Green light! Everything we know about “Squid Game” season 2 — including why it will be even 'darker' than season 1

Grab your pink onesie and a red wig, because "Squid Game" is returning for a new season.

For those eager to get back in the game, the wait is nearly over.

Following its blockbuster 2021 premiere on Netflix, Squid Game will return for season 2 on Dec. 26, 2024. The story continues with Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a.k.a. Player 456, returning to the games three years after his victory to end the depraved competition once and for all.

Season 1 ended with Gi-hun winning $45.6 billion in the games. As he's about to board a plane to the U.S. and reunite with his daughter, he sees the mysterious salesman (Gong Yoo) recruiting another player. Realizing the only way to stop the cycle is to do it himself, Gi-hun turns around and decides to stay in South Korea, but the dastardly Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) is still clocking his every move...

"Gi-hun is back again in his green tracksuit," Lee told Entertainment Weekly of the second season, adding that fans can expect "so many twists and turns." However, he warned that viewers shouldn't come to season 2 expecting a retread of the first series.

"Gi-hun's purpose is not to play the game, but to go after those who have created the game and put a stop to it," Lee explained. "Compared to every other participant within the game and also himself in season 1, the approach that he takes is going to be very different this time around. It could almost be described as a game-within-a-game for Gi-hun."

That cliffhanger left fans around the world with many burning questions. Namely, how does Gi-hun plan to take down the competition from the inside?

Here’s everything we know about Squid Game season 2.

Related: The deadly games begin again in new Squid Game season 2 teaser

What is Squid Game season 2 about?

Three years after his win, a much steelier, ruthless Gi-hun realizes that the only way to destroy the game is to re-enter it as a player and dismantle it from within. But his fellow contestants are not as deferential to Gi-hun's experience as he might have hoped, and despite his past tenure in the Squid Game, "his warnings go unheeded, and tensions rise as fellow players question his intentions,” according to the official synopsis.

Hwang Dong-hyuk, creator and director of Squid Game, told Entertainment Weekly that Gi-hun is "a different person" as he wrestles with a "huge amount of survivor’s guilt” in the wake of the first season. "In season 2, you will not be getting the foolish and clumsy or childish at times Gi-hun that you saw in the beginning," Hwang explained. "You will get to see a much heavier, darker side of Gi-hun."

Season 2 will also zero in on some of the first series’ unresolved plot threads and characters such as the Front Man, Detective Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), and the salesman who recruited Gi-hun to the game in the pilot episode. "You're going to get to see some characters who were just fleeting characters or made very brief appearances in season 1 that actually carry a lot of weight and play an important role in season 2," Hwang told EW.

Related: Squid Game director and star reveal 'heavier, darker' season 2 will be 'a game-within-a-game'

Is there a trailer for Squid Game season 2?

Netflix released an official teaser for Squid Game season 2 in October 2024.

The trailer sees Gi-hun competing in the games once again, this time amongst a group of new contestants who, instead of appreciating his experience and heeding his warnings, question his motives for returning to the horrific tournament.

The iconic Red Light, Green Light doll appears in yet another deadly challenge. There are also brief glimpses at new games for season 2, plus the return of Lee Byung-hun's Front Man and Wi Ha-jun’s detective Hwang Jun-ho, both of whom remain shrouded in mystery.

Which cast members are returning for Squid Game season 2?

In June 2023, Netflix announced that stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo would return for season 2. Although many of the original Squid Game characters died in the first season, in a 2022 interview with Deadline, creator Hwang didn’t rule out the surprise return of some past ensemble players.

Who are the new actors joining Squid Game in season 2?

Over 10 new cast members are joining the show for season 2, including veteran South Korean actress Kang Ae-sim (Supilreobeu); rapper and actor Yang Dong-guen (The Forbidden Marriage); and Yim Si-wan, who’s best known as a member of the K-pop band ZE:A.

Lee David, Park Gyu-young, Kang Ha-neul, Roh Jae-won, Lee Jin-uk, Choi Seung-hyun, Park Sung-hoon, Won Ji-an, and Jo Yu-ri will also appear in the upcoming season. Mind you, none of their roles have been specified.

"Compared to season 1, you're going to get to meet more characters, just in terms of the sheer number," Hwang told EW. "And they're going to be so much more three-dimensional and very complex. Some of them will be allies, comrades, and friends to Gi-hun, and then there are going to be some enemies. The dynamics and relationships between the characters will be a lot more intense and intertwined with one another."

Related: Squid Game cast: See the actors joining the hit Netflix series in season 2

What kind of games can we expect in Squid Game season 2?

While Hwang declined to get into specifics about the new season’s demented competitions, he told EW that “most of the games will be new this time around.” Hwang made a choice to craft more relatable, and therefore more chilling, challenges for season 2. "In many different countries around the world, there will be some kind of version similar to these games that you probably have played as a child," he teased. "They're going to be both very easy to understand and play, and very fun."

Hwang elaborated, "They are once again simple children's games that a lot of kids in Korea grew up playing. I remember being on set and being reminded of my childhood days."

Will there be a Squid Game season 3?

In July 2024, Netflix confirmed that Squid Game would be back for a third and final season in 2025.

Related: First look at Squid Game season 2 teases a deadly game of cat and mouse

When will Squid Game season 2 premiere?

Squid Game season 2 premieres Thursday, Dec. 26 on Netflix.