The White Lotus season 3: key information
– Releasing on Netflix sometime in 2025
– Comprised of six episodes
– No official trailer, but a mid-credit scene drops hints
– Predicted cast, though not confirmed
– Season 3 will be the show’s last
– Hwang Dong-hyuk talks spin-offs and franchise
Squid Game season 3 is coming in 2025 and its arrival will mark the end of the tremendously volatile and thought-provoking Netflix show.
It is, in fact, one of the best Netflix series available to watch on the best streaming service which broke Netflix records by bringing in 1.65 billion viewing hours for Squid Game season 1.
Squid Game invites 456 players to compete for a mouth-watering 4.56 million won prize. To win? Compete in childhood games. Sure, that sounds simple enough, until the players learn about the deadly consequences. Player 456, Gi-hun, won the huge prize pot in season 1, but he was also the only player to leave with their life. So, he returned to play again in Squid Game season 2 to exact revenge by teaming up with fellow players – though we know how that turned out…
Season 3 was always on the cards – way before season 2 even came out – and so the cast and crew shot back-to-back, hence the 2025 release date. We’re glad we don’t have to wait much longer to see how the events of the season 2 finale unfold, but a wait is a wait regardless.
So, while we ponder the next move, there’s plenty to know about Squid Game season 3 from release date, to expected cast, to plot synopsis news and rumors, and more.
Full spoilers for Squid Game seasons 1 and 2 to follow.
Squid Game season 3: is there a release date?
The games will never be the same. Have you watched Squid Game Season 2 yet? Season 3 coming in 2025. pic.twitter.com/j8dnDev94iDecember 30, 2024
While viewers had to wait over three years for Squid Game season 2, the wait for season 3 isn’t nearly as long. In fact, it’s been confirmed to hit Netflix in 2025. Given that season 2 came out in December 2024, that’s a wait of less than a year – we hope.
#SquidGame’s director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, reassures fans that they won’t have to wait too long for season 3. pic.twitter.com/N9bmbXWrbPJanuary 6, 2025
Thanks to a 2025 Golden Globes red carpet interview in January, Squid Game director and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed to The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s coming. It’s coming. I’m working on it, so it’s coming soon. Sooner than you expect.”
Plus, as reported by Forbes, the Netflix Korea YouTube channel “had a video go live that didn’t just have the 2025 release date, but a specific date, June 27, 2025.” While it was quickly removed, it didn’t go unnoticed, though there’s been no official confirmation from Netflix.
If we were to speculate then, we’d say that with Dong-hyuk’s words in mind and considering season 2 came out in late 2024, we’d guess a late summer 2025 release date for season 3.
Squid Game season 3: has Netflix released a trailer?
There’s no trailer for Squid Game season 3 right now. When there is, we’ll be sure to update you here. Given that the season 2 trailer released a month before the show dropped on Netflix, we know it won’t be until later this year.
Squid Game season 3: who can we expect to return for the cast?
Spoilers follow for Squid Game season 2.
While there’s no official news of the Squid Game season 3 cast, we have a pretty good idea of who’s returning – although you never quite know how long any given character will survive. Here’s who we expect to return for Squid Game season 3:
- Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun
- Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho aka Front Man
- Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho
- Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho
- Jo Yu-ri as Kim Jun-hee
- Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju
- Park Gyu-young as No-eul
- Lee David as Min-su
- Chae Kook-hee as Seon-nyeo
- Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja
- Im Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi
- Yang Dong-geun as Park Yong-sik
- Im Si-wan as Lee Myung-gi
- Oh Dal-su as Captain Park
- Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu
Squid Game season 3: what can we speculate so far about the story?
Full spoilers follow for Squid Game seasons 1 and 2.
Squid Game season 2 certainly left a lot on the table to pick up in season 3, and considering they filmed both seasons back-to-back, we imagine we’ll pick up right where we left off. So, where was that? Gi-hun was planning a coup to reach the people in charge at the top to end the games once and for all. Unfortunately, what he wasn’t aware of, is that Player 001 was in fact Front Man, who after joining him in the games up until the pivotal moment of his plan, returned to his position of control.
And then, he murdered Gi-hun’s friend, Jung-bae, right in front of him. All without him knowing his true identity. As he reeled on the staircase mere moments away from the control room, season 2 ended and so did Gi-hun’s dream of freedom, it seems. But let’s not forget Jun-ho, Front Man’s brother and police officer who spent season 2 hellbent on finding the island and proving its existence to the entire world. And, we presume, exacting justice on his brother’s deadly games.
In a show filled with unfortunate moments though, it’s no surprise that Jun-ho’s mission to find the island hasn’t been straightforward. In season 2 it appears that the fisherman that saved him from the seas in season 1 and is back to help him with his search has an ulterior motive. While he appears to be helping Jun-ho find the island, one night we see him tampering with the drone that they’re using to search the skies. And, upon being discovered, stabs and throws one of Jun-ho’s crew overboard, undetected. A story thread that most certainly needs investigating.
Everyone say hi to Chul-su 👋 Squid Game 3 coming 2025. pic.twitter.com/hCgNexjJbCJanuary 1, 2025
If you watched through the credits, you will have also seen the teaser (above) featuring the giant robot from Red Light, Green Light – Young-hee – and her robot boyfriend, introduced on Twitter/X as Chul-su. It adds: “Squid Game 3 coming 2025,” as if to suggest Chul-su will star as a new robot in an entirely new game. The bigger tease here though is that there’s more games to be played, which has been one of the biggest allures of Squid Game. It’s in the name, after all.
It appears that season 3 is most definitely a continuation of season 2. Speaking to MSN, director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed the reason behind splitting season 2 in half, rather than starting a new games: “…as I wrote the story along, it became to be too many episodes and too long of a story because you see Gi-hun’s journey where he returns to the game, but also he goes through a revolt, and that is actually the climax of that storyline, where he tries to create an uprising, but then that all goes to failure. And I also saw that aspect of it as yet another game as well, and so I thought that we would divide it into two seasons to have that…”
He added: “And to put a stop there, I thought that would just be the right adequate moment to rest and have it continue on in the further season because after Gi-hun experiences that event, based on the failure, as well as that immense sense of guilt, you’re going to get yet another character arc from Gi-hun.”
Viewers have watched as Gi-hun reigned victorious in season 1 and returned full of vigor and fueled by revenge in season 2. But, by the end, he was left entirely depleted by his failed plan and loss of his friend. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s focus on Gi-hun going into season 3 ridden with guilt and failure seems to be the focal point. Though we’re also expecting more games and resolve (or demise).
Seo-hwan, who played Gi-hun’s friend Jung-bae in season 2, revealed to RadioTimes.com where he feels season 3 will take Gi-hun next. But, he stipulates: “I know nothing about season 3, but as a viewer and a fan myself, I think there could be three possibilities.”
Expanding on these possibilities, he said: “One would be Gi-hun losing all hope, and the second, him becoming even more vengeful. But the third possibility would be him becoming vengeful towards the players, not the people behind the game.”
While Jung-bae might not know the season 3 plot, returning player Jo Yu-ri, who plays Jun-hee (Player 222) told Cinema Today: “It seems like a lot of people have been predicting the contents of season 3, but it seems like not many of them have gotten it right as I thought. A truly unimaginably brutal and cruel story awaits, so please look forward to it.”
Will Squid Game return after season 3?
No, season 3 has been confirmed as Squid Game’s final season. But, creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has shared his future plans for a Squid Game franchise with The Hollywood Reporter: “One of the ideas I’m tossing around is what happened between season one and two. There’s a three-year gap. So, for example, what was the Front Man doing during those three years?” said Hwang. “What was the Recruiter doing? When I have some downtime, I like to just toss some ideas around and go wild with my imagination. So I guess we can be open to anything.”
And, back in 2022, Deadline reported that Dong-hyuk also had a satirical series based on the creation of Netflix’s Squid Game in early development. At time of writing, it was rumored to be called The Best Show on the Planet.
If you’re craving more from Squid Game, the franchise has already expanded with Squid Game: The Challenge, a real-world adaptation of the show, which debuted in November 2023 and was subsequently renewed for a second season. Casting of which is now closed, though a release date is still unknown.
For more Netflix-focused coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, 3 Body Problem season 2, Arcane season 2, and The Witcher season 4.
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