Who Won Squid Games Season 1
Gi-hun won. Guys, explore more in Guides And Explainers and who won squid games season 1.
That is the short answer. The long answer involves debt, violence, and a hollow victory that still stings years later. The protagonist walked away from the arena alive, but the cost was staggering.
The Final Rounds: A Brutal Path to the Top
The glass bridge forced players to choose between two panels. One was tempered glass. The other was not. Players fell to their deaths in real time. Gi-hun survived by following a pattern he noticed late. He watched other teams make the sacrifice for him.
The final confrontation with Sang-woo was not a fair fight. It was a knife fight in a small room. Sang-woo, the strategic mastermind, chose to end his own life. He stabbed himself in the neck. Gi-hun held his body as he bled out.
The Prize Money: 45.6 Billion Won
The raw number sounds like a fever dream. 45.6 billion Korean won sat in the account. That figure translates to roughly $38 million in US dollars. Gi-hun became a millionaire overnight.
Yet, money did not fix anything. He immediately returned to Seoul from the airport. He sat in his mother’s empty house and did nothing for days. The check was in his pocket, but he felt bankrupt.
The Defeat: Gi-hun Refuses to Take the Prize
This is where the story breaks your heart.
Gi-hun did not fly away on a private jet. He lost the coin toss to the VIPs, and he forfeited the entire jackpot. He ripped up the boarding pass. He refused to turn his back on the people who died on those islands.
The organizers wanted him to play their next round. They wanted him to keep gambling. He simply said no. He left the game behind, even if the trauma stayed with him.
Gi-hun’s Condition After the Games
The show does not end with a celebration. Gi-hun collapses in the street. He looks at a little girl on a swing set. She reminds him of his own daughter. The connection shatters him completely.
He picks up a phone number. It is the Squid Game operator’s card. He holds it for a long moment. The camera lingers on his hand. The cliffhanger suggests the cycle might be restarting.
Where to Watch and Verify the Details
The series remains a defining piece of modern television. Netflix hosts the complete collection with subtitles and audio options for global audiences. You can stream the original Korean version or the English dub, both carrying the same weight.
For anyone verifying the plot structure or the ending of this specific season, the official Netflix synopsis remains the most reliable source [^1^].
^1^]: [Squid Game - Official Netflix Site
Season 2 and Beyond
The wait for answers felt endless. The show was officially canceled after season 1 before being revived. Filming for Squid Game season 2 started in 2023. Lee Jung-jae returns as Gi-hun.
The upcoming season picks up where the finale left off. He is hunting down the organizers. The VIPs are still playing god from their private suites. The question is whether Gi-hun will find the closure he could not get in the first season.
Final Thoughts on the Winner
Technically, Gi-hun won the competition. He lived when 455 others did not. He claimed the right to the cash prize. But he left the money behind.
The real winner was the audience. We got a story about desperation, class struggle, and human cruelty. Gi-hun’s victory was hollow. It left him with survivor’s guilt and a burning need for vengeance. Season 1 ended not with a celebration, but with a vow.