If Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 is anything like the first chapter, we’re in for a wild ride. Since the Netflix competition series won’t be dropping in one go, find out what time it lands and when to expect new episodes so you don’t miss a thing.
The flagship scripted series wrapped up for good earlier this year with the release of Squid Game Season 3, but that doesn’t mean the end of the franchise. There have been rumors of an American remake after the Season 3 ending, although this is yet to be confirmed.
In the meantime, Squid Game: The Challenge is returning to fill the gap. The reality show sees a group of 456 real-life contestants compete in a series of high-stakes children’s games – and one winner bags a $4.56 million (yes, really) cash prize.
The first season was nothing short of chaotic, not least due to the off-screen antics, from players revealing they resorted to using condoms as chapstick during filming to viewers inundating fan fave Bee with feet pic requests. What’s Season 2 got in store for us? There’s not long to wait to find out.
The first four episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 drop on Netflix on November 4, 2025, at 3am ET / 12 am PT.
As said, all episodes won’t drop at once (more on this shortly), but you will be able to binge-watch the first four. We’ve listed other timezones below so you know exactly when to dive in:
- 5am Brazil
- 8am UK
- 10am Central European Summer Time
- 1:30pm India Standard Time
- 7pm Australia
- 9pm New Zealand
How many episodes are there?
There are 10 episodes in Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2, the same as Season 1. Throughout the course of the second chapter, 456 new players will be competing in a series of games inspired by the Netflix series, with shocking new twists.
As stated by the streaming service, “Season 2 raises the stakes higher than ever. As players face elimination at every turn, only one can emerge victorious. New players. New games. New rules.”
All of this will build to the final game, which will see one person bringing home that whopping cash prize.
Full Netflix release schedule
Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 will air across three weeks. The full release schedule is as follows:
- Episode 1 – November 4
- Episode 2 – November 4
- Episode 3 – November 4
- Episode 4 – November 4
- Episode 5 – November 11
- Episode 6 – November 11
- Episode 7 – November 11
- Episode 8 – November 18
- Episode 9 – November 18
- Episode 10 – November 18
Who’s in the cast?
Obviously, we won’t list all 456 players here, but just know that Season 2 has cast a wide net, with global contestants from Mexico and England to Japan and the UAE.
As stated by Netflix’s Tudum, “They range in age from 21 to 77 and include more than a few nurses, bartenders, an NFL cheerleader, a retired bomb technician, a Dairy Queen owner, a lobster fisherman, and even Robert Pattinson’s stunt double in Twilight.”
In case you’re curious, the stunt double is Preston, aka Player 160, a 37-year-old from Oregon.
All Season 2 games
There are eight games in Season 2, ranging from Squid Game classics to brand new challenges. You can find them all below:
The Count
This challenge will kick off the season and play a significant role in determining how the rest of the competition goes.
Six-Legged Pentathlon
The same game played by Seong Gi-hun and co. in Squid Game Season 3, only in this version, there is no time limit.
Executive producer Stephen Yemoh explained, “In the scripted series, the Pentathlon was an opportunity for both teams of five to make it through to the next round. We decided to change that slightly.
“We wanted to bring in that sense of competition quite early. We thought rather than making it so any of these 10 people can pass to the next round, we did five versus five. It was a race against each other.
“That means some people who knew each other from the outside world were actually split up. That was one of the first big emotional parts of our show.”
Catch
Catch is one of two new games in Season 2, with games designer Ben Norman saying it’s not as simple as it sounds. He described it as “quite a lower-level psychological thing, where you have to consider your options.”
Series director Diccon Ramsay added, “You’ve got the spectacle of all the players being in the same space. You’ve got the drama of the game playing out in the center of the room.”
Mingle
This is the heartbreaking game we saw in Squid Game Season 3. Ramsay described how it was equally difficult for the real-life players.
“Ultimately, you have to play as an individual. If you need to jettison your friends to make sure you survive, then that decision has to be taken in the spur of the moment,” he said.
Marbles
Speaking of heartbreaking challenges, Marbles is making a comeback. Yemoh explained that it will have the same rules as Season 1.
“It allows us as viewers to really get to know the players because they have an intimate moment with a player who is usually quite close to them. They decide the game – it’s their own agency,” he said. “That means it’s really exciting to watch.”
Slides and Ladders
Slides and Ladders is another brand new entry created for Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2. Norman described it as a familiar board game that’s turned into something “supersized and fun.”
He added, “[It] has quite high stakes. It adds to the fear of what Glass Bridge did – that sense of unknown choices that can just send you straight out of the game when you don’t expect it to.”
Circle of Trust
Just as we saw in Season 1, Circle of Trust will serve as the penultimate game. Executive producer Nia Yemoh opened up about the importance of having some returning challenges in Season 2.
“Having Circle of Trust come back means that the players have thought about how they might play, so they’re coming into it with a strategy,” she said. “[It’s] your opportunity to take out the biggest competition in the game, but [that’s] also the scariest target to go for, which might end in your elimination.”
Finale Game
This one will remain a mystery until the season finale drops. Whatever it is, it will be a huge TV event, determining who wins the $4.56 million prize.
Who won Squid Game: The Challenge Season 1?
That title goes to Mai Whelan, aka Mother Mai, who took on a maternal role among the players in Squid Game: The Challenge Season 1. However, when it came to gameplay, she was as ruthless as she needed to be to win.
Since launching into global fame and wealth, Mai has used her platform and the cash for good, spending money and putting time into various charities related to wildlife, climate, and supporting the underprivileged.
You can keep tabs on her philanthropic activities by following her on Instagram here and her YouTube channel here.
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