How Much Is Squid Game’s 45.6 Billion Won Prize Money In Dollars?

Some people would never put their lives on the line for money, but that’s exactly what happens in the hit Netflix series “Squid Game,” returning for its second season on December 26. In fact, 456 individuals decide to sign up for a series of games that turn out to be extremely deadly. Every time someone dies in the games, either from the games themselves or because they fail and are summarily executed, another 100,000,000 won is added to the prize pot, stored in a giant clear piggy bank suspended from the ceiling. Whoever wins has 100,000,000 won on their head as well, which means that the total prize for the survivor of the squid games is 45.6 billion won. That seems like an absolutely ludicrous amount of money, but how much is it exactly? 

We know that the prize money would be enough for a person to completely start their life over and do pretty much whatever they want, joining the wealthy elite and escaping whatever conditions forced them into the games in the first place. But how much is it in U.S. currency, and is it really worth the horror of surviving the games and knowing 455 other desperate people died so you could get it?

As of December 2024, 45.6 billion won is worth approximately 31.8 million United States dollars, which is definitely life-changing money. Joining the millionaire class means leaving behind the struggles of working life forever, and for many of the competitors, it means escaping serious issues. Competitors like season 1’s Kang Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-Hyeon), who defected from North Korea with her little brother, wanted to win the prize for not only a better life but to get her mother out of the totalitarian northern state. The stakes are impossibly high for everyone involved — it’s literal life or death — all for the budget of one episode of “Stranger Things.” Capitalism, baby!

For those of you not in the U.S., the prize is worth 25 million U.K. pounds, 30.4 million euros, 45.2 million Canadian dollars, and 50 million Australian dollars, for some context. No matter where you live, it’s an absolutely massive prize. It does bring up the question of how much a single life is worth, as 100 million won is about 70 thousand USD, which just seems incredibly low. Then again, a life should be considered priceless, and that’s part of the point of the dang show. If only Netflix understood that and wasn’t out here making multiple seasons of an actual “Squid Game” game show and raking in the cash while the South Korean drama’s creator made almost nothing. Life imitates art, I guess.

“Squid Game” season 2 premieres on December 26, 2024, streaming exclusively on Netflix.