What Time Does Squid Game Season 2 Come Out On Netflix?

Let the games begin ... again. "Squid Game" caught the entire world by surprise the first time around back in late 2021, turning into an instant word-of-mouth hit that resulted in everyone getting embroiled in the masochistic competition pitting contestants against one another. Circumstances are a little different now as season 2 is finally set to explode onto the scene. The fact that we all collectively lost our minds during season 1 of the South Korean thriller/horror series all but guaranteed that a sophomore effort would arrive sooner or later, continuing this dystopian tale and opening up the dark conspiracy at its heart. That time is closer than ever before to coming to fruition, as early reactions by critics have already started to trickle in and the countdown timer is now in its final week before release.

By now, fans looking forward to season 2 of "Squid Game" should have December 26, 2024 circled on their calendar — but what about the exact time that the episodes will drop? We know that several of the original cast (those who survived, that is) are set to reprise their roles alongside Lee Jung-jae as series lead Seong Gi-hun, notably Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo. Meanwhile, they'll be joined by an ensemble of newcomers including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-uk, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Lee David, Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Jo Yu-ri, and Won Ji-an. Viewers Stateside will get to watch them on a streaming-enabled device near them when every episode drops on Netflix at 12:00am PT/3:00am ET. For those living elsewhere, you can check all the major premiere details, separated by time zones, below:

• PDT: 12:00 am
• EDT: 3:00 am
• BRT: 4:00 am
• BST: 8:00 am
• CEST: 9:00 am
• IST: 12:00 pm
• JST: 4:00 pm
• AEST: 5:00 pm
• NZST: 7:00 pm

So you have your post-Christmas binge plans all accounted for — now, how long will you be vegging out in front of your television screen before reaching the end of "Squid Game" season 2? We're glad you asked! The first season of the hit series ran for a total of nine episodes, all of which were dumped on Netflix at once. Fans can expect the exact same release strategy this time around, though with an added wrinkle. When everyone checks out the streaming platform's main page to get their next dose of adrenaline and stress, they might notice an unexpected quirk.

As we previously reported, this next season of "Squid Game" will only consist of seven total episodes. That's fewer than both the first season and the misbegotten reality series "Squid Game: The Challenge," the latter of which debuted with ten (nearly) hour-long episodes. So what gives? That apparently has to do with the process of crafting both season 2 and season 3 at the same time, as series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk explained:

"I wrote seasons 2 and 3 at the same time, and we were in production for both simultaneously, and currently we are in the post-production process for season 3. When I was writing the script for the two seasons, I felt like there was a big turning point or an inflection point, and that was the end of episode 7, so I thought that it would do it justice to have a separate season after that. That's why I had first seven episodes as season 2 and then the rest of season 3."

We'll find out exactly what the "inflection point" is when "Squid Game" season 2 comes to Netflix right in time for the holiday season.