Is Squid Game Based on a True Story? (2022)

Is Squid Game based on a true story? Here’s what you need to know. First, there is no denying that Netflix’s Squid Game is a must-watch. If you love drama, it’s a crime not to watch it.

Squid Game is one of those TV series that not only intrigue you before watching but also after watching it. Simply put, you are bound to have more questions before and after watching it.

For this particular post, we’ll focus on questions many people are asking after watching Squid Game. More particularly, is Squid Game based on a true story?

Before scrolling down this article “Is Squid Game Based on a True Story,” check out these related articles:


What Exactly is Squid Game About?

What Exactly is Squid Game About

To better answer whether or not Squid Game is based on a true story, we need to know what the story is. In other words, what is the storyline with Squid Game? That said, Squid Game is a Netflix-based South Korean TV series.

The show sees people struggling with their finances competing in different games. The winner of these games receives a cash prize of 40,000,000,000. However, unlike other competitions, the games on Squid Games have severe consequences for the loser(s).

The contestants that lose a game on Squid Game end up losing their lives. In general, the masters of the games made sure that all the games resulted in participants dying. It can be in the hands of other contestants or the game masters.

To give you an example of the games on Squid Game and how they work, let’s look at one of them, rope pulling. I am pretty sure you’ve taken part in this game at some point in your life, and it’s pretty simple, to be honest.

Rope pulling can have an infinite number of people as long as it balances out on both sides. That out of the way, rope pulling doesn’t have any consequences. In most cases, you’ll only fall when you lose.

With Squid Game, however, losing a rope pulling contest means death for everyone. In the show, rope pulling is staged at high heights, and they are usually a gap in the middle between two teams.

The team that loses will end up falling in that gap and die. The main character of the show is Gi-hun, played by South Korean actor Lee Jung-Jae. In the series, Gi-hun is a degenerate divorced father who is struggling with a gambling addiction.

Before making his way to compete in the games, Gi-hun was leaving with his elderly mom. Worth noting, he used to steal money from his elderly mother regularly. The money he stole he used to fuel his gambling addiction.


Is Squid Game Based on a Real Story?

Is Squid Game Based on a Real Story

The simple answer to this is no. Squid Game is not based on a true story. It is, however, based on real-life children’s games. The games the contestants in the show take part in are your everyday children’s games.

You might have played a couple of these games while you were young. Back to the show, the director of the show drew inspiration from Japanese anime and manga. The show’s survival theme, according to the director, resonates with him when he had financial challenges.


Conclusion For “Is Squid Game Based on a True Story”

Conclusion For "Is Squid Game Based on a True Story"

If you haven’t, you should find time and watch Squid Game. It is available on Netflix, and it is not that long. It only has nine episodes, and it lasts roughly 32 minutes.

Unfortunately, it is not in English, and therefore you’ll be forced to read the subtitles as you watch it. However, while watching it, feel free to have a crack here and there because none of the events happened in real life.

You can check out Squid Game’s trailer with the video below: