Squid Game season 2: Release date, cast and latest news

The new footage shows Gi-hun pointing a gun at a masked figure, before cutting to the character back in the game, where he’s shown in his 456 uniform amid a sea of new contestants.

Netflix has also released a small selection of first-look imagery of some of the cast, which includes Gi-hun, Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), Recruiter (Gong Yoo) and a new character played by Park Gyu-young.

In this Squid Game interim between seasons 1 and 2, we've also had the reality take on the original series, which saw 456 real-life players compete for a multi-million dollar cash prize, and, with plenty of twists and turns, it’s just as gripping as its predecessor.

With that, read on for everything we know about the Squid Game season 2 release date, including who could return after all of those Squid Game deaths in season 1.

**Spoiler warning for Squid Game season 1**

Squid Game season 2 release date: When is it coming out on Netflix?

While it took more than 10 years for the first season to be made, fans will be pleased to hear there’ll be a much shorter wait for the next instalment.

Squid Game season 2 will debut on Thursday 26th December 2024.

The release date news was announced via a brief Olympics-themed teaser (below).

Alongside the season 2 release date, the streamer also revealed that its third and final season will be released at some point in 2025.

The show was officially renewed for season 2 back in June 2022.

"It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year, but it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular series ever," said director and writer Hwang Dong-hyuk (via Deadline) at the time.

The following letter from Dong-hyuk was shared online alongside the renewal announcement, confirming that the game's winner, Seong Gi-hun, will return.

How many episodes will Squid Game season 2 have?

It's unknown how many episodes season 2 will consist of.

But fans will remember that the debut season comprised nine episodes, with their lengths ranging from around 30 minutes to the one-hour mark.

Squid Game season 2 cast: Who's returning?

Expect lots of new faces in season 2, given that the majority of the Squid Game characters were killed in season 1 – although Hwang did say that he could be tempted to bring back some stars from the first run, even if their characters were killed off, or seemingly killed off.

But Lee Jung-jae is definitely returning as the winner of the first run Seong Gi-hun, with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk having previously confirmed the news.

"I've received so much love and support from [viewers], of course I have to play him again," he told Entertainment Weekly. "But at this point I don't know anything about how the story is going to turn out, or how the characters are going to change, or if there is going to be any new characters adding to the series."

Netflix have also released some first-look images of some of the cast, including Gi-hun, but also a new character played by Park Gyu-young, who is known for her roles in Korean dramas such as It's Okay to Not Be Okay and Sweet Home.

We also know that Wi Ha-joon will return as Hwang Jun-ho, the police officer who snuck into the games and was shot in season 1 by the Front Man (who turned out to be his missing brother).

"I'm dying to know what happened to him," he told Deadline. "I want him to return alive, find his brother and ask him tons of questions. I hope to see a more brother-love side of their relationship as well."

Gong Yoo, the anonymous recruiter who lures people into the game, is also back.

Meanwhile, new cast members include:

• Yim Si-wan (Unlocked) as TBC
• Kang Ha-neul (The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure) as TBC
• Park Gyu-young (Sweet Home, Celebrity) as TBC
• Park Sung-hoon (The Glory) as TBC
• Jo Yu-ri as TBC
• Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations) as TBC
• Kang Ae-sim (Be Melodramatic, Move to Heaven) as TBC
• Lee David (The Fortress) as TBC
• Lee Jin-uk (Sweet Home) as TBC
• Choi Seung-hyun (Tazza: The Hidden) as TBC
• Roh Jae-won (Missing Yoon) as TBC
• Won Ji-an (DP) as TBC

Squid Game season 2 plot

The season's official description reads: "Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 remains determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport. Using this fortune to fund his search, Gi-hun starts with the most obvious of places: look for the man in a sharp suit playing ddakji in the subway.

"But when his efforts finally yield results, the path toward taking down the organization proves to be deadlier than he imagined: to end the game, he needs to re-enter it.”

Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk previously told The Times that he would like a second season to look at the Korean police after focusing mainly on the contestants in the first season.

"While I was writing season 1, I thought about the stories that could be in season 2 if I get to do one — one would be the story of the Frontman. I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea.

"I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late on acting on things — there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise. Maybe in season 2 I can talk about this more."

While we did get a glimpse into what life for the Game employees was like when police officer Hwang Jun-ho snuck into the facility, we don't know a lot about how the workers were recruited and why they chose to work there. We find out that Jun-ho's brother is the Front Man, having taken on a senior role at the Game after winning as a contestant in 2015, but we don't know why he decided to join forces with the competition that made him kill several people.

A second season could explore the employees' stories more, with Hwang telling RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview that he may look into the theory around the colour of the Ddakji cards a contestant chooses, with some thinking that choosing the blue card makes you a contestant while choosing the red card makes you an employee.

"What an intriguing theory!" he said. "I might use it if we'll ever have a season 2!"

Hwang also previously said that he would be like to explore the back story of Old Man Oh Il-nam, a contestant who is revealed to be a wealthy investor behind the games.

"It seems, however, the way how he yearns for the happy moments of his past shows that he has lost many things including his family and his humanity at the cost of success. If there will be a season two, we might reveal a little more about his past story," he said.

While we find out that Il-nam was one of the wealthy VIPs who helped set up the Game for rich people who became disillusioned with the thrills of normal life, we don't know a huge amount the life he had with his wife and son, who he mentions during the marbles game.

There's one particular Squid Game fan theory which thinks Il-nam could turn out to be Gi-hun's father as the two seemed to develop a familial relationship throughout the games while Il-name told Gi-hun on his death bed that it had been "fun to play with him". Perhaps diving into Il-nam's backstory could confirm this potential plot thread?

Hwang added that he may turn to the fans for ideas for a second season, saying: "Since I prefer writing alone, maybe all these ideas on YouTube can function as my writer's room. Or maybe I can even ask the fans on social media to give ideas. In the meantime, I will try and think more while I work on films."

Hwang subsequently appeared to change his mind, however, telling Variety that if he does make a second season, he "would certainly not to it alone".

"I’d consider using a writers’ room and would want multiple experienced directors," he added.

While the season 1 finale seemed to set up season 2, with Gi-hun decided not to board the plane to America and appearing to set out on a mission to seek revenge on the game organisers, Hwang has said that the last episode could work as a complete ending to the series and Gi-hun's story.

"It’s true that season 1 ended in an open-ended way, but I actually thought that this could be good closure for the whole story, too," he told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Season 1 ends with Gi-hun turning back and not getting on the plane to the States. And that was, in fact, my way of communicating the message that you should not be dragged along by the competitive flow of society, but that you should start thinking about who has created the whole system — and whether there is some potential for you to turn back and face it.

"So it’s not necessarily Gi-hun turning back to get revenge. It could actually be interpreted as him making a very on-the-spot eye contact with what is truly going on in the bigger picture. So I thought that might be a good, simple-but-ambiguous way to end the story for Gi-hun."

However, he added that if he did write a second season, he would want to explore the storyline between the Front Man and his police officer brother, as well as the recruiter for the games.

"I could also go into the story of that recruiter in the suit who plays the game of ddakji with Gi-hun and gives him the card in the first episode. And, of course, we could go with Gi-hun’s story as he turns back, and explore more about how he’s going to navigate through his reckoning with the people who are designing the games. So, I don’t know yet, but I’ll just say there are a lot of possibilities out there for season two storylines."

Read more about Squid Game:

• Squid Game ending, explained
• Squid Game true story
• Who is Squid Game's Old Man?
• What to watch after Squid Game

How many seasons of Squid Game are there?

The show will end with its third and final season at some point in 2025.

Speaking about this decision, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained in a letter posted on Netflix's US Instagram account alongside the renewal news.

"It’s been almost three years since season 1 was met with incredible response around the world and many unimaginable events took place," Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote.

"On the first day we began shooting season 2, I remember thinking, 'Wow, I can’t believe I’m back in the world of Squid Game.' It almost felt surreal. I wonder how it will feel for you to be back in Squid Game after three years as well."

He continued: "Seong Gi-hun, who vowed revenge at the end of season 1, returns and joins the game again. Will he succeed in getting his revenge? Front Man doesn’t seem to be an easy opponent this time either.

"The fierce clash between their two worlds will continue into the series finale with season 3, which will be brought to you next year. I am thrilled to see the seed that was planted in creating a new Squid Game grow and bear fruit through the end of this story.

"We’ll do our best to make sure we bring you yet another thrill ride."

Is there a Squid Game season 2 trailer?

Yes, as detailed above, there is now a full-length trailer for Squid Game season 2, which you can watch below:

The streamer previously released a short teaser, giving fans a look at several of the new players, including numbers 222, 007, 044 and 380, before we’re also given a glimpse at 456, which of course belongs to champion Gi-hun.

"The real game begins," the tagline reads.

Another teaser previously showed a now red-haired Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun walking through an airport as he receives a call.

He answers and the person on the other end says: "You'll regret your decision."

The statement is met with Gi-hun responding: "I will find you." Talk about ominous, right?

Squid Game season 2 will be released on Thursday 26th December. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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