If you want another series like Squid Game, start with Alice in Borderland for deadly games, The 8 Show or 3% for inequality-driven competition, or Kaiji for high-stakes gambling. The best fit depends on what hooked you: survival contests, social pressure, horror, or strategic mind games.
Which shows are most like Squid Game?
These ten picks share some combination of high-stakes competition, survival pressure, social hierarchy, or psychological strategy. The ranking is a viewing guide, not an objective measure of quality. Netflix’s post-season-3 recommendations include the first five titles; the remaining picks broaden the list with other game and survival dramas. Streaming availability varies by region, so check your local catalog. Netflix Tudum notes that recommendation availability may vary by region.
1. Alice in Borderland — closest for deadly games
A gamer and his companions find themselves in a parallel Tokyo, where they must survive sadistic games. Like Squid Game, it turns contests into life-or-death tests; unlike it, the setting is speculative and the series is based on Haro Aso’s manga. Netflix lists three seasons and classifies it as a Japanese sci-fi, manga-based game-of-death thriller. Netflix Tudum describes its premise; Netflix’s title page lists the series and its categories; Netflix’s Media Center identifies the manga source.
2. The 8 Show — closest for class tension
Eight strangers are trapped in a building where time spent inside adds to their cash prize. The floor-based differences in money and living conditions sharpen the social divide, making this a strong choice if the inequality and group conflict mattered more to you than a fast succession of elimination games. Netflix Tudum outlines the setup; TVLine discusses the unequal conditions and slower interpersonal focus.
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3. 3% — best for competition for privilege
In a divided, post-apocalyptic Brazil, candidates face an annual selection process that offers a route from poverty to an elite society. The contest is less a series of playground-style games than a gatekeeping system: the premise makes access to a better life the prize, while preserving the inequality that created the competition. The title refers to the fictional process accepting only a small fraction of candidates, not to a real-world statistic. Netflix Tudum describes the setting and selection premise.
4. All of Us Are Dead — best for ensemble survival horror
A zombie outbreak traps students at their school. The immediate danger supplies the survival tension, while teen relationships and coming-of-age concerns give the ensemble a different emotional focus from Squid Game’s adult contestants. Choose it for a horror outbreak rather than an organized tournament. Netflix Tudum describes the series.
Rank #2
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5. Black Mirror — best for standalone dark social stories
This anthology is not one continuous elimination contest. Its separate stories examine how technology affects people, relationships, and society, often through satirical and unsettling premises. It fits if you want the moral unease and social criticism of Squid Game without following one group through a single competition. Netflix Tudum characterizes the anthology and its themes.
6. Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor — best for debt and desperate gambling
Gambler Kaiji Itō enters dangerous games run by the Yakuza as he tries to repay his debts. The appeal is the pressure of wagers, bad odds, and schemes rather than a direct copy of Squid Game’s format. TVLine also notes that creator Hwang Dong-hyuk cited Nobuyuki Fukumoto’s manga among the influences on Squid Game. TVLine describes the anime and the cited influence.
Rank #3
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7. Liar Game — best for deception and tactics
In the 2014 Korean drama adaptation, players use psychological tricks to take money from rivals. It is closer to Squid Game in strategic competition than in violence: deception and reading opponents drive the tension, not a lethal tournament. A Japanese live-action version also exists. TVLine covers the Korean adaptation and Japanese version.
8. The Purge — best for a society-wide survival ordeal
The two-season television adaptation imagines a near-future United States where crimes are temporarily legal for a 12-hour period each year. It shares the pressure of trying to survive inside a violent social order, but it does not revolve around organized game rounds. TVLine describes the television premise and season count.
Rank #4
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9. Hellbound — best for supernatural horror and social critique
A mysterious force publicly predicts people’s condemnation and violent execution. Religious groups use the phenomenon to build influence, giving the horror a social and institutional dimension. Pick it for supernatural dread and a story about how people respond to fear, rather than for game mechanics. TVLine describes the premise.
10. Pyramid Game — best for hierarchy and exclusion
Student polls create a school ranking system in which those at the bottom are ostracized and classmates maneuver to climb. The contest is social, not a conventional game of death, so it suits viewers drawn to manipulation, status, and the cruelty of a system people help maintain. TVLine describes the school hierarchy.
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Choose by the part of Squid Game you want more of
| What you want | Try | How the tension works |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated deadly challenges | Alice in Borderland, Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor | Survival games in a speculative setting; dangerous gambling and debt, respectively. |
| Competition shaped by inequality | The 8 Show, 3% | Unequal conditions inside a game show; a selection process that controls access to privilege. |
| Social ranking and exclusion | Pyramid Game | Students use a poll-based hierarchy to isolate and maneuver against one another. |
| Mind games with less emphasis on lethal stakes | Liar Game | Psychological tricks and deception drive the contest. |
| Survival horror | All of Us Are Dead, The Purge, Hellbound | A zombie outbreak, a recurring violent period, or supernatural executions create danger. |
| Dark, separate stories about society and technology | Black Mirror | An anthology explores technology’s effects on people and society. |
How much of a commitment are the closest picks?
Format may help narrow the choice. Netflix lists Alice in Borderland as three seasons, 3% as four seasons, and The 8 Show as eight episodes. Black Mirror is an anthology, so its episodes tell standalone stories rather than continuing one competition. Season and episode counts can change as catalogs are updated; confirm the current listing for your region. Netflix Tudum provides the episode and season details for these recommendations; Netflix’s listing gives the current season information for Alice in Borderland.
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