Photo Credit: No Ju-han/Netflix © 2025
Squid Game is bowing out strong with an incredible hold in viewership, as season 3 debuted to 60.1 million views in its first three days on Netflix globally, in addition to ranking in the top 10 in over 93 countries. Its debut means it’s already entered Netflix’s all-time top 10 list in ninth position. Here’s how that viewership number compares to previous seasons and what we’ll be looking for in the weeks ahead.
Premiering on June 27th, Squid Game season 3 concludes the storyline of Player 456 with a special surprise cameo ending, which keeps the door open for future instalments, not least the long-rumored David Fincher American spin-off.
As a reminder, the 60.1M views number is derived by taking the number of hours the show picked up in its first 3 days (368.4M) and dividing by the third season’s run time of six hours and eight minutes. In addition to Season 3 entering the top 10 in first place, Season 2 returned to spot #3 with 2.8 million views, and the first season took spot #6 with 1.7 million views.
Stacking up the numbers reveals several key factors to consider:
For Season 1, the show actually got off to a slow start, and it wasn’t until Week 2 that viewing hours grew 610%, rising from 7.7 million views in Week 1 to 54.8 million in Week 2. There were several reasons for this slow start, but the truth is that the show eventually caught fire on TikTok, and then rose in Netflix’s own algorithm, and the rest is history.
For Season 2, the show had the biggest first-week debut in Netflix’s history across its four-day opening window, with 68 million views. That ultimately leveled off much sooner than Season 1 (see chart below). Also worth noting is that season 2 dropped during that Christmas period, when most nations’ populations take time off, making it an ideal time to launch a new series or movie, as you’ve a captive audience. Season 3 doesn’t have that same advantage, although it now has the July 4th weekend to gain an extra boost in the US in week 2.
Another thing to consider for Squid Game season 3 is that it premiered on a Friday, not a Thursday, unlike season 2. Thus, it had one day less to pick up valuable hours as the cut-off is on Sunday. That makes 1:1 comparisons harder (probably why they did it!).
While Season 2 still holds the record for the biggest first week in Netflix history, Squid Game Season 3 does nab the bragging rights for being the biggest 3-day debut in Netflix history.
How Squid Game season 3 will evolve over time is going to be fascinating. Will the show have a straight trajectory like season 2 did, leveling out in weeks 3 and 4? Will it level out sooner or perhaps later? Keep an eye on our top 10 reports in the weeks to come.
Netflix also released more numbers on Squid Game today, noting that season 3 has had the highest number of impressions on its social channels, reaching 4.56B. They also add, “we’ve hosted fan activations in more than 25 countries across 6 continents, overseen by more than 20,000 Pink Guards. Marquee events have drawn over 10 million online and 273,000 in-person fans with nearly 93,000 participating in one-of-a-kind races, mazes, and other games inspired by the series.”
More to come in the weeks ahead, and don’t forget to look out for our Netflix top 10 report tomorrow.