The final season of Squid Game, Netflix’s most successful show to date, has made a monumental impact on the streaming charts, securing the largest three-day viewership tally in the platform’s history.
Between June 27 and 29, the third season amassed an astounding 60.1 million views worldwide. This impressive figure, which equates to 368.4 million hours of watch time, places it firmly in Netflix’s all-time top 10 for non-English-language series within its debut week. For the week of June 23–29, Squid Game ranked No. 1 across every country that Netflix tracks, a first for any series on the streamer.
The season’s release was met with immense global anticipation, as viewers followed Player 456/Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) in his ultimate attempt to dismantle the deadly game from within, with hints that the games’ scope extends globally.
Critical Acclaim Versus Audience Disappointment
While critics have largely praised the concluding season, audience reactions appear notably mixed, particularly regarding the ending. The third season of Squid Game received a respectable 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Score. However, the Audience Score, or Popcorn Meter, registered a lower 51%, indicating a clear disparity in reception.
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Fans have expressed their disappointment, with one user stating, “Honestly this final season felt rushed and so many decisions were made to dumb down characters. By episode 3 all likable characters were killed off in stupid ways that feel sad for about 2 minutes before you realize their death was rushed with no impact and no build up. Last 3 episodes or second half of the season just felt prolonged with little enjoyment. Ending was so bad as well, it provides no bigger meaning.”
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Another viewer commented, “The ending was very weak and they thought they would end everything suddenly when there were many endings with a deeper meaning and message, but no, they decided on the worst in my opinion.” A particularly strong sentiment from one user read: “Might be the worst story writing I have ever seen, but what do you expect from a finale season. It goes around in a circle, the last season is always the worst but there are shows out there that prove that stereotype wrong but unfortunately not for Squid Game. If you love the show just spoil yourself on google, don’t bother watching this.”
Squid Game Continues to Dominate Charts
Despite the divided audience opinion on its conclusion, the Squid Game franchise continues its impressive chart dominance. The first season remains Netflix’s most-watched series ever, with 265.2 million views over its initial 13 weeks. Season two is currently the second most-watched non-English-language series, and Season three, despite its shorter six-episode run, now sits ninth, with potential to climb higher.
In other Netflix success stories with Korean roots, the animated film KPop Demon Hunters also had a strong week, moving up to No. 1 on the English-language movie chart in its second week with 24.2 million views.
The release of the final season of Squid Game has certainly solidified its viewership records, but it also prompts conversation about the challenges of concluding a globally beloved phenomenon to universal satisfaction. The final six episodes are currently streaming on Netflix.
