Squid Game season 2 gets a release date, confirms season 3

Netflix has finally announced the release date of the much-anticipated second season of Squid Game. Along with that, the streamer also confirmed that the hit series has been renewed for a third and final season.

While season 2 is set to be released on December 26, the third season will be premiere in 2025. Netflix announced both the news via a short teaser while also unveiling the first look of Lee Jung-jae who will be returning for season 2. His comeback was confirmed in a teaser which was released earlier this year.

Series creator, director, and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk posted a letter to fans in where he expressed his excitement and happiness on the first part's reception and noted that Seong Gi-hun's world and Front Man's will continue to clash in season 3. "I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of this story," he added.

In the teaser shared on social media, a new set of contestants were seen participating in a game. The workers (or soldiers) dressed in red and black stood in the sidelines and watched those who fell on the running track and to their deaths. “It’s been three years. Do you want to play again?” asked the head of the soldiers in the trailer.

The new season's official description reads, "Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway. But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it."

The second season will see Lee Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun return as Seong Gi-hun and Front Man, respectively. The cast also includes Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-geun as well as Park Gyu-young, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won and Won Ji-an.

Along with Hwang, Kim Ji-yeon also serves as an executive producer on the show.

The original Squid Game series which was released in 2021, was Netflix’s most popular show of all time. It told the story of a divorced father and gambler (Lee Jung-Jae) who joins a secret competition with 456 total players. But the losers of each round are executed in the survival game until one victor remains and takes home the cash prize. The nine-episode series won three Golden Globe Awards, and received 14 Emmy nominations with six wins.

Last year, the streamer came up with Squid Game: The Challenge which was similar to the show where participants took part in the games that were showcased on the series. Hwang had also worked with Netflix to create a mockumentary inspired by Squid Game's success, titled The Best Show on the Planet. There is also a video game in the making.