Why won't there be a Squid Game season 4?

Seeing as Squid Game stands to be one of Netflix's most successful series of all time, it's no surprise that it came back for seasons 2 and 3, which were filmed back-to-back. But could it be returning for more?

As of now, series creator, director and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that season 3 would be the show's final outing. Much like the anticipated finale itself, the show reached its final stage with the words "Game Over" being splashed across control room screens in the finale.

But why won't Squid Game be returning for a fourth season? Read on to find out.

Why won't there be a Squid Game season 4?

Last July, series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk confirmed that Squid Game would end with its third and final season in a letter to fans. In it, he wrote: "I am beyond excited to be writing this letter to announce the date for season 2 and share the news of season 3, the final season."

He continued: "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."

Essentially, rounding out the series with an additional two seasons after the hit first was Dong-hyuk's way of enabling closure for fans, at least in relation to Gi-hun's story. It's natural that a director would have a set amount of seasons in mind for their main story, with it appearing like that's exactly the case for Gi-hun and Squid Game.

The director told Netflix's Tudum: “As I began to write and develop the storylines for seasons 2 and 3, I realised I needed a resolution that would bring both the game and Gi-hun’s journey to a close.

“I need to wrap up Gi-hun’s journey and convey a message to the audience right now. The message I wanted to communicate was that if we solely pursue our immediate self-interest, and refuse to self-restrain, sacrifice, or bear any costs, and if we don’t put our heads together, we have no future.”

As well as not wanting to stretch out the series for longer than necessary, the amount of stress that Dong-hyuk has endured throughout the creation of the series has also been well known and so, could also be a major factor in wanting to end the series.

Dong-hyuk told The Hollywood Reporter: "So to be free from all of that fear and burden, I do feel relieved. But as we are releasing the show and saying goodbye, for the past six years, there hasn’t been a single day that went by without me thinking about Squid Game.

"This is something that has completely consumed me for the past six years. So to know that I have to say goodbye, I admit, I do have the sense of almost a loss, or I feel quite empty, to be honest. But I hope that if season three is met with as much love as people loved season one, then I think I’m definitely going to feel less empty about saying goodbye."

In terms of continuing the franchise with a fourth season, Dong-hyuk has been forthright in the fact that he's not interested in doing so – but there may be some potential for a spin-off series.

He also told The Hollywood Reporter: "I think the story ended in a manner where it doesn’t need a further story to be told. So I am not too interested in telling a story that continues on from the conclusion.

"If I were to do a spinoff someday, I think I would rather choose to go back and see what happened during that time gap [between seasons one and two]. But this is something that we are just tossing around, so as for when or how a spinoff might come about, it’s still up in the air."

There have been some rumours about a Squid Game spin-off set in the US, and the season 3 finale cameo from Cate Blanchett only seems to prop up the theory that there's plenty more story left in the tank.

While rumours continue to swirl, it has been suggested that Gone Girl director David Fincher was set to helm the American spin-off, with Blanchett's season 3 appearance playing Ddakji with a man in Los Angeles somewhat supporting the fact – especially seeing as Blanchett and Fincher have previously worked together.

Netflix has not yet commented on the matter but we do know that Blanchett's surprise appearance as one of the Recruiters definitely points at a continuation of Squid Game further afield. While it may have shut down operations in Korea, the series' final moments do set up a potential spin-off for the future but we'll just have to wait and see if that comes to fruition.

During an appearance on Jimmy Fallon, Lee Byung-hun also teased a potential Front Man spin-off, which is an exciting prospect for audiences. As of now, though, there hasn't been any news on any further Squid Game-related spin-offs but seeing as the show has been a hit for the streamer, we'd definitely not expect this to be the last we see of Squid Game.

Squid Game season 3 is coming to Netflix on Friday 27th June 2025. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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