Squid Game took the world by storm once again as the hit thriller series returned to Netflix with its second season in December. The story in this sequel season showed protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) taking part in the dreaded Squid Games again in his quest to end to the inhumane contest once and for all. Though Gi-hun may have had enough of this barbaric tournament, the show’s massive amount of viewers on streaming has proven that people can’t get enough of Squid Game.
The show’s third and final season will premiere on Netflix in 2025. Though some fans may be too anxious to wait for Squid Game 3, they can watch several other films and shows like it in the meantime. Such viewing choices feature comparable stories with death games, black humor, and/or themes of social and economic divide. While the world holds its breath for Squid Game 3, fans of the show’s second season should check out these five films/TV shows.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), this sci-fi blockbuster features a strange but epic battle on board a train carrying the last of humanity on an Earth frozen by a second Ice Age. Similar to Squid Game, Snowpiercer features a dark, satirical war of classes as the wealthy people in front of the train oppress the lower class in the back, leaving them to fight for their lives in their oppressive environment.
With an entertaining blend of bloody violence, quirky characters, and black comedy, Snowpiercer presents a thrilling and insightful tale about human nature and how far people are willing to go in order to survive.
Watch Snowpiercer on Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, Fandango at Home, or Amazon Prime Video.
The Hunger Games (2012)
Aside from Squid Game, The Hunger Games is the most popular death game story in modern movie history. Many people know the brutal tale of Katniss Everdeen and how she and several other youths battle and kill each other for the amusement of those living in a dystopian future version of America.
True to its premise, The Hunger Games features the kind of bleak and gruesome story found in Squid Game, featuring many deadly and inventive challenges that the characters must overcome on the battlefield. However, The Hunger Games also displays a unique sense of humor with the way it satirizes modern media, as the Capitol turns the slaughterfest into a glitzy, glamorous event akin to a Hollywood awards show.
Watch The Hungers Games on Hulu, YouTube TV, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Amazon Prime Video, TBS, or TNT.
Battle Royale (2000)
Battle Royale set the template for stories like Squid Game or The Hunger Games to shock and enthrall audiences with its lethal competition. This Japanese film from director Kinji Fukasaku follows a group of high schoolers sent away to take part in an annual fight to the death, as required by their totalitarian government under threat of execution by an explosive collar.
Shocking and controversial, this gory action film harkens back to A Clockwork Orange with its gratuitous violence and dark depiction of juvenile delinquents and how adults and their government mistreat them. Battle Royale is sure to get under viewers’ skin, just like Squid Game, but its social commentary and gripping narrative make it a must-see movie.
Watch Battle Royale on Tubi, Pluto TV, Fandango at Home, PLEX, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, YouTube, Google Play, or Apple TV.
The Platform (2019)
This dystopian thriller follows inmates in a prison tower where they are only given one platform of food to share a day, only for the people at the top to eat all they can and leave too little for those below them. Like Squid Game, The Platform became a worldwide hit once it dropped onto Netflix, presenting a creative, dark satire of civilization and how people in different social classes fail to support each other.
Despite its limited setting, the film presents a vast, spiraling odyssey through hell itself as the protagonists try to survive and send a message to those in charge. A sequel was released in 2024, and delivered more nightmarish scenarios for audiences to enjoy.
Watch The Platform on Netflix.
Alice in Borderland (2020-present)
Based on the Japanese manga of the same name, Alice in Borderland follows a young man obsessed with video games and his friends when they are transported to an abandoned version of Tokyo, where they must compete in life-threatening games to survive.
Offering up a wide variety of characters and plenty of danger and suspense, Alice in Borderland is guaranteed to hold viewers’ attention as it ventures through the world’s largest and deadliest escape room. Along with Squid Game, this Netflix-exclusive series has received considerable hype and praise, and it will also release its third season in 2025.
Watch Alice in Borderland on Netflix.
