Squid Game Season 3 made a massive splash online after it dropped on Netflix on June 27. Within just a day of its release, the show quickly climbed the charts and landed in the Top 10 most-watched Netflix TV shows across several countries. By June 28, it wasn’t just trending—it had become the most-watched series on Netflix globally. According to FlixPatrol data, it also became the fastest K-drama ever to reach this level of worldwide success.
Even before the official release, the buzz around Squid Game 3 was strong. A week ahead of its premiere, the earlier seasons began trending again, sneaking back into Netflix’s Top 10 list. But once Season 3 arrived, it took things to the next level. Just one day after it started streaming, the show hit the No. 1 spot among all Netflix shows—across both English and non-English content—in an impressive 93 countries. And it wasn’t a fluke; it held on to that top position on June 29 as well.
This rapid success marked a historic moment for the series and for Korean dramas overall. Directed by Hwang Dong Hyuk, Squid Game 3 pulled off the most widespread and fastest global takeover ever seen by a K-drama on Netflix. To put things in perspective, Season 2 had reached the No. 1 spot in 80 countries within a day of its release and stayed in the top three from December 2024 through January 2025. Season 1 had taken nearly a week to reach No. 1, though it held that position for over a month.
Each season of Squid Game has built more momentum than the last, and Season 3 topped them all. Social media exploded with excitement—hashtags like “Squid Game 3,” “Lee Jung Jae,” and “Front Man” began trending on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and even Google Trends.
Even though some viewers had mixed feelings about specific scenes and how the story ended, the show’s popularity didn’t take a hit. It scored an 8.0/10 on IMDb and got an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In Asia, fans flooded the internet with memes, reactions, and detailed reviews just hours after the premiere.
Thanks to this incredible success, Netflix has now announced an upcoming American adaptation of the series, showing that Squid Game isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
