When Squid Game (2021) premiered on Netflix, it quickly became a global phenomenon. Created in South Korea, the series combined brutal survival games, social commentary, emotional storytelling, and shocking twists into one unforgettable experience. Beyond the deadly competitions, the show explored themes such as wealth inequality, debt, greed, class struggle, and the human cost of capitalism.

What made Squid Game stand out was its ability to turn innocent childhood games into life-or-death challenges while forcing viewers to question what they would do in similar circumstances.

If you’re searching for tv shows like squid game, chances are you’re looking for series featuring:

• Deadly survival games
• Escape-room style challenges
• Psychological mind games
• High-stakes competitions
• Characters trapped in mysterious worlds
• Social commentary and dystopian themes

In this guide, MovieTaster introduces the best TV shows like Squid Game that every fan should watch next.

1. Alice in Borderland (2020)

Taste Match: Survival Thriller + Sci-Fi + Mystery + Death Game

Best For: Viewers who want the closest experience to Squid Game.

Expectation: Deadly games, shocking eliminations, strategic thinking, emotional character arcs, and constant suspense.

Many fans consider Alice in Borderland the ultimate recommendation after Squid Game. The story follows Arisu, a young man who suddenly finds himself trapped in an abandoned version of Tokyo. To survive, he and other participants must compete in increasingly deadly games based on playing cards. Every challenge tests intelligence, teamwork, betrayal, or physical ability.

The show combines action, mystery, and emotional storytelling while gradually revealing the secrets behind the games. The scale is larger than Squid Game, with more complex game mechanics and world-building.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 78%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 79%

IMDb: Alice in Borderland

2. The 8 Show (2024)

Taste Match: Psychological Thriller + Survival Drama + Social Commentary

Best For: Fans of Squid Game’s criticism of capitalism.

Expectation: Mind games, greed, moral dilemmas, and psychological warfare.

Eight strangers become trapped inside a mysterious eight-story building. Every second they remain inside earns money, but the rules encourage manipulation, cruelty, and exploitation. Like Squid Game, the series uses a game-show format to explore human greed and inequality.

The psychological tension is often more disturbing than the physical danger, making it one of the strongest recent alternatives to Squid Game.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 75%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 66%

IMDb: The 8 Show

3. 3% (2016)

Taste Match: Dystopian Thriller + Survival Drama + Sci-Fi

Best For: Fans of competition-based survival systems.

Expectation: Tests, eliminations, class conflict, and moral choices.

Set in a future where society is divided between extreme poverty and luxury, every twenty-year-old gets one chance to pass a brutal selection process. Only 3% succeed and earn a better life.

Like Squid Game, the show explores social inequality while placing contestants through increasingly difficult challenges.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 85%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 79%

IMDb: 3%

4. Sweet Home (2020)

Taste Match: Horror + Survival Thriller + Monster Drama

Best For: Fans who enjoyed the desperation and survival elements.

Expectation: Monster attacks, survival strategies, and emotional sacrifice.

Residents trapped inside an apartment complex must survive when humans begin transforming into terrifying monsters. Although it is not a game-based story, the constant life-or-death tension feels similar to Squid Game.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 83%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 79%

IMDb: Sweet Home

5. All of Us Are Dead (2022)

Taste Match: Zombie Thriller + Survival Drama + Horror

Best For: Fans of high-stakes survival situations.

Expectation: School survival, emotional drama, and relentless danger.

Students become trapped inside a high school during a zombie outbreak. Every episode forces characters to make impossible decisions while fighting to stay alive.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 89%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 83%

IMDb: All of Us Are Dead

6. Kaiji (2007)

Taste Match: Psychological Thriller + Gambling + Death Game

Best For: Viewers interested in the inspiration behind Squid Game.

Expectation: Extreme gambling, psychological tension, and clever strategies.

A debt-ridden man enters dangerous gambling competitions where failure can destroy his life. Many Squid Game fans notice similarities between Kaiji’s desperate contestants and Squid Game’s players.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 59%

IMDb: Kaiji

7. Panic (2021)

Taste Match: Young Adult Thriller + Competition Drama

Best For: Fans of dangerous challenges.

Expectation: Risky contests and escalating tension.

Teenagers compete in a dangerous annual contest hoping to escape poverty and improve their futures.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 64%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 77%

IMDb: Panic

8. The Purge (2018)

Taste Match: Action Thriller + Survival Horror

Best For: Viewers who enjoy social commentary mixed with violence.

Expectation: Chaos, survival, and moral dilemmas.

Set during the annual Purge, citizens must survive one night when all crime becomes legal.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 42%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 60%

IMDb: The Purge

9. The Society (2019)

Taste Match: Mystery + Survival Drama

Best For: Fans of group dynamics and social experiments.

Expectation: Leadership conflicts, mystery, and survival.

Teenagers become trapped in a mysterious version of their town with no adults and must create a new society.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 86%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 84%

IMDb: The Society

10. The Wilds (2020)

Taste Match: Survival Drama + Mystery

Best For: Fans of survival stories with hidden conspiracies.

Expectation: Island survival and psychological mysteries.

Teenage girls stranded on an island slowly discover their situation may not be accidental.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 91%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 90%

IMDb: The Wilds

11. Kingdom (2019)

Taste Match: Historical Horror + Survival Thriller

Best For: Fans of Korean survival dramas.

Expectation: Political intrigue and zombie horror.

A crown prince investigates a plague that turns people into monsters while political enemies threaten the kingdom.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 98%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 91%

IMDb: Kingdom

12. Hellbound (2021)

Taste Match: Supernatural Thriller + Psychological Horror

Best For: Fans of dark Korean dramas.

Expectation: Mystery, fear, and social collapse.

Supernatural beings begin sentencing people to death, creating chaos and fanaticism throughout society.

Rotten Tomatoes:

Critics Score (Tomatometer): 97%

Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 49%

IMDb: Hellbound

13. As the Gods Will (2014 Series-Like Experience)

Taste Match: Death Game + Horror + Survival

Best For: Fans seeking bizarre and deadly games.

Expectation: Creative challenges and shocking eliminations.

Students suddenly find themselves forced into deadly versions of children’s games. Although technically a film, it is one of the closest experiences to Squid Game and deserves a recommendation.

Rotten Tomatoes:

• Critics Score (Tomatometer): 64%
• Audience Score (Popcornmeter): 61%

IMDb: As the Gods Will

MovieTaster Taste Map for Squid Game Fans

If You Loved the Deadly Games

1. Alice in Borderland
2. Kaiji
3. As the Gods Will

If You Loved the Social Commentary

1. The 8 Show
2. 3%
3. The Purge
4. Hellbound

If You Loved the Survival Aspect

1. All of Us Are Dead
2. Sweet Home
3. Kingdom
4. The Wilds

If You Loved the Mystery

1. Alice in Borderland
2. The Society
3. Hellbound
4. The Wilds

Final Note from MovieTaster

If you’re specifically searching for tv shows like squid game, start with Alice in Borderland, which offers the closest blend of deadly games, mystery, survival, and emotional storytelling. If Squid Game’s criticism of capitalism was your favorite element, The 8 Show and 3% should be your next picks. Meanwhile, fans who simply want intense survival experiences will find plenty to love in All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home, and Kingdom.

The good news is that Squid Game wasn’t the beginning of the survival-game genre—and it certainly won’t be the end. These 15 series prove that the combination of danger, mystery, strategy, and human drama remains one of the most addictive forms of television entertainment.