The third and final season of the megahit series “Squid Game” debuts on June 27, and according to Netflix data shared exclusively with Variety, the show’s impact across the world has reached incredible heights.
First and foremost, the two current seasons of “Squid Game” have reached nearly 600 million views globally to date, with a view defined as total hours viewed divided by total runtime. Season 1 still ranks as the most popular show on Netflix ever, with 265.2 million views. Season 2, which has pulled in 192.6 million views so far, achieved the most views for any Netflix show in its premiere week and entered the Top 10 Non-English Language TV chart in just three days. It is currently the overall third biggest season of a show in Netflix history.
Lee Jung-jae stars in Netflix’ “Squid Game”.
Everett Collection
Netflix put a massive social push behind Season 2 following the breakout success of Season 1. The full campaign has amassed 19.5 billion owned global social impressions. On TikTok, The Red-Light, Green-Light clip is Netflix’s top-performing video of all time on the platform with 128.6 million organic views.
On the awards front, Season 1 made Emmy Awards history with 14 nominations and 6 wins, including the first-ever nominations and wins for a non-English language series. Season 1 also earned 3 Golden Globe nominations and 1 win. Season 2 was nominated for best drama series at the Golden Globes, with the Emmy Award nominations for 2025 due to be announced on July 15.
“Squid Game” was also the first non-English series to win multiple SAG Awards, including wins for Lee Jung-jae and Hoyeon Jung. Netflix’s reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge” also earned 3 Emmy nominations and 1 BAFTA TV Award.
On the App Store charts, the multiplayer game “Squid Game: Unleashed” has ranked the number one free action game in 107 countries.
Netflix has also taken “Squid Game” out into the real world, with the streamer hosting fan activations in more than 25 countries and 6 continents. Events in 13 countries drew more than 66,400 fans in person, with over 47,000 participants in a series of games and challenges inspired by the series. Netflix has also stationed over 18,000 pink guards all around the world for marketing campaigns across the series.
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: Fans compete during Netflix’s Squid Game Season 3 Fan Event at Domino Park on June 20, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix)
Getty Images for Netflix
Netflix has opened “Squid Game: The Experience” in 5 cities to date — New York City, London, Madrid, Sydney and Seoul. Each city has had a sold out opening, with Netflix estimating over 500,000 visitors will have checked out “The Experience” by the end of summer.
In addition to New York, the Season 3 campaign will see pop ups in countries like Mexico, Malaysia, Germany, Thailand, Taiwan, and Australia and beyond. Fans will be able to take part in iconic games from the series, with the final games to be held in Seoul with a parade featuring fans and influencers.
Speaking of influence, Netflix teamed with over 100 partners on “Squid Game” Season 2 merchandise, including Crocs, Puma, Johnnie Walker, Domino’s, and collectibles. That came in response to the massive reach of Season 1, which helped spike sales of Vans slip-on sneakers by nearly 8000%, while Google searches for “Squid Game” Halloween costumes outpaced every other film or TV character. Duolingo also saw 40% increase in Korean learners just after Season 1, with the platform then partnering with Netflix on the campaign for Season 2.
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