Squid Game prize money isn’t as much as you think
NetflixPicture the scene: you’ve just seen hundreds of people die, but you’re the last person standing at the end of Squid Game, and you’ve won millions of dollars – but don’t be too excited.
Try (and succeed) as it might to make us consider the deeper, more troubling themes, anyone watching Squid Game Season 2 will think the same thing: could I win?
It’s just human nature: there’s a (seemingly) huge amount of money on the line, and the means to win it are deceptively simple. It’s just a few children’s playground games, how difficult could it be?
But, as Gi-hun points out, that prize pot isn’t really yours: it’s blood money from all of the contestants who lost their lives in pursuit of it, and to make matters worse, it’s not as much cash as you think.
How much is the prize money in Squid Game?
NetflixThe maximum prize money in Squid Game is 45.6 billion won. However, there is a possibility that you leave the competition alive with less money.
In short, Squid Game’s prize pot accumulates via the death of its players; each contestant is worth 100 million won, so when they die, that’s exactly what drops into the giant piggy bank above their bunks. There are 456 players in every Squid Game contest, which equals 45.6 billion won.
In Squid Game Season 2, the Front Man introduces a new rule: after each game, the remaining players vote to move on to the next game or leave the competition with the prize money so far.
For example, 91 players are eliminated in Red Light, Green Light, so that’s 9.1 billion won that’d be split between the remaining 365 players (which really isn’t a lot of money, but I’ll get to that in a second).
45.6 billion won in US dollars
If you convert Squid Game’s prize money into dollars, you could win a maximum of $31,119,745.
I’m not saying $31 million isn’t a life-changing sum of money; you could buy a house, a car, go on holidays, and insure your family’s wealth for generations if you do it properly.
However, it also doesn’t befit the bloodshed one has to endure to win it. Yes, you’d be rich – but 455 players had to die for your newfound wealth.
How much is every player worth in US dollars?
If every Squid Game player is worth 100 million won, that converts to roughly $68,000.
To put that into sobering context, in 2024 the average US salary is $63,000. That’s just $5,000 shy of a person’s entire worth if they compete in Squid Game.
Squid Game prize money in other currencies
If you’re not from the US (or maybe you’re just curious), I’ve converted 45.6 billion won into a few other currencies so you could see how much you’d win if other countries:
- Euro: 29,914,888
- Pound (GBP): 24,823,415
- Canadian Dollar: 44,778,041
- Australian Dollar: 49,967,701
- Japanese Yen: 4,897,116,500
- Indian Rupee: 2,652,137,763
- Franc (Switzerland): 27,985,847
- Ruble (Russia): 3,083,628,256
If you’ve already watched it, check out our Squid Game Season 2 ending explained and the secret Google game you can play if you search the show. You can also read our list of the best TV shows of 2024.