‘Squid Game’ Season 3 Premieres Tonight: Here’s What You Missed in Seasons 1 & 2
Squid Game Season 3 will premiere on Thursday, June 27, exclusively on Netflix
The South Korean thriller Squid Game, which took the world by storm in 2021, returns tonight with the much-anticipated release of season 3. As fans gear up for the final chapter, here’s a concise refresher on the twists, betrayals, and survival drama that have defined the series so far.
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: The main protagonist, survivor of season 1, and now a determined opponent of the games.
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: Former winner, now the masked leader of the games and Jun-ho’s brother.
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: The cop investigating the games is now working with Gi-hun’s allies.
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: Beloved season 1 contestant, whose fate motivates Gi-hun’s quest.
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Here is a quick recap of Season 1 and Season 2:
: The Deadly Games Begin
Seong Gi-hun, a struggling, debt-ridden father, is recruited for a mysterious competition promising life-changing money.
Alongside 455 other desperate contestants, he’s taken to a secret facility to play a series of childhood games—like “Red Light, Green Light”—where losing means death.
The games are overseen by masked guards and a shadowy Front Man. Contestants can vote to leave after the first game, but most return, lured by the massive cash prize.
Gi-hun forms alliances with fellow players, including childhood friend Sang-woo and pickpocket Sae-byeok. As the games progress, alliances fracture under pressure, and betrayals turn deadly.
The final three are Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok. Sang-woo kills Sae-byeok, and in the brutal final “Squid Game,” Gi-hun defeats Sang-woo but refuses to kill him, urging him to end the game. Sang-woo dies by suicide, and Gi-hun wins the prize.
Gi-hun learns the games are run for the amusement of wealthy VIPs. The Front Man is revealed to be In-ho, the brother of police detective Jun-ho, who had infiltrated the games.
Traumatised, Gi-hun initially refuses to spend his winnings. By the end, he vows to expose and stop the organisation.
: Revenge, Rebellion, and Return
Four years later, Gi-hun is determined to take down the organisation. He uses his winnings to fund an investigation and tries to rescue Sae-byeok’s mother.
Gi-hun’s search leads him to the recruiter, with whom he plays Russian roulette. Gi-hun wins and arranges a meeting with the organisation, but is captured and forced back into the deadly games.
This time, the rules have changed: after every game, players can vote to leave and split the prize, causing deep divisions and violent clashes among contestants.
Gi-hun tries to convince others to quit, but is mistrusted. A tied vote leads to chaos, with groups fighting to control the outcome. Amid the violence, Gi-hun and his allies attempt a rebellion against the guards, but it fails—his close friend Jung-bae is killed.
Meanwhile, detective Jun-ho, who survived being shot by his brother (the Front Man), joins forces with Gi-hun’s team and mercenaries to track down the island. However, a mole within their group sabotages their efforts.
Season 2 ends with Gi-hun still trapped in the games, the rebellion crushed, and the organisation tightening its grip. Jun-ho and his allies must now outwit the mole to find and expose the island.
The season leaves Gi-hun at his lowest, but still determined to fight back, setting the stage for the final confrontation in season 3.
Squid Game Season 3 will premiere on Thursday, June 27, exclusively on Netflix. All six episodes of the dystopian K-drama will be released simultaneously worldwide at 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET (midnight Friday, in Pakistan) or all subscribers.
