Three Times Hung: the new season of "The Squid Game" has been released

In December 2024, viewers finally waited for the release of the second season of the cult series "The Squid Game." The first season of this action-packed Korean thriller with elements of dystopia has become a real sensation: for the first time, a Korean drama topped the global top 10 in terms of views on Netflix. In the first 25 days after its release, it was viewed by more than 111 million people worldwide. On Friday, June 27, 2025, the premiere of the third season of "The Squid Game" took place. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The third season of the series "The Squid Game": plot

The South Korean drama series Squid Game was created by writer and director Hwang Dong Hyuk and was released on September 17, 2021 on the Netflix platform.

The plot focuses on a group of 456 people, each of whom is experiencing serious financial difficulties. The participants agree to enter a mysterious game with a prize of 45.6 billion South Korean won (about $38.5 million). The game challenges are based on children's fun, but every defeat entails a fatal outcome. The project was implemented by Siren Pictures Inc. and became a key step for Netflix towards the development of international content, in particular, strengthening its position in the Asian media space.

The premiere of the third season took place on July 27, 2025 at 10:00 Moscow time on the Netflix platform (the streaming service stopped working in Russia in March 2022).

According to the synopsis of the new season, after the dramatic events of the finale of the second season, the main character, participant number 456, Song Ki-hoon finds himself facing a series of new moral and emotional challenges.

Despite the experience, the game continues and leaves no chance for indulgences: the hero will once again have to make difficult decisions, fight with inner demons and fear, competing with other participants in even more ruthless and deadly games. The new rounds promise to be not only more intense, but will also turn into a test of the limits of human endurance and determination.

The third season of "The Squid Game": reviews

The new season gets mixed reviews from critics. Some people think that he failed, but they note a satisfactory ending to the story.

The Hollywood Reporter has released one of the harshest reviews of the sequel to "The Squid Game." The critic noted that the story should have ended in the first season, and the current project, in his opinion, "it's time to let it go with dignity."

The main complaint was that the plot was either too long-winded, or did not offer viewers fresh ideas or original twists compared to the debut season. The third season, according to the reviewer, failed to rehabilitate the impression spoiled by the weak second part, and only increased the feeling of creative exhaustion.

Will there be a fourth season of the popular TV series "The Squid Game"

The director and creator of "The Squid Game," Hwang Dong Hyuk, told Entertainment Weekly that he initially planned to complete the story with two seasons.

However, as he worked on the sequel, the amount of material grew significantly, and he decided to split the second season into two parts. Initially, Heck had no intention of shooting a sequel to the cult project, but the rapid success of the first season and the strong response from viewers forced him to reconsider his decision.

According to the director, the story arc that he conceived is fully completed by the end of the third season.

"The Squid Game": the story of the creation and success of the series

Director Hwang Dong Hyuk has been hatching the idea of "Playing Squid" since 2008. Initially, he planned to create a full-length film, but over time the idea transformed into a series format.

The work on the project stretched over more than a decade — there were financial difficulties and distrust on the part of the producers. Nevertheless, Hwang did not abandon his idea and eventually achieved its realization.

Since its release in September 2021, "The Squid Game" has instantly acquired the status of an international hit. The series reached the top of the ratings in more than 90 countries and became the most popular show on Netflix at the time, gaining 265.2 million views in just 90 days. Critics and viewers highly appreciated the original plot and the intense atmosphere of the series.

In December 2024, three years after the debut season, viewers saw the second season. In the first few weeks after its release, the series garnered 152.5 million views. This made the second season the third most-watched Netflix series of all time, behind only the first season of "The Squid Game" (265.2 million) and the first season of "Wednesday" (252.1 million).

The series topped the charts in 92-93 countries, including the USA, Great Britain, France and Mexico — for the first time in the history of Netflix.