‘Squid Game’ Director Teases Season 3 Details After Cliffhanger Ending

With “Squid Game” Season 2 leaving audiences on the edge of their seats, fans are already buzzing about what the future holds for the hit Netflix series.

In a recent interview, creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk offered tantalizing hints about Season 3, teasing even higher stakes, unexpected alliances, and deeper dives into the show’s mysterious power structures.

While details remain tightly under wraps, the “Squid Game” director promised that the upcoming season will continue to challenge both its characters and viewers with moral dilemmas and shocking twists.

Warning: Major spoilers are ahead for the Season 2 finale of “Squid Game,” which is now streaming on Netflix.

It was previously confirmed that a third and final season of the hit Netflix show will be released in 2025, but now that Season 2 has ended, fans are already making predictions about what to expect.

While creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk can’t spill too many details, he did tell Variety, “At this point, anything I might say is going to be a spoiler, so I want to be cautious. But what I can say is, after Season 2 launches, I believe we will be announcing the launch date for Season 3 soon. I probably expect that to launch around summer or fall next year.”

As for the storyline of the third season, Hwang Dong-hyuk said that with “Gi-hun having lost everything, including his best friend, and all of his attempts going to failure, it’s now, what is he going to be like? What state is Gi-hun going to be in? And what will he choose to do? Will he continue on with the mission? Is he going to give up or persist? And so you’re going to meet our character Gi-hun at a very critical crossroads as we begin the third season.”

In simpler terms, “Gi-hun will not be the man he was in Season 2.”

Those who stayed through the credits after the devastating conclusion of “Squid Game” Season 2 were treated to a glimpse of what lies ahead. In a brief but chilling post-credits scene, some of the surviving players are shown entering a new arena. Standing ominously in the space is Young-hee, the towering, lethal doll infamous for overseeing the deadly game of “Red Light, Green Light.”

However, this time, she isn’t alone—her gaze is fixed on a boy standing across the room. “If you saw the hidden clip after the ending credits roll after the last episode of Season 2 — if you watch that clip, it’s going to give you a slight hint as to where Season 3 might take you,” he told Variety. “I think that’s all I can say, for now.”

Hwang Dong-hyuk first hinted at Cheol-su’s introduction when “Squid Game” Season 2 was initially announced, describing him as Young-hee’s boyfriend. Both characters are rooted in classic Korean textbooks, where they’ve long been recognized as iconic figures.

While the exact nature of the game they’ll oversee remains a mystery, early visuals suggest a railroad-themed setting.

The shorter seven-episode run of “Squid Game” Season 2, compared to the nine episodes in Season 1, along with its intense cliffhanger ending, might raise some questions. 

During a virtual roundtable attended by Decider, series creator, writer, and director Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed to CinemaBlend’s Alexandra Ramos that Seasons 2 and 3 were initially “envisioned as a single series.”

“Then as I wrote the story along, it became to be too many episodes and too long of a story,” Hwang said. “You see Gi-hun’s journey where he returns to the game, but also he goes through a revolt. That is actually the climax of that storyline where he tries to create an uprising, but then that all goes to failure. And I also saw that aspect of it as yet another game as well.”

Hwang Dong-hyuk explained that splitting the story into two seasons felt like the most natural choice, allowing Season 2 to center around one significant narrative arc for Gi-hun. This decision ensured a focused exploration of his character’s journey while setting the stage for the next chapter in Season 3.

“You know, Gi-hun’s revolt going into a failure, him ending up losing his best friend… I thought that would just be the right adequate moment to rest and have it continue on in the further season.”

“Squid Game” Season 2 is streaming now on “Netflix.”