As Netflix’s Squid Game returns for its highly anticipated third and final season, the staggering prize money at the heart of the show remains unchanged, but no less jaw-dropping. Season 3’s contestants are once again fighting for a colossal 45.6 billion Korean won, a sum that has become synonymous with the series’ blend of high-stakes suspense and social commentary.
The Prize Money: Breaking Down the Numbers
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45.6 billion Korean won is the official jackpot for Season 3, mirroring the previous seasons and reinforcing the show’s signature symbolism—456 players, 456 as the protagonist’s number, and the same life-altering sum at stake.
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Global equivalents (as of June 2025):
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USD: $33.4 million
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INR: ₹283 crore
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EUR: €28 million
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GBP: £25 million
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AUD: A$51 million
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CAD: C$46 million
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This amount is enough to transform the winner’s life, but it comes at the ultimate price: every eliminated contestant increases the pot by 100 million won, a grim reminder that each gain is built on loss.
Why the Prize Remains the Same
Producers have deliberately kept the prize money at 45.6 billion won throughout all seasons. This decision maintains narrative continuity and heightens the emotional stakes for returning characters, especially Seong Gi-hun (Player 456), whose journey is central to the series’ exploration of desperation and greed. The familiar figure instantly evokes memories of past horrors and the psychological toll of the games, reinforcing the idea that the lure of unimaginable riches is enough to drive people to risk everything, again and again.
How the Pot Grows and Is Awarded
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Pot Growth: Every time a player is eliminated, 100 million won is added to the prize pool, quickly escalating the stakes as the games progress.
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Distribution: If multiple players survive all six games, the prize is split equally. If the majority votes to end the game early, the remaining pot is divided among all surviving contestants at that point.
Season 3’s Winner: A Twist in the Tale
In a dramatic turn, the ultimate winner of Season 3 is not the protagonist Gi-hun, but the infant son of Player 222, Kim Jun-hee. In the final game, Gi-hun sacrifices himself so the baby, whose mother died earlier, is declared the last survivor and inherits the full prize. The VIPs, in a twisted gesture, recognize the child as a participant and deposit the 45.6 billion won into his account. This ending underscores the show’s ongoing critique of the value placed on human life and the corrupting influence of wealth.
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
Squid Game Season 3 delivers not just on suspense and spectacle, but on the chilling reminder that, for many, the hope of a new life is worth any risk, even when the cost is everything. The unchanged prize money serves as a haunting symbol of the cycle of desperation and the enduring allure of fortune, no matter the odds
