How many episodes are there in Squid Game?
Your guide to the episodes and games in the smash hit Netflix series.
The conversation about Squid Game shows no sign of slowing down as the South Korean drama has taken the world by storm since it was released on 17th September 2021.
Now, it sits at the top of the most-watched Netflix shows list, replacing former titleholder, Bridgerton, and it can only be a matter of time before season two is officially announced.
As if topping the Netflix charts in almost every country was not enough, the popularity of the show continues to grow as fans trade theories, try to find out more about the cast and even go online to buy Squid Game costumes to don as the Halloween celebrations take place.
A show about people who are down on their luck being encouraged to play deadly children's games in order to win a life-changing amount of money, Squid Game follows a pattern that is similar to Battle Royale and The Hunger Games. It's a brutal watch with the tension building as each episode plays.
And here is all you need to know about all nine Squid Game episodes.
How many episodes are in Squid Game?
Squid Game has nine episodes in total. The episodes range from 32 minutes long to 63 minutes long, with most of them at the longer end of that spectrum.
All nine episodes of the first and only season of Squid Game were released globally on Netflix on 17th September 2021.
What are the names of the episodes in Squid Game?
Episode 1. Red Light, Green Light
The game begins as the contestants are recruited and they realise the full extent of the danger that they have placed themselves in - and many will go down in the first round.
Episode 2. Hell
Following a vote, the contestants are back on the outside, but the lure of the games are hard for them to resist...
Episode 3. The Man with the Umbrella
Back in the game, a challenge involving cookie cutting could spell doom for many of the players.
Episode 4. Stick to the Team
Alliances are formed as the level of brutality the players are subjected to gets worse when the lights go out.
Episode 5. A Fair World
The infiltration of the games continues while the teams keep watch to protect each other through the night.
Episode 6. Gganbu
As the games march on, a simple bag of marbles leads to pain, heartbreak and betrayal as the number of players are whittled down further.
Episode 7. VIPs
Some very special guests arrive to watch the next game, and it promises to be the most savage one yet.
Episode 8. Front Man
Secrets are revealed behind the games as only two players end up being left standing - and they are ready to kill each other for victory?
Episode 8. One Lucky Day
The final game takes place in brutal fashion.
What games are played in Squid Game?
Throughout the series, the contestants play children's games for the chance to win a huge cash prize. In every case, except the first recruitment game, the price of failing to won the game is death.
Recruitment game: Ddakji (Pog)
Appears in episode one.
This is the game used by the recruiter at the beginning of the game. In the US and other English speaking countries the game Pog may serve as a similar type of game to this. Essentially, each player has a folded piece of coloured paper and they take turns throwing their piece at the other player's piece. The first to make their opponent's paper flip over wins.
Game 1. Red Light, Green Light
Appears in episode two.
Contestants must get from one side of an area to the other only moving when the person at the opposite side of the area says 'green light'. If they are seen to be moving when that person says "red light" they are eliminated.
Game 2. Ppogi (Honeycomb Toffee)
Appears in episode three.
In this game, contestants must cut the shape they have been allocated out of the honeycomb candy without breaking the shape within a time limit.
Game 3. Tug of War
Appears in episode four.
A game familiar to most people, two teams (in this case with 10 people on each side) attempt to pull the opposing team across a line. In this more deadly version, they are attempting to pull the other team off a platform.
Game 4. Marbles
Appears in episode six.
There are various variations of marbles played, but many chose to play the game of odds and evens where the player has to guess whether their opponent has an odd or even number of marbles in their hand and wager a number themselves. If they are correct, they win the number of balls they bet, if they are incorrect they lose the balls they bet.
Game 5. Glass bridge
Appears in episode seven.
On the glass bridge, each step forward contains one piece of normal glass that cannot hold the weight of a human, and one piece of tempered glass that can. Players must move across the bridge trying to guess the correct path in order to survive.
Game 6. Squid Game
Appears in episode nine.
A traditional playground game with a squid-shaped pitch drawn in the sand. The object of the game is for the offensive player to cross the centre line hopping on one leg before making it across the pitch... and the defensive player's job is to stop them at all costs.
Read more about Squid Game:
- Squid Game season 2 - will the Netflix show return?
- Squid Game cast – full list of actors and characters in hit Netflix series
- Squid Game true story – Real life inspiration behind Netflix series
- Squid Game money: How much is 45.6 billion Won prize money in dollars and pounds?
- Squid Game creator reveals meaning behind title
- 9 most intriguing Squid Game theories
- Who is 067 in Squid Game?
- Where was Squid Game filmed?
- Squid game costumes - where to buy the tracksuits, jumpsuits and masks
- How to make Squid Game cookies
- Squid Game director teases possible season 2 plot
- Is Squid Game dubbed into English? How to watch with voice actors and subtitles
- Who is Squid Game's Old Man?
- Squid Game ending explained
- What to watch after Squid Game
- Who dies in Squid Game?
- Squid Game soundtrack: Every track from Netflix drama
- How to buy Squid Game Christmas jumpers
Squid Game is now available to watch on Netflix. Check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix or alternatively head to our TV Guide for something to watch tonight.