Everything To Know About The Thrilling Final Season

Prepare to re-enter the twisted arena of Squid Game. The third and final season of the Netflix’s popular South Korean drama Squid Game arrives on the streamer this week. Will Player 456 finally defeat the Front Man and end the deadly competition once and for all — or will the former winner trying?

Season three will follow Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as he grapples with the horrific loss of his best friend in the game. Meanwhile, the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), whose true identity was revealed to viewers after infiltrating the game, discreetly moved in the Season 2 finale to shut down the rebellion and restore order to the games.

“Gi-hun persists with his goal to put an end to the game, while the Front Man continues onto his next move and the surviving players’ choices will lead to graver consequences with each round,” the official synopsis reads.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk is determined to bring the story to its deserved closure in Season 3, which is confirmed to be the final season on Netflix. “The new season will focus on what Gi-hun can and will do after all his efforts fail,” the director told Tudum.

The new episodes will continue after the Season 2 finale, which saw Gi-hun lead a rebellion where many of his allies sadly died. Here’s everything you need to know about the third installment, including a refresher on how Season 2 ends, the Season 3 release date, returning cast members, the official trailer and more.

When Is Squid Game Season 3 Premiering On Netflix?

Squid Game Season 3 premieres on Thursday, June 26, at 3 a.m. ET / midnight PT on Netflix. All six episodes will be available to stream at once.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of Squid Game Season 2.

How Did Squid Game Season 2 End?

In Season 2, Player 001 in Squid Game was revealed to be Hwang In-ho (Lee Byung-hun), also known as The Front Man. The Front Man disguised himself as a player and befriended Gi-hun by sharing a tragic backstory about how his pregnant wife was ill and how he needed to win the money to save her and their unborn child.

Throughout Round 2, Gi-hun and Player 001 form an alliance with other competitors, including Gi-hun’s best friend from Season 1, Park Jung-bae, and an ex-marine named Dae-ho.

In the explosive finale, Gi-hun and his allies clash with the guards, resulting in a full-on armed rebellion. Among the 100 remaining players, half vote to stay in the competition, while the other half vote to leave. With a second vote on the horizon, the players resort to trying to kill those who did not vote their way.

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Admist the chaos, Gi-hun and his allies come up with a plan to break into the masked spectators’ headquarters. Pretending to be dead, Gi-hun and his friends launch a surprise attack — unaware that the captain had been among them the entire time.

Young-il manages to separate from the group and betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death. He then orders his team to crush the rebellion before shedding his Player 001 tracksuit for his signature black cloak and mask.

However, one of the most devastating moments of the finale is the death of Gi-hun’s best friend, Jung-bae. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told Netflix’s Tudum that this was the ideal way to conclude Season 2.

“Audiences are definitely going to be shocked and very sad to see Jung-bae go,” Hwang said. “He’s also the only person within the games that Gi-hun can trust and completely rely on.”

What Will Squid Game Season 3 Be About?

Heading into the Season 3 premiere, Gi-hun is likely still unaware that Front Man and Young-il are the same person. “I don’t think Gi-hun knows the truth yet,” Lee Jung-jae told Tudum, noting that his character is too busy with “blaming himself for everything that happened.”

According to Netflix Tudum, the third chapter will see Gi-hun at “his lowest point yet,” but Squid Game must go on no matter what. He’ll also need to make some pretty big decisions in the next portion of the game, while the surviving players “are thrust into deadlier games that test everyone’s resolve. With each round, their choices lead to increasingly grave consequences.”

In-ho is no longer Player 001 but has resumed his role as Front Man. His brother Jun-ho is still searching for the island and is unaware there’s a traitor in his group. “Will Gi-hun make the right decisions, or will Front Man finally break his spirit?” the description concludes.

Who’s In The Squid Game Season 3 Cast?

Because there’s so much death in Squid Game, only a handful of main characters are set to reprise their roles in Season 3 — so basically, only the surviving players and some other key characters. Here’s the list of the returning cast, per Netflix

• Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun (Player 456)
• Lee Byung-hun as Front Man
• Wi Ha-jun as Hwang Jun-ho
• Yim Si-wan as Myung-gi (Player 333)
• Kang Ha-neul as Dae-ho (Player 388)
• Park Sung-hoon as Hyun-ju (Player 120)
• Yang Dong-geun as Yong-sik (Player 007)
• Kang Ae-sim as Geum-ja (Player 149)
• Jo Yuri as Jun-hee (Player 222)
• Lee David as Min-su (Player 125)
• Roh Jae-won as Nam-gyu (Player 124)
• Park Gyu-young as No-eul

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Is There A Trailer For Squid Game Season 3?

At Netflix’s Tudum event on May 31, Squid Game stars Jung-jae and Lee Byung-hun joined other cast members to celebrate the final season of the show and reveal the trailer for Season 3.

Watch the official trailer, which already has 10 million views, below.