- Squid Game season 2 arrives this week
- Director says he’s “so sick of Squid Game”
- First reactions call Squid Game season 2 “crazier” than first
Squid Game season 2 hits Netflix this week.
The show will soon land, inviting us into another twisted game of risk and reward at the hands of its masked and mysterious villains.
Debiting back in 2020, the first season of director Hwang Dong-hyuk’s stylistically shot South Korean survival thriller wasted no time becoming the water-cooler hit of the year.
Read more: All we know about Squid Game season 3
When all was said and done, Squid Game season 1 had become the most-watched series on Netflix, with the show being enjoyed in over 94 different countries and clocking up a massive 1.65 billion viewing hours within its first four weeks.
With such impressive stats under its belt, it goes without saying that the hype surrounding its second series is quite high. So when can we watch Squid Game season 2, is there a trailer for it and who will be returning?
Let’s find out.
Squid Game season 2 first reactions
Early reactions for Squid Game season 2 have made their way online ahead of the show’s 26 December debut – and critics have so far been impressed by what they’ve seen.
SQUID GAME season 2 was a lot crazier than the first one. It even had its own "The Deer Hunter" moment that got me all on pins & needles, squeamish. This time it's retribution-based & action-packed. Lee Jung-jae once again delivered a ferocious performance.#SquidGame #SquidGame2 pic.twitter.com/dXY6qtcJBf
— Rama's Screen (@RamasScreen) December 9, 2024
Critic Rama’s Screen called it “a lot crazier than the first one,” with scenes that made him feel “squeamish.”
“This time it’s retribution-based & action packed. Lee Jung-jae once again delivered a ferocious performance,” they added.
SQUID GAME Season 2 is a masterstroke in escalating the stakes while delving deeper into the human psyche.
— Aayush Sharma (@JournoAayu) December 9, 2024
The plot seamlessly intertwines high-octane action sequences with psychological mind games. Lee Jung-Jae is magnificent. It's bigger and better.#SquidGame #SquidGame2 pic.twitter.com/m3Rbw6EVYd
Meanwhile, Aayush Sharma hit home the show’s ability to delve deep into the human psyche. “The plot seamlessly intertwines high-octane action sequences with psychological mind games.
“It’s bigger and better,” they said.
I've seen Squid Game Season 2 and it's addictive.
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) December 9, 2024
Not quite as novel as season one for obvious reasons but it goes above and beyond to give us new twists, scenarios, games, and more.
A smart, fun continuation to the story that sets up a big S3 finale. Also one word: Thanos. pic.twitter.com/QX5ZhCPipX
Pop culture writer Germain Lussier called it “addictive” and “a smart, fun continuation to the story that sets up a big S3 finale.”
While these viewers may have had a good time with Squid Game season 2, its creator might be eager to see the back of it.
During a recent interview, Dong-hyuk admitted he was “so sick of Squid Game.”
“I’m so exhausted. I’m so tired. In a way, I have to say, I’m so sick of Squid Game,” he told Variety via Pubity.
“I’m so sick of my life making something, promoting something. So I’m not thinking about my next project right now. I’m just thinking about going to some remote island and having my own free time without any phone calls from Netflix.”
Perhaps this is to be expected, after all, he shot Squid Game season 3 back-to-back with part 2.
Squid Game season 2 release date
Squid Game season 2 will launch on Netflix worldwide on 26 December 2024, making it the perfect show to binge over the festive period.
Series creator Dong-hyuk will return to direct although an exact number of new episodes has yet to be confirmed.
During an interview with the BBC in November 2024, Dong-hyuk confirmed that one of the main motivators behind returning for Squid Game season 2 was money.
Despite the immense success of the show’s first season, the director has previously suggested that he wasn’t paid that much.
Read more: Every returning character in Squid Game season 2
“Even though the first series was such a huge global success, honestly I didn’t make much. So doing the second series will help compensate me for the success of the first one too,” he told the BBC. Netflix released their own statement which claimed that it paid its creators “competitively.”
Cash aside, he was quick to add that creativity also played a part in his decision to return, saying he “didn’t fully finish the story.”
Another contributing factor behind his indecision to return was stress. A 2022 chat with Variety revealed that Dong-hyuk lost six teeth due to the stress surrounding the making of Squid Game season one. While speaking to the BBC, he confirmed that it was closer to “eight or nine.”
Squid Game season 2 trailer
Welcome back to the game. The official trailer for Squid Game season two landed online in late November, just a month shy of the series debut.
It reunited us with Gi-hun and showed his return to the game – one filled with new players and brand new challenges. It also showed us some of season two’s new players – one of which displays a sinister streak during the return of the deadly Red Light, Green Light game.
We also saw glimpses of the new games that await Gi-hun during his revenge-inspired return to the Squid Game. Watch the full trailer above.
Before this full trailer arrived, Netflix released a series of short teasers.
An exciting teaser for Squid Game season 2 made its way online in summer 2024 and featured the return of the show’s iconic masked guards as they prepared to start a new game.
Towards the end of the trailer, we saw the return of season 1 hero Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) looking distressed to find himself back in a Squid Game jumpsuit.
Watch it below.
A second teaser trailer has also been doing the rounds online. This one showed the return of the Salesman (Gong Yoo) as he prepared to lure unsuspecting gamblers into the game of their lives.
Hit play on the teaser below:
Later, at Italy’s Lucca Comics & Games 2024 in October 2024, a new teaser trailer for Squid Game’s upcoming season was shared with the public.
This new look showed viewers the return of the ‘Red Light, Green Light’ game – one that’s much-loved by audiences but much-feared by the show’s characters.
We also saw Gi-Hun try to convince his fellow players to rebel against those controlling the Squid Game. Will he succeed? We’ll find out soon.
Squid Game season 2 plot
According to Netflix, Squid Game season 2 will pick up Gi-hun’s story while following the lives of a handful of other survivors from the first season.
In late November, a plot synopsis was revealed for the show’s new episodes. While short and sweet, it still managed to shed a little light on what’s in store for Gi-hun.
“Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returns, locked in a tense battle with the shadowy Front Man (Lee Byung-hun),” explained the log-line. “As new games unfold, the stakes grow deadlier, and Gi-hun’s mission to end the games once and for all takes center stage.
“Will he succeed, or will the system claim even more victims?”
A new posted accompanied the plot description. Find it below:
The last time we saw Gi-hun, he had dyed his hair red and vowed to figure out who was behind this deadly game. Season 2 promises to follow through on that narrative.
“Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the States and comes back with a new resolution in his mind,” says the show’s synopsis. “Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won.”
This matches up nicely with quotes from the show’s director who told Netflix that “season 2 explores how Gi-hun follows through on his words after leaving the airport… Gi-hun’s endeavor [is] to find out who these people are and why they do what they do is the core story of Season 2.”
While visiting Italy’s Lucca Comics & Games festival in October 2024, Hwang told attendees about the biggest difference between Squid Game season two and its hugely popular first outing.
“If Season 1 was about the story of Gi-hun [Lee], or player no. 456, entering Squid Game for the first time and about how he survives and leaves the game as a winner, Season 2 is going to be about Gi-hun [being] faced with his memories of the first game — the experiences of going through a new realization and awakening and returning once again to the game in order to stop this unjust game,” explained Hwang, as per Variety.
When it comes to games, the director has also teased “more intriguing” puzzles waiting to be discovered in Squid Game season 2. “[These are] games that I’ve actually played growing up,” Hwang told Digital Spy. He also said these would be “even more intriguing” compared to the games featured in season one, “both visually and storyline-wise”.
During the same chat, Dong-hyuk confirmed that the show’s iconic Red Light, Green Light motion sensor doll will also return in new episodes.
During a chat with Empire in November 2024, Dong-hyuk teased a “deeper, more advanced story” awaiting viewers in Squid Game season 2. He also says its “crueller, scarier and more gruesome,” adding that it’s a reflection of the times we live in.
“I believe what we’ve created on Season 2 is a deeper, more advanced story,” Dong-hyuk told Empire.
“I feel it could even surpass Season 1. But physically, mentally, it was not easy. Some of the sequences we shot were the most challenging in my whole career. It was… hell,” he added.
“I even had some concerns because the story told in the second season is much crueller, scarier and more gruesome than the first… Honestly, I thought to myself… ‘Is this too much for people to handle?’”
Squid Game season 2 cast
Jung-jae will be back as Gi-hun, with a number of returning faces including Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man and Gong Yoo as the Salesman. Wi Ha-Joon will also return as Hwang Jun-ho.
Together, they’ll be joined by an ensemble of newcomers including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an.
Unfortunately, their roles remain a mystery for now.
Squid Game season 2 is released on Netflix on 26 December 2024.
