Squid Gameseason 3 has six episodes, making it the shortest season of Netflix’s Korean smash-hit. Although the world had to wait three years for the second season ofSquid Game, the show’s third and final season only took six months. Unlike season 2, which included a time skip right at the beginning of episode 1,Squid Gameseason 3starts immediately after Gi-hun’s failed rebellion.
One of the biggest differences betweenSquid Game’s first and second seasons is that the former told a complete story, whereas the latter ended on a cliffhanger. While season 1 did tease that the story was not over yet,Squid Gameseason 2’s finaleended abruptly and left everyone wanting more. Fortunately,Squid Game’s second and third seasons were produced back-to-back, which is why we wouldn’t have to wait too long for the remaining episodes. However, this also meant that seasons 2 and 3 were going to be relatively short compared to season 1.
Why Squid Game Season 3 Only Has 6 Episodes
Squid Game’s Seasons 2 And 3 Were Written At The Same Time
Before the release ofSquid Gameseason 2, the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, revealed that he wrote seasons 2 and 3 at the same time (viaDeadline). However,Hwang realized that there was a big turning point in the story after episode 7, which is why he decided to end the second season there and leave the rest for the third.We now know that the big inflection point director Hwang was referring to was Jung-bae’s death in season 2’s finale. The fallout of Gi-hun’s rebellion and the final three games were therefore saved for season 3.
Squid Game season 1
9
7
Squid Game season 3
July 13, 2025
6
Given how seasons 2 and 3 were written at the same time, it is only natural that they work as one big story. Three out of sixgames were played inSquid Gameseason 2, meaning that season 3 was likely going to have a similar number of episodes as the second season. Unsurprisingly,Squid Game3ended up having just one episode less than season 2. Now that both have been released,we can look atSquid Game’s seasons 2 and 3 as a 13-episode story that was split into two parts.
Squid Game’s Seasons 2 And 3 Are Basically One Big Season
Seasons 2 And 3 Have 13 Episodes Combined
Stranger Thingsseason 4,Bridgertonseason 3, andCobra Kaiseason 6 are just some examples of Netflix seasons that were split into two or more parts that were then released a few weeks from each other. This is not quite what happened withSquid Game, which actually had separate second and third seasons. But from a narrative standpoint,Squid Game 2andSquid Game 3can indeed be perceived as one long season.
It took director Hwang a decade to makeSquid Gameseason 1 happen, but he wrote the scripts for seasons 2 and 3 in a matter of months. The massive, game-changing success ofSquid Gameseason 1 meant that a sequel was all but inevitable, and fortunately for Netflix, the show’s creator had more stories to tell. WhileSquid Game2 could have worked as a 13-episode season with no cliffhangers, it made sense to save the latter half of the story for a third and final season and have more time for post-production and to build up anticipation.
Squid Game Season 3 Was The Right Time To End The Show
The fact thatSquid Gameseason 3 is the show’s shortest only confirms that it was always meant to be the conclusion of the story that began in season 2. This is why season 3 was absolutely the right time to end theNetflix original K-drama.
Squid Gamewill continue as a franchise – Netflix’sSquid Game: The Challengereality show is coming back for season 2, and David Fincher is developing an American spinoff. However, the main series is now over, and thankfully, Hwang was able to tell exactly the story he wanted across 22 episodes in total.
Squid Game
Cast
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children’s games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
