Are you looking for K-Dramas similar to Squid Game? Say no more as you’re at the right place. K-Dramas have surely made their mark on the global stage with an ever-increasing fanbase. Korean culture is gradually spreading in the world thanks to some top-grade shows and movies in different genres. Korean Dramas such as Crash Landing on You, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, The World of the Married, Goblin, and Sky Castle have become wildly popular all around. Not to mention the Oscar winner South Korean film Parasite. Also, with the advent of streaming platforms, it has become so much easier to try out new shows and films irrespective of the language spoken in them.
One particular Korean drama that has taken over quite recently is Squid Game. Squid Game aired just a month ago, and in that period, it has garnered a colossal following. The show is available to stream on Netflix. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos says the Korean thriller is going to become Netflix’s biggest non-English language show in the world. The show is about a contest that has 456 players, all deep in debt, playing children’s games to win 45.6 billion won. However, there is a grave penalty upon losing. Those who’ve finished watching the show might now be hooked to its unique plot and looking for similar K-Dramas to Squid Game. Below, you can find a list of K-dramas similar to Squid Game.
Alice in Borderland
Touted to be even better than Squid Game, Alice in Borderland is built upon the manga of the same name. The manga has an anime adaptation too. This sci-fi suspense thriller Korean drama on Netflix came about a year before Squid Game. It follows three friends Arisu, Chota, and Karube, who find themselves in a situation where the whole population of Tokyo just disappears all of a sudden. They are then made to compete in dangerous games needing physical strength and intelligence. Upon surviving their first game, the players get visas which get extended the more they survive. However, if the visas expire, a player is executed by red lasers from the sky.
Sweet Home
Sweet Home may not be about child games, but it certainly is about survival. This apocalyptic horror series is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name. It aired on Netflix in December 2020. Cha Hyun-soo, after going through a family tragedy, leaves his home to shift over to an apartment. Shortly after, there appear monsters bent on extinguishing humanity. The ones inside Cha Hyun-soo’s building try to protect themselves as long as possible by staying inside. The monsters are the embodiment of man’s inner desires.
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Strangers from Hell
More popularly known as Hell Is Other People, this South Korean TV series came out in 2019 on Netflix. It is the second series in the ‘Dramatic Cinema’ project of OCN. The story shows Yoon Jong-Woo, a young man who has moved to Seoul as he is offered an internship in a company. While searching for a cheap place to stay, he finds Eden Studio, where he has to share its bathroom and kitchen with other residents. He dislikes the other residents, but soon enough, strange occurrences take place at Eden Studio, and he begins to fear these residents.
Dark Hole
This sci-fi thriller Dark Hole is also one of the series in OCN’s ‘Dramatic Cinema’ project, which combines film and drama formats. It came out this year and can be streamed on original networks OCN and tvN. Dark Hole shows Lee Hwa-Sun, a detective who has received a call from her husband’s killer, who then travels to Muji city to chase the killer. She finds that the people there inhale a strange dark smoke and turn into monsters. Also, there lives in Muji city, Yoo Tae-Han, a former detective who is now a wrecker driver. Yoo Tae-Han joins Lee Hwa-Sun to save the people in the city.
Liar Game
As the name suggests, this TV series Liar Game revolves around a psychological survival game in the form of a reality show called Liar Game. Participants have to lie and trick each other to stay in the game, or else they’ll be in debt. Nam Da-Jung, who is already in debt, sees this game as a chance to clear off his debt. The winner of the Liar Game will receive a prize of 10 billion won. This series came out in 2014 and is based upon the Japanese manga of the same name with an anime adaptation too.
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