It’s all to play for when Squid Game season 3 lands on Netflix.
The brainchild of writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the vivid hellscape where debt-ridden contestants play life-or-death children’s games in the hope of winning an enormous cash prize became a global sensation when it debuted on the streaming service on 17 September 2021.
Now, Hwang Dong-hyuk hopes fans will embrace the concluding chapter in his gripping survival saga about man’s inhumanity to man with the same enthusiasm as they have in the past.
“I poured over six years of my life into Squid Game, not counting when I first wrote the original script more than a decade ago,” shares showrunner Hwang, 54. “I hope this third season will satisfy fans. All around the world, they’ve shown incredible love and support and I’m truly excited by their reactions.”
Here, the cast reveals how the stage is set for a thrilling finale…
In Season 1 protagonist, Seong Gi-hun, clad in his iconic green Player 456 tracksuit, beat fellow contestants, including some dearly acquired friends, in the Squid Game arena. Season 2 saw him embark on a mission to unmask the event’s shadowy masterminds by re-entering the competition. Yet, unknown to him, game-runner Front Man had anonymously joined proceedings as Player 001 and sabotaged his plans to stop the cruel sport.
Season 3 picks up in the wake of Season 2’s violent cliffhanger where Gi-hun launched a futile rebellion and Front Man, whose real name is Hwang In-ho, faked his death…
“The attachment I feel toward Gi-hun is quite different from my other roles. While shooting Squid Game I had a chance to look at all the joys and sorrows of the various characters through his eyes and I hope that experience is also shared with the audience,” says original cast member Lee Jung-jae, 52.
“For Season 3 I thought about the guilt Gi-hun feels with so many people dying and I knew he couldn’t be of sound mind. He wants to give up everything. Whatever happens in the game, to the other people, or even himself, he is in a state in which he doesn’t have the ability to think clearly… Until an important and touching scene, when another player brings him to his senses by telling him that they need his help and he also needs their help in return!”
“After the failure of Gi-hun’s riot he’s overwhelmed with a profound sense of defeat and he reaches his lowest and darkest point. He feels completely powerless, as if he wants to give up everything,” adds director Hwang of his central hero. “We’ll see how he returns to the game arena and faces the challenges ahead. The story then takes an interesting turn and becomes about his transformation and how Gi-hun overcomes what stands in his way.”
WithFront Man back in total control, in Season 3 he welcomes the game’s wealthy VIP financiers to watch the final rounds, while Gi-hun despairs following the slaughter of his comrades…
Grave new threats facing the surviving participants include a skipping game where a foot wrong could prove fatal, and the introduction of a creepy companion for motion-sensing doll Young-hee called Chul-su.
But fatal games aside, the main narrative centres on Front Man, who’s focused on breaking Gi-hun’s spirit, while he in turn must dig deep to protect his sense of self.
“Season 3 is the phase in which Gi-hun finally puts into action his long-harboured determination to upend this entire system and In-ho resumes his original role as Front Man and tries to stop him,” shares Lee Byung-hun, 54.
“In-ho’s desperation in the past, when he had no other choice but to participate in the game as a player, has turned him into an emotionless man deprived of any hope for humanity, so he became Front Man. I think his ultimate goal is to break down Gi-hun's conviction through a psychological battle of beliefs, creating another game entirely.
“Season 2 set the stage for Season 3, where these stories reach their climax and culminate in an explosion of dramatic intensity. The duel between Front Man and Gi-hun begins in earnest - and you won’t be disappointed!”
“Front Man is relentless in pushing Gi-hun to his breaking point and wants to tear down all his beliefs,” adds director Hwang. “To him, the history of mankind has always been a cycle of those who rule and those who obey. But Gi-hun still has some surprises to throw Front Man’s way…”
Having survived the deadly riots, the transsexual ex-marine has nerves of steel and a heart of gold… Will she survive to start a new life?
“I have been playing a lot of villains lately, so it was nice to play a lovely and virtuous character like Hyun-ju,” says Park Sung-hoon. “She is someone multi-faceted and strong, who cannot be solely defined by her gender. I want her to be remembered as a genuine person who cares for others in the midst of all these selfish characters.
“There is a scene in Season 3 in which I have to fight two characters on a complicated set. In order to film that scene, we had to attend stunt training, rehearse multiple times beforehand, and finalise the scene on set!”
“Hyun-ju is the complete opposite of Dae-ho [see below] in terms of heroism. Despite being part of one of the most marginalised communities in society, she embodies profound conscience, courage, and a compassionate heart, and in Season 3 viewers will get to see even more of her story,” promises director Hwang.
Following his breakdown during the riots, there is a question mark over the self-proclaimed former-marine’s true identity on the outside…
“Honestly, I think Dae-ho is probably the most realistic person. Yes he’s sly in certain situations, but if it happened in real life, I think most people would be like him. As human beings, we all have parts of ourselves that are like that, and I had that in mind when depicting him,” says Kang Ha-neul.
“I have no regrets [living as Dae-ho during 10 months filming]. How else could I have breathed the same air and chit-chatted with Lee Jung-jae or Lee Byung-hun? Squid Game brought together so many amazing actors. Everyone I worked with had so much to offer and I learned so much from them. I simply have no regrets and I can move on now having been part of something great.”
The vulnerable, heavily pregnant young woman is fighting for two…
“There were so many memorable scenes from Seasons 2 and 3 - Jun-hee was a woman who lived a very dynamic life! My favorite scene is when she has an emotional conversation with Myung-gi [see below] and I’m looking forward to seeing how it came out on screen,” says Jo Yu-ri.
“Jun-hee faces a lot of difficult choices, and I’m sure some will consider her to have a one-track mind, and others may see her only as a pregnant woman or a mother, but I hope she’s a multifaceted, heartfelt character who is remembered for a long time.”
Will the chronic gambler sacrifice his elderly mother Jang Geum-ja AKA Player 149, who is in the game to clear his debts?
“This is hearsay so don’t take my word for it, but I’ve heard the ending is going to be wild!" says Yang Dong-geun.
“I’m overwhelmed and speechless to be an integral part of this global sensation. It’s an honour to partake in the worldwide anticipation for Season 3. As of now, every day is about waiting for the release date.”
One of the eldest contestants in the game, she's a mother figure to her allies and desperate for the game to stop.
“She has become close friends with Hyun-ju,” says Kang Ae-sim. “I’m so thankful, as someone who’s living the second half of her life Squid Game could open new doors for me in many ways and I feel the weight of its significance.”
The savage, drug-fuelled nightclub promoter has a target on his back after killing former ally Se-mi (Player 380).
“Season 3 is fresher, sadder, and more shocking than Season 2 and, excitingly, there’s a big change in Nam-gyu,” reveals Roh Jae-won.
“I think he was often bullied and in the game the only people Nam-gyu could belittle were Min-su and Se-mi, but even Se-mi looked down on him. In Season 3, after Thanos dies, Nam-gyu feels like he’s the main character now. He’s not very likable and he does things that he really shouldn’t...”
The in-debt cryptocurrency influencer is determined to get out alive alongside his pregnant ex-girlfriend Jun-hee - but he has several enemies in the game who blame him for their financial difficulties…
“He’s a prime and extreme example of how a series of bad choices, and one bad, impulsive choice in particular, can ruin one’s life. If I may defend him a little, Myung-gi doesn’t strike me as inherently evil. But as you can see, chasing money led to many irrevocable consequences,” explains Yim Si-wan.
“I have a feeling that Myung-gi will be regarded as pure garbage by the viewers watching Squid Game. But as someone who slipped into his role, I’d like the viewers to consider the emotional factors that drove him to this place.”
After going through hell in Season 2, this previously timid character has undergone a transformation and now has his sights set on Nam-gyu…
“Min-su enters the game due to fraud, but he persists throughout for another reason. As the show progresses, there are moments where Min-su’s reason for playing is fuelled by not money but revenge. That in turn brings out guilt,” explains Lee David.
“In Season 3, Min-su and Nam-gyu have one particularly important scene. Director Hwang told us there is one game where ‘everyone crosses a line of no return.’ This applies to Min-su…”
Dangerous and obnoxious, the shaman uses her influence to unbalance the competition and is one to watch out for!
The former detective and Front Man’s brother desperately seeks the secret island, unaware there’s a traitor amongst his crew…
“His journey in Season 3 is fraught with challenges and shaky situations. In portraying him I wanted to strike a balance between his personal emotional turmoil and professional resolve, highlighting his dedication to justice. It’s Jun-ho’s personal conviction that fuels his determination, which, for me, made his tenacity especially compelling,” says Wi Ha-jun.
“This series delves into and expresses themes of social inequality, generalised social systems, economic hardship and human nature at its most exposed state. I think that’s why so many people around the world can relate and appreciate it.”
Pink Guard 011 - Kang No-eul (Park Gyu-young)
How far will the North Korean defector-turned-Squid Game soldier go to find the daughter she was forced to leave behind?
“No-eul is someone whose life isn’t easy, but she resolves to go on with renewed determination, so in that aspect, she represents a basic level of respect and integrity, and I portrayed her with that in mind,” says Park Gyu-young.
“I think Squid Game shows the cruelty of taking human life for a certain purpose, using it as the means for someone else’s gain.”
Squid Game Season 3 is available on Netflix from Friday 27 June 2025 when the impactful dystopian drama returns with central protagonist Gi-hun, AKA Player 456, teetering on the brink of insanity as he is thrown into even deadlier games. Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk’s vivid survival thriller packs a lot of punch (and every other imaginable form of violence) as Gi-hun makes his last stand against nemesis Front Man. Will he end up mastered by the game or rise phoenix-like and sever Front Man’s tentacle hold on his humanity? Let battle commence — so we can bingewatch and find out!
