The $45.6 Billion Question: Who Won Squid Game Season 1 And What Happened Next?

As of December 2025, the chilling reality of the *Squid Game* Season 1 finale remains one of the most discussed television endings in history. The winner, emerging from a brutal, six-game gauntlet of childhood games turned deadly, was Seong Gi-hun, known to all as Player 456. His victory, however, was not one of triumph, but of profound, existential trauma, setting the stage for his shocking return in the highly anticipated second season. The journey of Seong Gi-hun from a deeply indebted, divorced gambler to the sole survivor of the 33rd Squid Game is a complex narrative of survival, morality, and desperation. He claimed the staggering 45.6 billion South Korean won prize, but the cost—the lives of 455 other contestants, including his closest allies and friends—left him emotionally paralyzed, initially unable to even touch the money.

Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) – The Reluctant Victor’s Biography

The man who walked away with the prize money is more than just a number; he is the embodiment of the moral conflict at the heart of the series.

• Character Name: Seong Gi-hun (성기훈)
• Player Number: 456
• Actor: Lee Jung-jae (이정재)
• Background: A divorced father living with his elderly mother, struggling with gambling debts and financial instability. He joined the games primarily to pay off his debts and provide for his daughter.
• Key Relationships: Close bond with Oh Il-nam (Player 001), childhood friend and rival Cho Sang-woo (Player 218), and alliance with Kang Sae-byeok (Player 067).
• The Win: He won the final game, a traditional Korean children's game called *Squid Game*, against Cho Sang-woo. His victory was solidified when Sang-woo chose to take his own life rather than face defeat and disgrace, urging Gi-hun to look after his mother.
• Post-Game Status: Initially traumatized and unwilling to spend the prize money. He later discovers the truth about the game’s mastermind, Oh Il-nam, and dedicates himself to using the money for good and, ultimately, stopping the games.
• Actor Accolades: Lee Jung-jae's performance earned him global acclaim, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.

The Final Gauntlet: How Player 456 Claimed the 45.6 Billion Won

Gi-hun’s victory was a culmination of luck, strategy, and the moral compromises of his fellow players. He survived six deadly rounds, each based on a different children's game, demonstrating both his humanity and a fierce will to live.

The Six Games of Survival

The path to the final prize was paved with blood, with each game strategically designed to eliminate players while testing their moral fiber and ability to form alliances.

1. Red Light, Green Light: The first game was a brutal introduction to the rules, eliminating over half the initial 456 contestants. Gi-hun survived largely due to the intervention of Oh Il-nam, who recognized the game’s mechanics.

2. Dalgona (Honeycomb): Players had to perfectly cut out a shape from a brittle sugar candy. Gi-hun survived by using his saliva to melt the edges of his difficult umbrella shape, a clever, desperate strategy.

3. Tug-of-War: This game required teamwork and strength. Gi-hun's team, which included the elderly Oh Il-nam, the strong Player 240 (Kang Sae-byeok), and Cho Sang-woo, won by using Il-nam's low-center-of-gravity strategy and Sang-woo's quick thinking.

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4. Marbles: The most emotionally devastating game, where players had to pair up and compete against their partner. Gi-hun was paired with Oh Il-nam and, despite his initial moral struggle, manipulated the elderly man to win, only to realize later that Il-nam was the game's creator and allowed him to win.

5. Glass Bridge: A terrifying test of chance and quick decision-making. Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Kang Sae-byeok were the only three to survive the bridge after the glass maker (Player 017) and others sacrificed themselves or were killed.

6. Squid Game (The Final Game): The namesake game pitted Gi-hun against his childhood friend, Cho Sang-woo. It was a vicious, hand-to-hand fight. Gi-hun was moments away from winning when he offered Sang-woo a chance to stop the game and save both their lives. Sang-woo, broken by shame and debt, refused and committed suicide, ensuring Gi-hun was the sole victor and received the full prize money.

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The Aftermath and Gi-hun’s Explosive Return in Season 2

Gi-hun’s life after the games was far from a happy ending. He spent a year living modestly, refusing to use the blood money. His trauma was compounded by the death of his mother, which occurred while he was away.

The turning point came with the final confrontation with the true mastermind, Oh Il-nam (Player 001), who was revealed to be a wealthy VIP who created the games for his own perverse entertainment. Il-nam's deathbed confession solidified Gi-hun's resolve to expose and dismantle the organization.

Current Updates: What to Expect in Squid Game Season 2

The latest, most current information confirms that Seong Gi-hun will be the central focus of the next chapter, which is one of the most anticipated television events of the year.

• The Mission: Gi-hun's final scene in Season 1 showed him abandoning his flight to see his daughter and turning back, a clear sign of his intention to confront the organization behind the games. The plot of Season 2 revolves around his mission to re-enter the game's world—not as a participant—but as a force seeking to destroy it from the inside and save future potential victims.
• The Front Man: Gi-hun’s confrontation will inevitably lead him to The Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), the mysterious masked figure who oversees the entire operation. This is expected to be the main conflict, as Gi-hun seeks to unravel the conspiracy and expose the VIPs.
• Release Date: *Squid Game* Season 2 is set to be released in December 2024, which means the continuation of Gi-hun's story is imminent.
• Topical Entities for Season 2: The new season is confirmed to bring back key figures and introduce new players, further expanding the show's universe and the dark secrets of the organization.

Gi-hun’s victory in Season 1 was not the end of his struggle, but the beginning of a new, dangerous war. The winner of the 45.6 billion won is now a man on a mission, proving that even after escaping the deadly playground, the fight for true justice and humanity is far from over.