Topline
The third and final season of Netflix’s global hit show “Squid Game” has reportedly broken the streamer’s 10-day viewing record for a non-English show and become the first show to ever rank as the No. 1 most watched show across all Netflix-served countries in its first week.
Participants perform during the Squid Game Season 3 finale fan event in Seoul, South Korea, … More
Key Facts
“Squid Game” season 3 has held the No. 1 most-watched spot among non-English shows since it first released last week and has smashed the streamer’s 10-day viewership record by racking up 106.3 million views since June 27, according to Variety.
“Squid Game” season 3 already is the third most-watched non-English show of all time—behind seasons 1 and 2—but it still lags behind several of Netflix’s most popular English shows.
The record is just the latest achievement for the season—”Squid Game” also broke the Netflix three-day streaming record with 60.1 million views and became the first-ever show ranked No. 1 in its first week in all 93 countries where Netflix has a Top 10.
Netflix’s latest global viewing data, which counts the week of June 30 to July 6, shows all three “Squid Game” seasons in the top three spots for non-English shows: season 1 was viewed 3.8 million times that week, season 2 was viewed 4.9 million times and season 3 had 46.3 million views.
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What English-Language Shows Are Ahead Of “squid Game” Season 3?
“Wednesday,” “Adolescence,” “Stranger Things,” “Dahmer: Monster,” “Bridgerton” and “The Queen’s Gambit” all have had seasons with more views, Variety reported, but “Squid Game” has months to catch up (those shows’ total numbers were all tallied after 91 days on Netflix).
Tangent
“The Waterfront,” a new fictional crime series, was the most-watched English show from June 30 to July 6, with 5.6 million views. “The Sandman” season 2 (5.3 million) was in the No. 2 spot, followed by “Attack on London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers” (4.7 million), “Ginny & Georgia” season 3 (3.3 million) and the June 30 broadcast of “WWE “Raw” (2.5 million).
Key Background
“Squid Game” is a South Korean drama meant as a commentary on capitalism and class divides in the country. In the fictional game show, 456 desperate players compete in a series of deadly games for a chance to win ₩45.6 billion ($34.6 million) while a group of behind-the-scenes billionaires run the show for entertainment. The third season of the show delivered an intense finale, which seemed to set the stage for a potential spin off. The show has received critical acclaim and was the first Korean drama to hit No. 1 on Netflix. “Squid Game” has an 85% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has inspired other projects, including a mockumentary called “The Best Show on the Planet,” a reality competition series called “Squid Game: The Challenge” and the “Squid Game: Unleashed” video game. David Fincher is reportedly in talks to produce an English-language “Squid Game” series for Netflix.
Section Title
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/07/08/squid-game-smashes-netflix-records-no-1-in-93-countries/