Netflix’s Squid Game ending: Explained

If you’ve watched Netflix’s hit Squid Game, you’d be forgiven for being a little confused by the ending. Here’s what it means. Warning: Spoilers

Warning: Spoilers.

Netflix’s new mysterious mind game series has viewers scratching their heads, wondering who won, who lost, and who, exactly, was running the game the entire time.

If you’re looking for a little puzzle to solve, we recommend checking out the Korean series streaming now — it’s currently ranked on Netflix’s Top 10 most watched movies and shows and is on track to become its most watched series ever.

Breezed through all the episodes and feeling a little confused? We can help.

Squid Game follows hundreds of cash-strapped folks who engage in an incredibly dangerous game started by an unknown gamemaster.

Think The Hunger Games — it’s that deadly.

Squid Game is a hot topic in streaming right now.

They’ll have to compete in a series of children’s games if they want to win, or even make it out of the saga alive. The stakes are high, and protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Jung-jae Lee) has come to win for his young daughter.

Wondering if Gi-hun makes it out alive, and who’s running this whole thing? Here’s everything we know about the Squid Game ending.

What happens in the ending of Squid Game? Who wins?

Gi-hun, the protagonist of Squid Game, ultimately wins. We were rooting for him! He may not be the best player in the Game, nor the strongest, but he wins because of the kindness in his heart and the luck of it all.

Earlier on in the series, he befriends the elderly gentleman Oh Il-nam. He plays a huge role in the survival of Gi-hun and several of his teammates, up until later in the show, when he passes away.

Gi-hun finally gets to return home, only to realise his own mother has died.

He spends a year grieving her passing, as well as the trauma brought on by playing the Game.

He meets the creator of the Game, which inspires him to bring some changes to his life, assisting other folks with their grief and trauma.

Ultimately, Gi-hun decides to give half of his winnings to Sang-woo’s mother in honour of the contestant.

The show has a whole lot of blood and gore.

What does the ending of Squid Game mean?

Shocker: Oh Il-nam actually created the Game. After winning, Gi-hun spends a year on his own before he receives a similar card to the one at the beginning of the series.

He goes to the address written on it, discovering Il-nam lying in bed, weak.

Gi-hun immediately realises that Il-nam is the creator of everything. While Il-nam was hiding a big secret, he tells Gi-hun that most of what he shared was true. They go for one last wager, and Gi-hun wins — as Il-nam passes away.

As the show wraps up, it hints that the Game may be able to continue, even without its creator.

Gi-hun is leaving to see his daughter in Los Angeles when he spots a mysterious man recruiting an individual, realising that the Game is ceaseless.

He ditches his flight, deciding he’s got to do something about the Game before things get out of hand again.

Will there be a Season 2 of Squid Game?

That ending sure leaves the series open for more, right? Gi-hun is on a quest to stop the game, and while Il-nam has passed away, he’s got quite a few missions to finish off.

With the major success of Squid Game’s first season, we could see it continuing into more episodes. Netflix just has to renew the saga for more.

Squid Game streams on Netflix

Originally published as Netflix’s Squid Game ending: Explained