Critics Cheer But Fans Sour On Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 3

Netflix’s Squid Game Season 3 has critics cheering but most fans feeling the opposite, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Squid Game Season 3 began streaming early Friday morning. The release of the third season of the acclaimed psychological conspiracy thriller comes just over six months after the release of Squid Game Season 2 on Dec. 26, 2024. Squid Game Season 1 was released on Sept. 17, 2021.

The official summary for Squid Game Season 3 reads, “The third and final season of Squid Game follows Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) after losing his best friend in the game and being driven to utter despair by The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who was hiding his true identity to infiltrate the game. Gi-hun persists with his goal to put an end to the game, while the Front Man continues onto his next move and the surviving players' choices will lead to graver consequences with each round.

“The world eagerly awaits to see the grand finale written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who has vowed to bring the epic story to its deserved closure. Can we hope for humanity in the cruelest of realities? Fans all over the world are counting the days until the final answer is revealed.”

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Squid Game Season 3, which consists of six episodes, also stars Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Wi Ha-jun, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-sim, Jo Yuri, Lee David, Roh Jae-won.

As of Friday midday, Squid Game Season 3 has earned an 89% “fresh” rating from RT critics based on 28 reviews. Fans, however, don’t share the same sentiment as critics, and give Squid Game Season 3 a 45% “rotten” rating on RT’s Popcornmeter based on 100-plus verified user ratings.

By contrast, Squid Game Season 1 earned a 95% “fresh” rating from RT critics and an 83% “fresh” Popcornmeter score.

Season 2 of Squid Game, meanwhile, earned an 83% “fresh” rating from RT critics, while audiences gave the season a 63% “fresh” score on the site’s Popcornmeter.

RT’s Critics Consensus and audience summary for Squid Game Season 3 is still pending.

What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Squid Game’ Season 3?

Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com is among the top critics on Rotten Tomatoes who gives Squid Game Season 3 a “fresh” review, writing in his review summary, “It's tough to say what new lessons we've learned from Squid Games 2 and 3 that 1 didn't already hammer home with blunt force. But the ride was altogether unforgettable, even if just through the thud of thematic repetition.”

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast also gives Squid Game Season 3 a “fresh” rating on RT, writing, “As taut, startling, and unhinged as ever. Moreover, it mercifully avoids falling victim to its preceding episodes’ shortcomings on the way to its do-or-die finish.”

Also high on the third season of Squid Game is Judy Berman of TIME Magazine, who writes on RT, “Despite all the indignities to which it’s been subjected, the show closes with its most unsparing season yet, an indictment of societies where money trumps humanity that roots out all forms of complicity -- especially our own.”

Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter is the only top critic on RT who gives Squid Game Season 3 a “rotten” rating so far, writing in her review summary, “It brings me no pleasure to report that the third and thankfully last of Squid Game seasons only confirms that we, like Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), should’ve left that cursed island behind for good after his first victory.”

All six episodes of Squid Game Season 3 are now on Netflix.