Is Squid Game Season 3 Really the End? Star Adds to Suggestion the Franchise May Continue by Saying Finale 'Could Be a New Start'

Squid Game Season 3 is being billed as the series' big finale, featuring a final showdown between Player 456 and Front Man. But is this really the end of Netflix's biggest hit ever? Or could we see more from the Squid Game universe down the line?

Earlier this month, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk suggested that while Season 3 would be a conclusion for the story he initially envisioned, there was the potential for a spin-off focusing on the "three years gap between Season 1 and 2."

Now, Squid Game star Lee Byung-hun, who plays the masked master of the games, Front Man, has also suggested the show's third season may not be the last we see of the franchise.

"Director Hwang keeps saying it's a finale. But when I first read it [the script], I felt it could be a finale, but at the same time, it could be a new start," Byung-hun teased, as reported by The Gamer.

Is Byung-hun suggesting the games might continue, beyond the end of the series' story? Or that there's more story to tell for any surviving players? Fans have pointed to a teaser for the third season which appeared to show a version of the Squid Games being played elsewhere. Could the Squid Game played in South Korea be just one arm of a larger, international Squid Game enterprise — something ripe for a spin-off?

"It's my personal opinion," Byung-hun said, "but if the audience's love and support increase, we'll never know what happens."

For now, however, Squid Game creator Hwang has suggested he's keen to take a breather, after losing teeth due to the stress of making the show, and filming its second and third seasons back-to-back.

"It's the finale for the whole series. The whole show,” said Hwang. "It's time to say goodbye."

But will Netflix agree? Amid huge viewing figures, it's easy to see a world in which the streamer tries to make more from the Squid Games universe happen. Of course, much may rest on the reaction to Squid Game's third season, which finally debuts this week, on June 27, 2025.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social