The final season of the beloved Korean series Squid Game produced by director Hwang Dong-Hyuk was premiered on June 27, 2025. The previous season left the viewers debating the final’s season games, the stakes as high as ever; with only three games left to finish Gi-Hun’s second participation at the Squid Games, fans were left speculating. Here are some thoughts from Reddit:

My guess would be a modified version of "Why did you come to my house?" as the 4th game.

Based on the ending of episode 7 of season 2, we know that Jack and Jill will be one of the games.

I think Human Janggi (Korean Chess) will be the 5th game with 32 players left.

Impressive effort, Reddit, but sorry! The games from season 3 were, in order, Hide and Seek, Jump Rope and Sky Squid Game, all children games many people (maybe even you!) grew up. But how different are they exactly from the original version and what was changed? Let’s compare!

Take the Quiz: What Game From "Squid Game" Would You Loose At ?

Looks pretty easy on screen doesn't it? Do you think you have it in you?

1. HIDE AND SEEK

Original Version: Hide and seek is a classic game where one player (the seeker) closes their eyes and counts to a set number while the other players hide. Once the seeker finishes counting, they open their eyes and try to find the hidden players. The first person found is typically the next seeker.

This means that usually each person is playing individually and doesn’t rely on other people to win, and minimal violence is implied since there is only one seeker, which creates a numeric imbalance. Also, there are no external elements involved, such as keys or knives.

Difficulty Rating: 3/10

Image Credit: Matan Levanon from Unsplash

Squid Game Version: The Hiders must either use the key to unlock the doors and find an exit, or hide until the 30-minute time limit is reached. The hiders can also kill the seekers to defend themselves. If a hider gets killed by a seeker, that hider will be eliminated.

Instantly, the time limit imposes a certain amount of stress, and two numerically even teams have to compete for survival. The stakes are real: a seeker who doesn’t manage to kill a hider is killed themselves, so the desperation is very high! The hiders had a harder mission: survive and find the exit in the middle of a gigantic, multi-layered labyrinth.

The door opens if all three types of keys (circle, triangle and square) are simultaneously in the lock. Difficult job and the Squid Game version of this simple game is obviously more challenging!

Difficulty Rating: 8.5/10

2. JUMP ROPE

Original Version: Jump rope games can involve various rules depending on the specific game. Common elements include turning the rope by one or more people, having a designated jumper enter and exit the turning rope, and incorporating specific jumping patterns or challenges. Games may also involve keeping track of jumps, eliminating players for errors, or competing to see who can jump the longest.

Even though the original version has more rules, no time limit is mentioned besides the players’ stamina, and the game isn’t positioned at an incredible height. Plus, elimination in this version doesn’t result in the death of the participant! I admit the original version is far easier.

Difficulty Rating: 4.5/10

Image Credit: Maksym Kozlenko from Commons.Wikimedia

Squid Game Version: In the "Jump Rope" game from Squid Game, players must navigate a narrow beam while jumping over a rotating metal rope. The rope's speed increases as time passes, and there is a gap in the middle of the beam. Players have 20 minutes to reach the end of the beam without falling or being hit by the rope.

Compared to the original version, the height of 16 feet at which the players have to jump is obviously a setback that results in the deaths of many beloved characters as they ultimately fall. Some were pushed off the beam as well. The gap in the middle of the bridge, the time limit and the increasing speed of the metal rope’s rotation are all aspects which put the Squid Game version still above the original in terms of difficulty.

Difficulty Rating: 6/10

3. SKY SQUID GAME

Original Version: While the Sky Squid Game doesn’t have an exact counterpart in the real life, it is somewhat similar to the traditional Squid Game. This means that players of the two teams (offensive and defensive) would still have to push someone out of the game zone (the Squid arena in 2020 and Platforms in 2024).

Even though the rules differ and the childhood version is more dynamic, it remains a fairly difficult game to win, combining physical abilities with quick thinking. The easy part is the existence of only two teams.

Difficulty Rating: 5.5/10

Image Credit: Vadim Bogulov from Unsplash

Squid Game Version: In the Sky Squid Game, players compete on three high platforms shaped like a square, triangle, and circle. Each platform has a button that starts a 15-minute timer (or 5 minutes on the circle). The goal is to eliminate at least one player within the time limit by pushing them off the platform.

If no one is eliminated, all players on that platform are eliminated. Surviving players move to the next platform until the final round, where the remaining players win.

One of the most difficult and intense games in the entire season, the final game of season 3 requires abilities such as critical thinking, persuasion and oratorical skills above physical capabilities. The time limit and the fact that players can vote which character to eliminate demands the hard decision of who will the winners be.

However, there is a lot of liberty which increases the difficulty: more than one player can be eliminated per round, the height of the tower makes pushing off players a hard job, the narrow space demands proximity and players can forget to press the button to start the round. A lot of things can go wrong and since it’s the last game in the show, it is a challenging one, with only one survivor.

Difficulty Rating: 9/10

Final Thoughts

Even though Squid Game is inspired by the real case of the Brother’s House in South Korea, the inspiration taken from childhood games remains accurate in most cases.

The conclusion is that the Squid Game version of the season 3 games is fairly more difficult, the main challenging aspect being the time limit and the usage of weaponry amongst players such as knives, metal bars, drugs (or simply pushing players!).

Which childhood game would you be most afraid of? And could you survive even one Squid Game? Comment below.