Debapriya Bhattacharya
‘Squid Game’ by Hwang Dong-hyuk follows Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a divorced father and gambling addict who gets the opportunity to participate in a secret contest that offers 45.6 billion KRW to the winner. Seeking to turn his life around, Gi-hun enters the game and gets transported to an undisclosed location along with hundreds of other players. They are housed together under the watch of armed security personnel in masks and uniforms. While they are tasked to play old-school children’s games, the players are soon made aware that losing the games means instant death. The survivalist thriller is presented as a commentary on late-stage capitalism and the fallacy of free will. If you’ve loved watching the series, the following list of movies similar to ‘Squid Game’ will surely be up your alley.
8. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
Directed by David Slade, ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ is an interactive film that is part of the ‘Black Mirror’ anthology series created by Charlie Brooker. The narrative revolves around Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), a young computer programmer who is adapting a fantasy “choose your own adventure” gamebook into a video game. The narrative of the film depends on you, the viewer, as the film presents the sequences according to the inputs provided while streaming. The apparent choices provided to the viewer, as well as the adventure game that forms the central theme of the narrative, become reminiscent of ‘Squid Game.’ You can watch ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ here.
7. The Call (2020)
‘The Call’ by Lee Chung-hyun is a Korean remake of Sergio Casci’s 2011 film ‘The Caller.’ It centers around 28-year-old Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye), who is miraculously able to contact a woman living 20 years in the past in her childhood home with an old cordless phone. The two exchange information about events taking place at their respective times and attempt to modify the timeline according to their desires. Like ‘Squid Game,’ the horror thriller highlights the relationship between action and consequences. You can watch ‘The Call’ on Netflix.
6. #Alive (2020)
Helmed by Cho Il-hyung, ‘#Alive’ is set around Oh Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), a young adult who sees his neighborhood get overrun by zombies while staying home alone. His parents suggest on the phone that he lock himself up, which is precisely his first plan. However, as he runs out of necessities, Joon-woo grows more desperate and prepares to face the danger head-on. Like in ‘Squid Game,’ the youngster battles for his survival while seeking a connection with a human being who undergoes the same experience. Watch the show here.
5. Time to Hunt (2020)
Yoon Sung-hyun’s directorial ‘Time to Hunt’ is set in a dystopian South Korea where the value of the country’s currency, Wan, crashes and becomes useless. Three friends attempt a heist at an illegal gambling house that deals with US dollars and are successful. However, the house sends a police officer-turned-contract killer after them. He chases the group across the country while putting the people around them in danger as well. The risk undertaken to acquire and keep the money is reminiscent of ‘Squid Game.’ Catch ‘Time to Hunt’ on Netflix.
4. Choose or Die (2022)
‘Choose or Die’ marks the feature directorial debut of Toby Meakins and follows a retro video game, CURS>R, which has sinister real-world impacts on players. The game lures video game collector Hal (Eddie Marsan) with its simplistic appearance, while it attracts college student Kayla (Iola Evans) by promising her a significant amount of prize money. The game brings the players together, making twisted demands of them in the process. The torture suffered in the course of the game makes the show similar to ‘Squid Game.’ You can watch ‘Choose of Die’ here.
3. Circle (2015)
From the minds of Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione, ‘Circle’ centers around 50 people who wake up together in a dark room. Arranged in two concentric circles, if any person tries to break formation, they are instantly killed. A similar fate awaits anyone who attempts anything out of turn. It soon becomes clear that the entity running the game will kill an individual every two minutes, and those captured can vote among themselves on who will be next. Like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Circle’ quickly turns into a game of survival. Catch up with the show here.
2. The Platform (2019)
Originally titled ‘El hoyo,’ ‘The Platform’ by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia takes place in a dystopian prison constructed as an industrial tower. The inhabitants are provided food via a vertically moving platform with food on it. Moving down from the upper to the lower levels and stopping at each floor for a fixed amount of time, the distribution becomes unequal among residents as those at the top have their fill, and those below do not receive enough. The prisoners are made to switch floors every month and are unalived for stealing food under any circumstances. The strict rules followed in the place, along with the shifting dynamic between individual convicts, make the show comparable to ‘Squid Game.’ Catch up with ‘The Platform’ on Netflix.
1. Escape Room (2019)
Directed by Adam Robitel, ‘Escape Room’ brings together a random group of people from Chicago who are invited to participate in an escape room experience by the company Minos for a prize money of $10,000. To their abject horror, the players soon realize that the dangers of the game are very real and result in death. Many parallels can be drawn between the film and ‘Squid Game,’ starting with bringing together people from different walks of life to bet their lives away in exchange for promised prize money. Secret entities control both events, where life and death are determined by winning or losing a game, or solving a puzzle. You can watch ‘Escape Room’ here.
Read more: 12 Best Shows Like Squid Game on Netflix (June 2025)
