Dramas / Netflix
Netflix · 2021
Four hundred and fifty-six people in deep debt are invited to a secret contest. They play a series of children's games, and the prize is ₩45.6 billion. The catch is that losing a game means death. Seong Gi-hun, a gambling-addicted chauffeur, leads an ensemble of players who must decide how far they will go for the money.
It ran from 17 September 2021 to 27 June 2025, 22 episodes over three seasons in all.
All-time blockbusters
It became Netflix's most-watched series. Season one was released worldwide on 17 September 2021 to critical acclaim and international attention, season two on 26 December 2024 and the final season on 27 June 2025. It won six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote the story in 2009, drawing on his own money troubles and South Korea's class divide, but found no backer until Netflix took an interest around 2019. Netflix first called it Round Six. Hwang pushed for Squid Game, after a Korean children's game, and the strange name helped draw viewers in. Jung Jae-il composed the music. Around 2008, Hwang and his family took out loans to stay afloat amid South Korea's debt crisis, and he spent his free time reading Japanese survival manga such as Battle Royale, Liar Game and Kaiji. Those years fed the script he wrote in 2009, long before anyone would fund it.
Slot not confirmed
Netflix · Started 17 September 2021 · Last episode 27 June 2025 · 22 episodes over three seasons.
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Lee Jung-jae | Seong Gi-hun |
| Lee Byung-hun | Hwang In-ho |
| Wi Ha-joon | Hwang Jun-ho |
| Park Hae-soo | Cho Sang-woo |
| Jung Ho-yeon | Kang Sae-byeok |
| Heo Sung-tae | Jang Deok-su |
| Anupam Tripathi | Ali Abdul |
| Kim Joo-ryoung | Han Mi-nyeo |
Last checked 22 October 2026.