Season 2 of Netflix's Squid Game reality show suffers massive 80% drop in viewership

Squid Game: The Challenge has seen a massive dip in viewers for its second season, dropping by a massive 80%.

According to What's on Netflix, the latest installment of the reality show accumulated 3.2 million views in its first week, which is much lower than season 1's 20.1 million views in the same time period.

The show features 456 contestants (the same number as in the fictional competition), who are competing for a prize of $4.56 million – considerably lower than the ₩45.6 billion (​​$39.86 million) up for grabs in Squid Game, but still the second-highest single cash prize on a reality TV show ever.

Competitors take part in the same games that viewers will recognize from Squid Game, like Red Light, Green Light and Dalgona. Of course, there's one key difference between this competition and the original show: contestants aren't killed if they fail a challenge, and instead are just disqualified from competing further.

Season 1 of Squid Game: The Challenge was released back in November 2023, between season 1 and season 2 of Squid Game. The latest installment of the competition hit Netflix on November 4, with episodes released in three weekly batches, with the finale arriving today (November 13), just over four months after the release of Squid Game's third and final season. Is interest waning in Squid Game, or has the novelty of The Challenge simply worn off?

Both seasons of Squid Game: The Challenge are streaming now on Netflix. For more, fill out your watchlist with our guides to the best shows on Netflix and everything new on Netflix in November 2025.