Squid Game returns: Everything to know ahead of the final season

The National

7 hours ago

Season two of Squid Game ended on a dispiriting note.
Protagonist Seong Gi-hun's plan to dismantle the game from within collapsed in the blood-soaked aftermath of a failed uprising. His closest ally, Bak Jeong-bae, was executed before his eyes, and the Front Man – who had been masquerading as a fellow player – revealed himself as the true orchestrator of the betrayal.
Now, as the final season is set to drop, the question isn't so much who will win the game, but whether anyone can escape it with their humanity intact.
Here's what to know before starting season three of Squid Game.
What time does Squid Game season three drop in the UAE?
Viewers in the UAE can watch the new season the moment it goes live worldwide. The show is available on Netflix today at 11am UAE time – aligning with midnight Pacific, 3am Eastern, and 8am UK time slots.
Who's in it?
Most of the actors – whose characters survived season two – will be reprising their roles. These include Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun; Lee Seo-hwan as Jeong-bae; Lee Byung-hun as the Front Man; Wi Ha-joon as Jun-ho; Im Si‑wan as the crypto influence Lee Myung-gi, also known as Player 333; Kang Ha‑neul as the ex-Marine Kang Dae‑ho, also known as Player 338; Jo Yu‑ri as the young pregnant contestant Kim Jun‑hee, or Player 222; Kang Ae‑shim as Jang Geum‑ja, or Player 149, among others.
What do I need to remember?
Quite a bit. Let's start with the inaugural season, which was released in 2021 and became a global sensation.
It followed Seong Gi-hun, a gambling addict and absentee father, who agrees to take part in a mysterious competition offering a life-changing prize. He joins 455 others, all mired in debt or desperation, in an undisclosed location and forced to compete in a series of children's games with fatal consequences for those who fail. The games included Red Light, Green Light, Tug of War, and marbles, among others.
For the six games, alliances were made and shattered, and the body count rose – alongside the final cash prize. After several heartbreaking twists and turns, Gi-hun wins, but the victory is hollow. Every one of the other 455 players he had to beat is dead, and the millions he won came at a cost to his conscience.
In the first season's final twist, Gi-hun discovers that the kindly old man he befriended – Player 001 – is actually alive and in fact the game's founder. Terminally ill, he had inserted himself into the competition as one last thrill.
Gi-hun walks away disgusted, and learning the game is still active, vows to bring the operation down – a decision that costs him the opportunity to mend his relationship with his daughter.
That's where season two picks up. Gi-hun has refused to embrace the wealth his winnings have brought him. He is living in squalor in an abandoned building, and is using all his resources to find his way back into the game – this time, as a saboteur.
He inspires a new alliance, but this group is less about helping each other win but rather dismantling the whole operation. The uprising is short-lived. The Front Man, posing as a player, foils the plan from within. The rebellion is crushed.
Meanwhile, outside the game and across both seasons, police officer Hwang Jun-ho aims to infiltrate the Squid Game facility searching for his missing brother. He disguises himself as a guard, and discovers the inner mechanics of the operation, until he is discovered – and shot – by the Front Man, who is revealed to be his brother.
In the second season, Jun-ho is revealed to be still alive and has resumed his investigation from the shadows. Yet, he is betrayed again, and much like Gi-hun, finds himself isolated, which leads into season three.