If Squid Game feels like a one-of-a-kind show is because, in many ways, it is. And yet there are no real original ideas at this point, just original twists on familiar ideas. That’s somewhat comforting if you think about it because that means that, if you like something, there will always be something similar to watch after you finish binge-watching the thing you originally fell in love with.
Squid Game is no exception. When Season 1 was first released it was an instant hit for its combo of The Hunger Games style games and anti-capitalism commentary, and the fact that there really wasn’t that much out there like it. But not that much doesn’t mean nothing. Obvious comparisons to the Jennifer Lawrence-led trilogy aside, some shows give enough of a Squid Game vibe to fill the void after finishing the second season of the show.
Related: When is Squid Game Season 3 coming?
What are some shows like Squid Game to watch after you’ve finished with Season 2 of the show and as you prepare for the upcoming Season 3 of Squid Game? We’ve put together a list.
Shows Like Squid Game
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Alice in Borderland
Image Credit: Netflix This Japanese thriller takes viewers to a deserted Tokyo where, after the world’s population vanishes without a trace, survivors are forced to play deadly games to stay alive. Not exactly Squid Game, but the similarities are clear.
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Black Mirror
Image Credit: Netflix A sci-fi anthology, Black Mirror tells a different story about humans’ over-reliance on technology in every episode. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t end well for humanity, ever. Any similarity to Squid Game’s commentary on capitalism is probably a coincidence.
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All of Us Are Dead
Image Credit: Netflix A Korean zombie thriller doesn’t sound all that much like Squid Game. But there’s something about All of Us Are Dead, which is based on Joo Dong-geun’s web series, that reminds us of the players on Squid Game trying to survive at all costs and banding together to do so.
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3%
Image Credit: Netflix This Brazilian science-fiction drama is set in a dystopian future where the world is split into two separate camps: the Inland, where most of the population lives in deplorable conditions, and the Offshore, where the 3% live in harmony. To get to the Offshore, every year a group of 20-year-olds takes place in a series of challenges until 3% of them are left standing. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn’t it?
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Panic
Image Credit: Prime Video Kinda like the US, YA version of Squid Game, this show is set in a small town in Texas where high-school graduates compete in a competition that awards the winner enough money to go to college. It’s not truly a fight to the death, though, in many ways, it is.
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Hellbound
Image Credit: Netflix If you like twists, Hellbound is for you. In this show with supernatural elements, death angels suddenly show up to predict people’s deaths. But they’re not just predicting them, they’re causing them—and then sending people straight to hell afterward. Talk about cause and effect.
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Physical: 100
Image Credit: Netflix For an actual reality show, Physical: 100 is as close to Squid Game as it gets. In this competition, one hundred contestants must go through a series of quests—that don’t actually involve death—to claim first prize and a significant cash reward.
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Dr. Brain
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Sewon, a brain scientist, loses his entire family and decides to investigate what happened to them by retrieving memories from people who have passed away. Soon, however, those memories start to affect his own life. The physiological aspect is very Squid Game.
