Has ‘Squid Game’ Lost Its Spark? Season 2 Faces Backlash From Viewers

“Squid Game” season 2 arrived with sky-high expectations, but not all viewers are satisfied with the latest chapter of Netflix's global phenomenon.

While the series continues to deliver intense stakes and harrowing moral dilemmas, some fans have expressed disappointment, claiming the show has “lost its edge.”

Like its predecessor, “Squid Game” Season 2 introduces a diverse cast of financially desperate players, with some abandoning their morals in pursuit of victory while others cling to their humanity despite the brutal stakes.

Debuting on Thursday, December 26, “Squid Game” Season 2 faced (and continues to face) immense pressure to match the groundbreaking success of its predecessor. Since its premiere in September 2021, Season 1 has amassed an astonishing 2.2 billion hours viewed and 265.2 million views, solidifying its place as the most-watched series in Netflix history.

Season 2 of the South Korean dystopian drama “Squid Game” has already proven to be a success for creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, receiving early critical acclaim and securing a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series even before its release. The new season quickly claimed the No. 1 spot on Netflix and currently holds an impressive 85% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, some U.S. viewers feel otherwise.

Collider gave a brutally honest review, which read, “You can see the plot twists coming a mile away even when a new game is introduced — and if you don’t, the show flashes lights in your face to make sure you’re prepared for the incoming twist. It often feels like the show is afraid its audience might not understand what is going on, so everything has to be spelled out.”

They added, “By the time the season reaches its ending, it feels like a lot of time has been wasted on repetition.” 

The Guardian said, “It struggles to find its purpose … What a shame it takes so long to get there.”

Social media users also voiced their disappointment after watching the second season.

“Just finished season 2. THAT SH-T WAS TERRIBLE IM CRYING,” one viewer wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “All of the elements from the first season GONE... there’s no emotion, substance, and all the games had no thrill or stakes in it #SquidGame2.”

“SquidGame2 is so underwhelming likeee WHAT WAS EVEN THAT it's low key so messy and all over the place,” another said.

“I didn’t wait 2 years for this,” a third wrote.

Building on the record-breaking success of the first season, hailed as Netflix's "biggest series launch ever," Lee Jung-jae shared his gratitude for the immense fan support and enthusiasm surrounding the release of “Squid Game” Season 2.

“I want to say that I know that lots of fans are rooting for us,” he told People Magazine. “They love us, and what I really feel special about 'Squid Game' is that I not only have Korean fans now, but people all across the globe noticed me and they love me. So I really like that.”

In June 2022, Netflix officially renewed “Squid Game” for a second season and later confirmed plans for a third, cementing the series as one of the platform's flagship franchises.

“I was thinking to myself: will I really be able to pull this off? Will I be able to create or write something that would exceed Season 1?" he told IndieWire of writing the second season. "But once I got to writing, and once I got into the story of Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returning to the games with his own motives, it actually went a lot better than I thought it would.”

“Along the way, I think that sense of burden or pressure actually changed into a source of joy, and I gradually gained the confidence that we were creating something that the fans of the first season would not be disappointed with,” Hwang added. “Having said that, it was obviously no easy feat. However, I think with that confidence, I was able to go into it with a better approach.”

"Squid Game" season 2 is streaming now on Netflix.