The 13 wildest yet most believable theories about Squid Game on Netflix

Right now, this is Squid Game’s world and we are simply living it. The show is taking over everything, and the theories about Squid Game are quite frankly mind-blowing. I want to, and I do, believe every single one of them.

The show is one of those that you can’t just watch and be done with. You simply have to tell everyone about it, take the quizzes to see if you’d survive, share the memes and read up on all the wild theories and boy, there are enough of those to keep you busy for a long time. So, get ready to tuck in, because here is deep dive into the world of Squid Game theories. Read, ponder, have your mind blown, enjoy.

*Some of these Squid Game theories contains spoilers*

1. The staff are in debt too, and there’s a way they got selected to be at the games

We don’t really learn much about the staff and their situations, but one theory seems to address how people end up with their given role within the game. In the first episode, the main character in the show, Seong Gi-hun, is handed the game’s business card in the subway station by an anonymous man in a suit. The theory claims that if you chose the red square in the game of Ddakji with him you are a worker, and if you chose blue you are a player. In the first episode of the show, everyone we see as a player selected the blue. We don’t see anyone who selected red. This would mean the staff are also people who have been approached to go to the games because of their financial struggles, so maybe they get a hefty money incentive to work there too.

2. Or maybe the guards are all criminals

There are loads of theories about the Squid Game workers and who they might be – another suggests they could actually be criminals or people who are current prison inmates. The whole role needs a disregard for human life and an off moral compass, so who could be better than people who might have killed before? Plus, they’d be pretty used to the roll calls out of those little cells they’re seen living in during the show.

3. Gi-hun and the old man are father and son

There have been a few hints throughout Squid Game which have given rise to the theory about Gi-hun and the old man being father and son. Most notably, the two men are taking meals from the game staff and Gi-hun requests chocolate milk, as he can’t drink regular milk because he couldn’t digest it properly as a child. Il-nam (the old man) then says: “As a kid, I’m willing to bet you got spanked a lot.” Gi-hun replies: “How did you know?” And the old man says: “My son did too. He was just like you, friend.”

They also share the same love for childhood games, and find out in one of the games that they lived in the same place. Il-nam says: “You know, when I was a kid, I lived in a neighbourhood just like this.” Gi-hun then says he did too, adding: “And you know something? Our alleyway looked very similar.” And given the final episode, we now know who was behind these designs. Read the full theory here.

4. If not, the salesman is the old man’s son

If it’s not Gi-hun, have we been introduced to the old man’s son elsewhere? Some people think yes, questioning if the son could be the salesman from episode one. He is the one who goes around recruiting the players, and now knowing what we know about the old man, is he doing this on his behalf?

5. The games were staring the players in the face the entire time

Ok wait, the games are right in front of the players the whole time?! One of the things they were most desperate for was to find out the games they were facing ahead of time, and did they miss it? Yep, in the dorms it looks as though there were drawings of the games on the walls the whole time – they just couldn’t see them because of the beds. So as people died and less beds were needed, the games were slowly revealed.

In earlier episodes you can slightly make them out:

Before it becomes very obvious at the end:

6. All of the main player’s deaths were foreshadowed in episode two

It seems like several of the main deaths throughout the series were foreshadowed in episode two, Hell.

Deok-su was killed in the stepping stones style game, where the players had to cross a bridge – which in episode two is how he was shown escaping from those chasing him for money, he jumped off a bridge. Ali was shown in episode two as taking money from his boss, and he was killed in the games when Sang-woo took the marbles from him. Sae-byeok was seen holding a knife to someone’s neck in Hell, and was later killed by a knife wound to her neck. Sang-woo was also seen attempting to take his own life in episode two, and he did end up doing this in the final game.

Plus, in episode two Gi-hun was seen swearing on his mother’s life – when he returned from the games, his mother had died.

7. The Front Man is stuck in an endless cycle of the games

We learn the identity of the Front Man, that he is the police man’s brother and a previous winner of the games. One theory believes he now is stuck in an endless cycle of the games, unable to leave because of how much he knows. Because of who his brother is, he may have once tried to expose the games, but was found out and threatened over it, so now runs them to protect his family.

8. All staff are previous winners

We saw how the games affected Gi-hun, he turned away a chance at a life with his daughter to go back to the games. Perhaps all of the staff have played the games before, had their morals destroyed and realise the outside world isn’t a nice place to be either, so have become ruthless and see the games as all they can get behind in life. The guards are portrayed as heartless and cold-blooded murderers, and nothing could make make them more like this than having played in and watch it all happen to people before. It’s also pretty plausible seeing as the Front Man is a previous winner.

9. Could player 047 still be alive?

Her death appeared pretty cut and dry, quite literally, but there are still some people who believe 047 could still be alive. This one is quite out there, seeing as she was literally killed and cremated on screen – but the doubt comes because her death wasn’t announced in the “Player 047 – eliminated” format like the other players. She also had her knife on her when she died, which has made people think she could have cut her way out of the box somehow. We can hope.

10. The old man set up the games to find his son

At the end of the show, we find out Il-nam, the old man, is behind the games, and he pretty much made them just to feel something again. But, there could be more to it. He’s clearly very reminiscent of his son, and set up a lot of the games to mimic his own childhood and family life. Maybe he was aware his son is in financial trouble and would come to the games and recognise him and the games? His son could be missing and this was his last chance at them being reunited before he dies.

11. Ali might still be alive too

This is one of the Squid Game theories that is clutching slightly, but we can all beg for it to be true because Ali is an angel who deserved better. Ali died in the marbles game, after Sang-woo tricked him and stole his marbles, leaving him with none. However, some people think it isn’t over for the fan-favourite character. The theory goes that Ali is somehow in cahoots with the old man, and wasn’t actually killed. This is because we didn’t see Ali getting shot, and the only other death we didn’t see on-screen was Il-nan’s, and we all not what that turned out to be.

12.The police officer isn’t actually dead and will be pivotal in a second season with Gi-hun

Another of the Squid Game theories surrounding people we believe to have died is about the police officer. It was never completely confirmed he was dead, it was just assumed after he was shot and fell into the sea. However, he could have miraculously survived and swam away. This would leave a lot of space for season two to be focused on an attempt to take down the games with him and Gi-hun. It’s clear Gi-hun resents the games for what they did to him, so maybe the ending hinted at him wanting to go back and take them down too?

13. Gi-hun dying his hair red foreshadows him becoming staff in the next round of games

At the end of the series, we see Gi-hun go and dye his hair red because, why not. However, some have speculated this has a deeper meaning. Linking to the theory of the colour of the cards selected by players earlier, could red be a sign of a staff member? Is this foreshadowing Gi-hun returning to the games to work there?

Squid Game is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Your 12 most burning questions about Squid Game on Netflix, answered

• Would you actually survive Squid Game? Take this quiz to find out

• This is what the cast of Squid Game on Netflix are all like in real life