and tug-of-war into contests with lethal stakes for players drowning in debt. These stories run the same engine: desperate people locked into a rigged competition where elimination is final. Expect childhood simplicity twisted into dread, and rules that keep the tension screwed tight.
Korean thrillers with a brutal, unflinching streak
Hwang Dong-hyuk's Netflix phenomenon carries the hard edge Korean thrillers are known for: raw violence, moral rot, and characters pushed past breaking. These series share that nerve, following avengers, fixers, and outsiders through corruption and payback. If Squid Game's ruthlessness landed, these keep the pressure on.
Sprawling manga about underdogs against a rigged system
Beneath its candy colors, Squid Game is a story about the powerless fighting a machine built to crush them. These epic manga share that spine: outmatched heroes staring down armies, empires, and impossible odds, paying steep prices for every inch. Cross-media picks for readers who want the same fight in ink.
Prestige games about surviving a brutal, sealed world
Squid Game traps its players in a self-contained world with its own cruel logic, the way the best narrative games do. These titles hand you survival under pressure: scarce resources, harsh choices, and worlds designed to test how far a person will go. A natural jump for players who felt the show's grip.