Squid Recreation started like a typical emotional drama a few man struggling to outlive life’s difficulties, solely to later evolve right into a gripping survival thriller that captivated billions of viewers when it premiered on Netflix in 2021. Evolving right into a viral sensation, the sequence captivated audiences with its dystopian setting, through which 456 contestants play perilous video games impressed by Korean kids’s video games in an effort to win the prize cash that will remedy their monetary points. The present’s first season had so many unforgettable moments, starting from heartfelt and humorous to ugly and devastating.
Squid Recreation
2.5
/5
- Launch Date
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2021 – 2025
- Community
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Hwang Dong-hyuk
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Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / ‘No. 456’
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Wi Ha-jun
Detective Hwang Jun-ho
Squid Recreation stays one in all Netflix’s most intriguing and distinctive Korean sequence. It claimed the title of most-watched sequence on Netflix in 2021, accumulating over 1.65 billion hours inside its first 28 days of its launch — an accomplishment only a few exhibits obtain. The widespread acclaim obtained by the sequence led to a renewal and Season 2 dropped on Netflix again in December 2024. The third and remaining installment was additionally filmed back-to-back, and it solely just lately debuted on the streamer, however was met with combined reception.
Even three years after its premiere, viewers proceed to crave sequence centered round deadly video games and thrilling narratives that preserve them on the sting of their seats, very similar to Squid Recreation. Whereas the franchise is way from accomplished with the idea, let’s take a look at these 15 different exhibits like Squid Recreation within the meantime.
15
‘The Purge’ (2018 – 2019)
Set in a near-future America that’s dominated by a totalitarian authorities, The Purge expands on the identical idea that was first launched within the films. There may be one evening every year when all crimes, together with homicide, are authorized. Throughout two seasons, the present follows the lives of a number of characters as they navigate the chaos that ensues throughout the lawless evening, and because it strikes between a number of storylines, it reveals a brand new model of humanity.
The Line Between Spectacle and Survival
The Purge shares not solely Squid Recreation’s bleak, dystopian undertones, but in addition how techniques prey on the determined whereas feeding the highly effective. Watching individuals, like a marine and a gaggle of anti-Purge activists, act out underneath a government-sanctioned massacre is discomforting. The present’s temper is gloomy, however it’s charged with shifting views, and it gives a gripping social commentary.
14
‘The 8 Present’ (2024)
When Squid Recreation first premiered on Netflix, it was a one-of-a-kind sequence. However its monumental success paved the best way for a lot of clones. The 8 Present is a South Korean dystopian thriller the place eight strangers are trapped in a surreal high-rise constructing. Each ground represents a stage of the present that they’ve turn out to be part of, and that checks them psychologically and bodily to finally reward or punish them primarily based on how entertaining they’re.
Capitalism and Claustrophobia
The 8 Present is far more intense and unsettling than Squid Recreation, and that’s saying one thing. It presents a system that’s fueled by ache and efficiency and the contestants are basically taking part in to please a faceless digital viewers. The monochromatic shade palette and anxiety-inducing rating creates a way of despair and the gamers, which embody an ex-banker and a once-viral influencer, have this hollowness that actually gnaws at your nerves.
13
‘Bodily: 100’ (2023 – Current)
Bodily: 100
- Launch Date
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January 24, 2023
- Community
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Netflix
- Writers
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Kang Sook-kyung, Jo Geun-ae
Bodily: 100 is principally Squid Recreation in actuality, besides not one of the contestants on this recreation die in the event that they lose. The present brings collectively 100 of South Korea’s most elite athletes, belonging to disciplines starting from Olympic medalists to navy particular forces, to compete in a sequence of grueling challenges that take a look at the bounds of their power and endurance. That’s till one single “excellent physique” stays.
A Battle of Physique and Thoughts
Although nonfictional, Bodily: 100 captures Squid Recreation’s power and visible aesthetic in uncanny methods. The set designs leap between grand to minimalist, with competitions unfolding in arenas and battlegrounds. What retains it addictive is not only the video games but in addition the gamers’ dignified efforts, shifting alliances, and layered dynamics. Additionally, there is no such thing as a script right here, which makes each scene really feel extra intense and recent.
12
‘Strangers From Hell’ (2019)
Strangers From Hell
- Launch Date
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August 31, 2019
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Lee Dong-wook
Search engine marketing Moon-zo
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Park Jong-hwan
Byeon Deuk-jong
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Lee Jung-eun
Eom Bok-soon
In Strangers From Hell, aspiring younger author Yoon Jong-woo strikes from the countryside to Seoul for a brand new job, and he finds himself renting a room at Eden Gosiwan, a dingy dormitory the place individuals share all amenities. At first, when the residents behave oddly, he takes it as a innocent quirk, however quickly, paranoia creeps in and Jong-woo realizes one thing sinister is at play and his next-door neighbor, Search engine marketing Moon-jo, is a part of it.
City Isolation is a Nightmare
Tailored from a well-liked webtoon, this 10-episode psychological thriller is a slow-burner that seems like a living-breathing entice. It shares Squid Recreation’s themes of desperation and anonymity and the way it can twist the human psyche. Nevertheless it trades video games for gaslighting and horror, making a suffocating feeling the place creaking floorboards and flickering lights contribute to the dread. In a approach, Squid Recreation makes you query the system and Strangers From Hell makes you query your neighbors.
Associated
7 Small Particulars You Discover When You Rewatch ‘Squid Recreation’
As followers eagerly await Season 3, there’s a lot to find by rewatching Seasons 1 and a couple of of ‘Squid Recreation.’
11
‘Panic’ (2021)
Panic
- Launch Date
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2021 – 2020
- Community
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Amazon Prime Video
- Administrators
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Jamie Travis
Within the dead-end city of Carp, Texas, all of the seniors graduating from highschool have one shot at escaping city. And so they earn it by competing in a secretive, high-stakes recreation. Every summer time, the contestants face harmful dares, like leaping from cliffs and taking part in rooster with dashing vehicles, for an opportunity at successful a $50,000 prize. After her school fund is stolen, Heather Nill reluctantly participates and will get embroiled in an online of secrets and techniques, betrayals, and corruption.
Small-City Video games Gone Wild
Panic, like Squid Recreation, explores the lengths persons are keen to go with a view to enhance their present circumstances and safe a greater future. It incorporates a numerous ensemble of characters and blends teen drama with thriller components to make it appear pulpy and dynamic on the similar time. The sequence debuted on Prime Video simply a few months earlier than Squid Recreation and was a combined bag critically, however it discovered a loyal fanbase for delivering a whole and satisfying arc.
10
‘Alice in Borderland’ (2020 – Current)
Alice in Borderland
- Launch Date
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December 10, 2020
- Community
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Netflix
- Administrators
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Shinsuke Sato
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Kento Yamazaki
Ryohei Arisu
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Tao Tsuchiya
Yuzuha Usagi
Typically hailed as a devoted adaptation Haro Aso’s Manga, Alice in Borderland unfolds in a parallel Tokyo the place a gamer and his mates discover themselves trapped in a survival recreation. On this lethal state of affairs, characters should confront their fears, make robust choices, and type alliances with a view to survive.
A lot Higher Than Squid Recreation
Although it didn’t attain the identical degree of fame as Squid Recreation, Alice in Borderland stands as a powerful trapped-in-a-deadly-game sequence full of components of enjoyable, thriller, and thrills that can have hearts pounding from begin to end. Simply as ugly and thrilling as Squid Recreation, it delves into the psychological toll the sport takes on its gamers, whereas additionally exploring themes of friendship, belief, and self-discovery within the face of maximum challenges. Regardless of occasional plot holes and unrealistic moments, if there’s any present identical to Squid Recreation, it’s this one.
9
‘Crimson Rose’ (2022)
Crimson Rose
- Launch Date
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2022 – 2021
- Community
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BBC Three
- Administrators
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Lisa Siwe
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Amelia Clarkson
Wren Davis
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Natalie Blair
Ashley Banister
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Robyn Cara
Alyssa Penrose
Centered round a gaggle of teenage mates, Crimson Rose depicts the horror that ensues after they encounter a terrifying recreation that forces them to adjust to its calls for or danger dropping their lives. This coming-of-age horror, set in Bolton, England, will preserve many invested as these mates attempt to survive the lethal challenges.
A Respectable YA Horror
Crimson Rose is darkish, twisted, and mysterious like Squid Recreation, centering round characters drawn into taking part in deadly video games the place the stakes are play-or-die. Whereas it might sometimes appear predictable, it’ll actually attraction to youthful audiences or followers of horror. Serving as a cautionary story, it illuminates the darkish facet of social media and the influence of expertise on youngsters’ psychological well being. The mix of an intriguing premise, a fantastic solid,and the Bolton panorama provides to its general attraction.
8
‘3%’ (2016 – 2020)
3 %
- Launch Date
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2016 – 2019
- Community
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Netflix
- Administrators
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César Charlone, Daina Giannecchini, Jotagá Crema, Philippe Barcinski
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Bianca Comparato
Michele Santana
-
-
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Rafael Lozano
Marco Alvarez
Created by Pedro Aguilera, the dystopian sequence 3% is ready in a distant future the place society is split between Inland and Offshore. On this world, individuals bear a course of that determines whether or not these from the Inland can safe an opportunity for a greater life on the Offshore.
Genuinely Underrated
The Netflix sequence incorporates a sequence of rigorous processes through which characters face ethical dilemmas and betrayals whereas finishing difficult duties to check their potential to outlive on the Offshore. Like Squid Recreation, it showcases characters who’re determined for a greater life and are keen to take part in intense and sometimes life-threatening competitions to attain their targets. Each exhibits achieve offering a thought-provoking exploration of societal points by way of the lens of high-stakes competitors. With wealthy characters and an exhilarating plot, it’s a riveting must-watch.
Associated
Most Grotesque Squid Recreation Character Deaths, Ranked
Netflix’s Squid Recreation didn’t maintain again on bloodshed, torture, or horrifyingly ugly character deaths.
7
‘Hellbound’ (2021 – 2024)
Hellbound
- Launch Date
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2021 – 2023
- Community
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Netflix
- Administrators
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Yeon Sang-ho
Following Squid Recreation’s world success, Netflix launched one more Okay-drama sensation, Hellbound, by Yeon Sang-ho, the director of Prepare to Busan. This gory thriller is constructed on the premise that supernatural entities maintain the ability to find out people’ fates. These beings, often known as angels, announce the time of every particular person’s loss of life and finally drag them to hell when that point comes.
Crammed With Cliffhangers
Each exhibits fall into the South Korean thriller style, involving high-stakes conditions the place characters face dire penalties for his or her actions. In Squid Recreation, characters are confronted with two choices of both successful or dying, whereas in Hellbound, people face supernatural punishment for his or her deeds. In both case, there is no such thing as a center floor. Viewers who favored the thought-provoking and intense nature of Squid Recreation are prone to get pleasure from Hellbound for its pacing, storytelling, and drama.
6
‘Candy House’ (2020 – 2024)
Candy House
- Launch Date
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2020 – 2023
- Administrators
-
Lee Eung-bok, Jang Younger-woo, Park So-hyun
- Writers
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Hong So-ri, Kim Hyung-min, Park So-jung
When you’re looking for a South Korean sequence that delivers the identical edge-of-your-seat expertise as Squid Recreation, then Candy House is the subsequent survival thriller to delve into. Primarily based on a webtoon, it follows a highschool scholar who, after transferring into an condo complicated, discovers that unusual and supernatural occasions are occurring round him, with individuals remodeling into monsters.
An Addictive Zombie Thriller
Whereas characters in Squid Recreation should survive the life-or-death recreation they’re thrust in, these in Candy House should cope with monstrous creatures and different exterior threats. The shared survival theme and intense conditions make each exhibits extremely intriguing. Like in Squid Recreation, the characters’ backgrounds and motivations play important roles within the unfolding narrative of Candy House, including emotional depth and character growth to the narrative. Thus, it goes past thrills, guaranteeing an emotional reference to viewers.