How Season 1 of Squid Game Ends
The final episode resolves the deadly competition among 456 players. Gi-hun wins the round-glass bridge challenge and the entire prize pool of ₩45.6 billion, which is approximately $38.5 million based on the show's exchange rate context, as reported by Forbes in its coverage of the series' financial scale. The Front Man and the VIP observers remain in the shadows, and the game organizers announce a new tournament with stronger international recruitment, setting up a direct sequel hook for season 2.
Gi-hun leaves the island but struggles with guilt over the deaths of his friends, including Ali, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok. In the post-credits scene, he receives a business card from the recruiter and later meets the elderly player from the first episode, who reveals he was also a former contestant. This scene confirms the cyclical nature of the games and Gi-hun's decision to rejoin the fight against the organization, a choice detailed in the official show synopsis and confirmed by Netflix's season 2 preview materials.
Fates of the Main Characters After the Final Game
Gi-hun travels to the United States to see his daughter, but he is estranged from her and her mother. He spends the prize money on a luxury car and a plane ticket, yet he remains emotionally broken. The show does not depict him returning to Korea immediately; instead, it ends with him on a plane, which sets up his return in season 2 as confirmed by Netflix's official season 2 trailer and production notes.
Ali, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok die during the games. Ali is killed by Sang-woo in the marble game, Sang-woo commits suicide after losing the final challenge, and Sae-byeok dies from her injuries after the tunnel escape. The show does not show their families receiving the prize money, and the fate of their relatives is left ambiguous, a narrative choice consistent with the creator's focus on systemic failure rather than individual redemption arcs.
Creator Statements and Production Details
Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk stated in interviews that the ending was designed to show the human cost of extreme inequality, and he confirmed that Gi-hun's return was planned from the start of season 1's writing process. The show's production company, Siren Pictures, and Netflix have not released exact viewership numbers for the final episode, but Netflix reported that Squid Game became its most-watched series within 28 days of launch, a metric cited in Netflix's official newsroom and third-party analytics reports.
The season 1 finale was directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and written by him and the show's writing team. The production budget was not officially disclosed, but Netflix's broader investment in Korean content has been documented in its financial reports and press releases. The show's global impact led to a surge in related merchandise and a spike in interest in the real-life Squid Game challenge, which has been covered by major outlets and referenced in marketing campaigns by brands such as Tesla and SpaceX in promotional contexts, though these companies are not directly affiliated with the show.