Squid Game 3 is on its way and fans already have theories

The announcement comes after season two racked up 68 million views in its premiere week.

Squid Game was the one show that really took the world by storm back when it was first released in 2021.

After three years, season two has officially arrived on Netflix. But, you won’t have to wait nearly that long for season three, with the show’s creator announcing it will be hitting the platform sooner than you might think.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

Image: Netflix.

RELATED: A Bluey movie is officially on the way

A little bit of background

If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t seen the show, Squid Game is a Korean television series which sees hundreds of cash-strapped contestants compete for a large monetary prize. Each level is inspired by a traditional children’s game, but there’s a catch - they each have a deadly twist.

Season one was released on Netflix back in September 2021. It not only garnered viewers from all over the world - making it Netflix’s most-watched series to date, and the first Netflix season to debut at number one in 92 regions - but also gained critical acclaim, earning six Primetime Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe.

Thanks to the incredible response from fans, the show proceeded to spawn all kinds of different activations and spin-offs, including the infamous reality series ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’, and a potential English-language adaptation which may or may not be in the works.

The show’s creator also quickly got to work on season two, which premiered on Boxing Day 2024.

Though, of course, people were wary of it not meeting the high bar set by the first season, it seems that wasn’t enough to stop anyone from watching, with Squid Game season two racking up 68 million views in its premiere week - another new record for Netflix.

Now, Netflix has officially announced that season three is on the way, and it’s right around the corner.

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

RELATED: The Harry Potter storyline we didn’t know about

What we know so far

I’m not going to include any storyline spoilers here, as there’s a pretty big chance that you haven’t had the time to binge season two just yet.

But, here’s what we know about season three’s upcoming release.

Whilst season two of the show took over two years to script, film and edit, following the success of the first season, season three won’t require nearly as much of a wait, having been filmed concurrently with season two - meaning it’s already finished.

The show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, said that the two seasons were originally planned as one, however the scale of the project meant that he had to come up with another idea to finish it off.

“When I first wrote the story of Seasons 2 and 3 it was one long story arc. And I was originally planning to write this story across a span of about eight to nine episodes, but once I finished the story, it came to over 10 episodes, which I thought was too long to contain in a single season,” he told Variety.

Before season two was even released, it was announced by Dong-hyuk and Netflix that season three would also be hitting our screens in 2025, and though we don’t have any specific dates yet, it’s comforting to know that we won’t have to wait too long.

We do, however, have a little more information now thanks to a new trailer released this week by Netflix.

Though you can’t make out much, it does introduce us to a new doll.

“Everyone say hi to Chul-su 👋” said the video’s caption.

Chul-su is also shown in the season’s first poster release.

Fan theories are flowing in

Okay, if you haven’t seen season two yet, maybeeee stop scrolling here. I warned you!

Season two of Squid Game ends on a cliffhanger, with a post-credits scene at the end of the last episode.

All we know plot-wise about season three is that it continues to follow Gi-hun, who we meet at a critical crossroads at the beginning of the season. But, you’ll have to watch to find out what happens next - what state will he be in? Will he continue on in his mission?

But, with the release of the teaser trailer, fans have done some digging and come up with some theories of their own.

In one of the clips, you can see Young-hee and Chul-su potentially standing on opposite sides of train tracks, leading viewers on Reddit to think contestants in season three might be playing a more sinister version of ‘crossing the river’.

Redditors also noted that a Korean magazine reported last year that contestants would be seen playing jump rope in season two, and now that the season has been released, it is nowhere to be seen - could it be a possibility in season three?

Viewers also suggested games like hide-and-seek or one involving monkey bars, to be played in the sleep room.

As far as the cast goes, rumours have begun to swirl that Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio would be making an appearance - though it seems Netflix swiftly shut that one down.

Regardless it has been confirmed that season three will be Squid Game’s final season - so it’s sure to end with a bang.

Originally published as Squid Game 3 is on its way and fans already have theories