- Squid Game Season 1 featured a total of 7 games.
- All games in Squid Game were adapted from Korean children’s games.
- The final game was the Squid Game, often considered the most popular game among the children of Korea.
Squid Game became one of the most popular shows in 2021 and now it’s coming back with its season 2. Even though we will get to see some new games in the upcoming season, to refresh our memory of the games we have previously seen in Squid Game Season 1, let’s talk about all of them in the order they were played in the first season. Here are all 7 Squid Game games.
1. Ddakji
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Netflix, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
Even though this game, Ddakji, was not a part of the actual Squid Game, the recruiter or the salesman approached financially distressed people with this game and offered them significant money if they beat him. However, if the salesman wins, he slaps the person playing. He used this game to reel people into joining the Squid Game. After talking to them about the “opportunity” and gave them a card to register themselves and walked away.
Ddakji is a South Korean game played using Origami tiles. One player keeps the tile on the floor or a flat surface and the other player tries to flip it using their Origami tile by throwing it at the former. While this Squid Game game sounds easy, it’s quite challenging as one need to apply the proper force and angle to flip the tile placed on the floor.
2. Red Light, Green Light
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
Red Light, Green Light was the first game in Squid Game and it’s evident from the trailer that it will be played in Squid Game Season 2 again. Like Hide and Seek, in this game, the robot turns away and the players have to move towards the safe zone while the robot is not looking. However, if someone moves while the robot is looking, they are shot to death instantly.
This game claimed the most lives in Squid Game since none of the players were ready for it and as soon as the first person went down, panic gripped everyone and people started running.
3.Dalgona
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
Dalgona is a traditional Korean game played by children in the region. In this game, the players are given sweets made of melted sugar with a design engraved on them. To win, the players have to carve out the design using a needle without breaking the mold and if the design gets damaged in any way, they are shot and killed.
In Squid Game Season 1, we saw players struggling to carve out the shape. However, Gi-Hun, the protagonist came up with the idea to lick the sides of the shape to soften it and carefully cut out the shape without breaking it.
4. Tug of War
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
Tug of War is a pretty standard game in almost every culture and is usually a competitive but harmless game. However, in Squid Game, there’s always a horrifying twist to every game. In this game, two teams are put against each other in Tug of War but the objective of this Tug of War is not to make the other team cross a line but to make them fall off an edge to their deaths.
5.Marbles
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
This game was the most traumatizing one for the players. While playing Marbles, the players were given 10 marbles each and each player was paired with someone they were friends with or care about.
In this game, the players were given a playground that looked like a neighborhood and had to choose any marble game, the player who managed to win all of the marbles from the person they were paired with, would win and the other one would be shot.
6. Hopscotch
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
Hopscotch is a pretty popular game among kids worldwide where the players have to jump on square markings while avoiding some of them. However, in Squid Game, the players had to jump over glass blocks.
Some of those glass blocks were reinforced and could take the weight of two people at a time but some of them were weak and would break as soon as someone stepped on them, making the unfortunate player fall to their death.
7. Squid Game
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
The final game in this series was The Squid Game. This game is one of the most popular games among children in Korea. To play it, a Squid-shaped map is drawn on the ground, and two teams compete against each other. One player tries to reach the “head” of the squid while the other one tries to stop them.
In the Squid Game series, the last survivors were Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo. One of them had to reach the head of the Squid while the other one had to stop that from happening. However, even after a lot of brawls, Gi-Hun makes the game stop so that his friend does not have to die but in the end, Sang-Woo kills himself so that Gi-Hun could get the prize money and the deaths of so many people do not go to waste.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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- Squid Game: America will begin filming on February 26, 2026.
- This update came to us via a listing made on the Film and Television Industry Alliance, where David Fincher is also listed as the director.
- As of now, we don’t have a tentative release date for Squid Game: America
Netflix has given us probably the most successful battle royale show of all time with Squid Game, and it might have been slightly disappointing for fans to watch it end with its final season. Even though the series has come to an end, the Game will live on with its spinoffs, and the first one in line is none other than the much-anticipated spinoff set in the USA, titled Squid Game: America is now confirmed to begin filming in 2026, and here is everything you need to know about this update.
Squid Game: America to Start Filming in February 2026
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Netflix, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
It has come to light that Squid Game: America is set to begin filming in February 2026, in Los Angeles . This reveal came to us via a listing on the Film and Television Industry Alliance website , where a filming date is mentioned to be February 26, 2026.
The listing of the TV show includes several names, including David Fincher listed as the director, original Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and producer Kim Ji-yeon as producers, Dennis Kelly as screenwriter, and the only cast member mentioned on the webpage as of now is Cate Blanchett, whom we saw in the Squid Game finale post-credit scene . The new webpage also comes with a brief description that reads-
“A US version of the Korean hit series, the spinoff is set in the same world but we get to see how the games are handled in America.”
So, as of now, the only thing we know is that this series will pick up exactly where the final season of Squid Game ended, where we saw the recruiter, played by Cate Blanchett, playing ddakji with a man. It’s hard to say if we will see any returning characters with this one.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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Squid Game was the first survival TV show to become hugely popular in 2021. It quickly surpassed even the most popular shows on Netflix and became the most-watched series on the platform. Now that the saga has ended on a tear-jerking note, I’m pretty sure there are fans who would want to know what other shows have the audacity to give the same feel. Well, here, I’ve listed five of the best TV Shows like Squid Game that can fill the void.
1. Alice in Borderland
Image Credit: Robot Communications Inc. (via YouTube/Netflix, Screenshot By Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: December 10, 2020
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, Dori Sakurada, Sho Aoyagi, Riisa Naka, Yuri Tsunematsu, Hayato Isomura
Alice in Borderland is one of the must-watch shows for everyone who liked Squid Game. Despite boasting a different narrative style and themes, this survival thriller drama series shares way more similarities with Squid Game than any other show in existence.
Like Squid Game, Alice in Borderland also forces its characters to participate in deadly games. However, the only difference here is that the one to survive in the Squid Game will go home with the huge cash prize that will give them financial freedom, while in Alice in Borderland, the characters get to extend their visas by winning the game. Squid Game makes players play some childhood games with deadly twists, and Alice in Borderland makes its characters go through some of the most complex games that test their intellect, physical strength, decision-making, and more.
Alice in Borderland Season 1 was released before the pilot season of Squid Game, but it didn’t receive the initial traction it deserved due to a lack of marketing. However, the success of Squid Game popularized the genre, and AIB got the attention it deserved. It has blessed us with two seasons so far, and the third season is set to be released on September 25, 2025.
2. The 8 Show
Image Courtesy: Netflix
- Release Date: May 17, 2024
- Director: Han Jae-rim
- Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee Yul-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee Joo-young, Moon Jeong-hee, Bae Seong-woo
In Squid Game, we see 456 players forced to play the life-or-death games; on the other side, The 8 Show features only eight players who must do everything to win the game of survival. With each round, they are rewarded with more time to live. Both TV shows shed light on wealth disparity and human desperation. They particularly illustrate what extreme pressure does to an ordinary person.
The thriller series was released in 2024 and mostly garnered positive reviews. It also remained on Netflix’s Top 10 chart for three consecutive weeks.
3. Death’s Game
Image Credit: Saram Entertainment (YouTube/ Prime Video Singapore, Screenshot by Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: December 15, 2023
- Director: Ha Byung-hoon
- Cast: Seo In-guk, Park So-dam
Death’s Game and Squid Game are polar opposites, but again, it is a television series that comes from a South Korean production, and it also explores themes of societal pressure, survival, and morality. When the main protagonist Choi Yee-jae loses all hope and tries to commit suicide, Death itself stops him.
The invisible supernatural entity then punishes him by giving him 12 chances to live his life. If he fails to survive in even one of his lives, he will be sent to hell, and if he prevents his death, even if in his one lifetime, he can continue living his ordinary life.
4. All Of Us Are Dead
Image Credit: Kim Jong-hak Production (YouTube/Netflix, Screenshot By Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: January 28, 2022
- Director: Lee Jae-kyoo and Kim Nam-soo
- Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon
Regardless, All of Us Are Dead and Squid Game are both set in Korea, which allows international fans to become familiar with the country’s culture.
5. 3%
Image Credit: Boutique Films (YouTube/ Netflix, Screenshot by Aparna Ukil / Beebom)
- Release Date: November 25, 2016
- Director: César Charlone, Daina Giannecchini, Dani Libardi, Jotagá Crema, Philippe Barcinski
- Cast: João Miguel, Bianca Comparato, Michel Gomes, Rodolfo Valente, Cynthia Senek, Vaneza Oliveira, Rafael Lozano, Viviane Porto
The first season of 3% was released in 2016, and it was the first Portuguese-language original television series on Netflix. Like Squid Game, this series also explored the themes of classism, wealth disparity, and survival.
3% takes place in a dystopian world that is divided into two parts: ‘Inland’ and ‘Offshore’. The former side includes the poor class, while the latter consists of the elite. So, the 20-year-olds of the Inshore are pushed to go through some tests that will decide their fate. Only 3% who pass the tests get to join the rich, while the ones who fail stay behind to spend their lives in poverty and face dire situations.
Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.
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