Squid Game is back for a third season, and fans are no doubt binge-watching the hit Korean drama at breakneck speed.
Which means many will already be looking for a similarly high-stakes, morally complex series to watch next.
And while reality shows like Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge and MrBeast’s Beast Games have tried to capture the essence, the Squid Game creator has admitted they leave a ‘bitter taste’.
Fortunately, the world of streaming is rich with gripping K-dramas and survival thrillers that scratch the same itch — and several viewers have taken to Reddit to share their favourite Squid Game alternatives.
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A user calling themselves ed_five suggested Netflix drama The 8 Show. Explaining the premise, they wrote: ‘Eight people agree to a game show where they don’t know the rules. I have to warn you, it gets very dark.’
And TommyRobotX added of the Korean series: ‘Despite the lower stakes, they somehow made it harder to watch (anxiety) than Squid Game.’
Meanwhile, Dazzling_Pipe_9910 also mentioned The 8 Show, but preferred revenge thriller The Glory. They said: ‘I watched The 8 Show and The Glory after Season 2 of Squid Game…The Glory is definitely worth watching and has left a lasting impression. I’d recommend.’
Another user, Pettyyoungthing, suggested Alice in Borderland, which proved to be a huge hit on Netflix when it was first released in 2020. They explained: ‘[It’s a] Japanese show where [people] get stuck in a mix of Hunger Games and Squid Game type scenario. Hijinx ensue’.
And ChattyWalker suggested dark thriller Bargain, on Paramount Plus, writing: ‘It’s a hell of a ride! Only 6 episodes, unfortunately, but a nice binge.’
One user suggested 3%, a Brazilian series available on Netflix. Explaining the plot, they wrote: ‘The majority of the population live on the improvised “inland” and, at the age of 20, people compete to become the 3% of humanity that gets to live in the affluent “offshore” community.’
The 8 show
A K-drama that’s received lots of comparisons to Squid Game, The 8 Show focuses on eight strangers, each facing serious financial trouble, who agree to join a dangerous reality TV show as a way of earning money.
Reviews are mixed, with the show earning a respectable 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, compared to a 66% Audience Score.
One impressed audience member wrote: ‘I watched the entire series in 24 hours, a first for me. I found it impossible to stop watching. The cliffhangers were great, the suspense was at a fever pitch, and the social commentary was spot on. Good comic relief as well. Highly recommend.’
Another said: ‘Excellent show! Every episode is unexpected and surprising. A more deep and shocking Squid Game. This show will make you reflect on the society and on human nature.’
Where to watch: Stream all eight episodes on Netflix.
The Glory
Years after surviving being brutally bullied in high school, teacher Moon Dong-eun devises a calculated plan to make her abusers pay for what they did, unravelling their now successful lives from within.
The Glory received praise from critics, with the San Francisco Chronicle writing in their review: ‘Visually arresting and carefully constructed, The Glory sharpens its central theme to a fine point.’
Audiences were also impressed, with viewers taking to Rotten Tomatoes to hail The Glory as ‘captivating’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘a slow-burn masterpiece’.
Where to watch: Stream all 16 episodes on Netflix.
Alice in Borderland
This Japanese sci-fi series follows ‘an aimless gamer and his two friends [who] find themselves in a parallel Tokyo, where they’re forced to compete in a series of sadistic games to survive’.
The show, which has been compared to Squid Game in the past and even achieved a higher Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, has proved itself a hit with both fans and critics.
‘This sprawling Japanese manga adaptation is rarely subtle, but its ability to deliver on wide-scale expectations make it a true TV standout,’ IndieWire wrote in a season two review.
Meanwhile, Google reviewer Sarah wrote: ‘This is one of the best TV series I have ever watched! Season one reminded me a lot of Squid Game mixed with a little bit of Hunger Games but leaves off with a better cliffhanger.’
A highly anticipated third season of Alice in Borderland is coming to Netflix in September 2025.
Where to watch: Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix.
Bargain
Described as ‘addictive’ in The Guardian’s four-star review, Bargain is set in a remote hotel in Korea where human organs are auctioned off to the highest bidder.
A synopsis adds: ‘After a catastrophic earthquake, the victims, traffickers and buyers are all trapped inside the crumbling building. Cut off from the outside world, they must fight to survive the aftermath at any cost.
With a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, the show has impressed critics, who have described it as ‘engrossing’, ‘wildly unpredictable’ and ‘gloriously vicious’.
Where to watch: All six episodes are available to stream on Paramount Plus.
3%
There are four seasons to binge of this Brazilian show, which is set in a future society where most of the population lives in poverty.
But, every year, each 20-year-old gets one chance to join the privileged 3%, who have been saved from squalor and now live in a utopian paradise.
The show has a very respectable 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its twists and strong characters.
Screen Rant wrote in their review: ‘When 3% isn’t making thoughtful observations about the human race and how we wall ourselves off from one another, it’s dazzling you with clever moments and genuinely shocking twists all designed to keep you hopelessly hooked.’
And Refinery29 said: ‘The Brazilian show will itch the Hunger Games scratch, but still add an entirely new element of excitement.’
Where to watch: Seasons 1 to 4 are available to stream on Netflix.
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