With Squid Game Season 2 dropping in December 2024, the global phenomenon has reignited its fandom after three long years of anticipation. Topping charts with over 68 million views worldwide, it’s clear the series still has everyone hooked.
If you’re like me and couldn’t peel your eyes away from the screen until the end—or are still haunted by that jaw-dropping cliffhanger—you might be craving something equally suspenseful to fill the void.
That’s why I’ve rounded up the top 10 anime that pack the same nail-biting tension, mind games, and twists as Squid Game.
10. Gantz
If you could add a futuristic twist to Squid Games, it would be like Gantz. In this game, the players use futuristic weapons and suits that enhance their strength and speed to combat aliens and earn points.
The plot follows the deaths of two high school students, Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato. Instead of going to the afterlife, they end up in a mysterious room with a black orb known as Gantz.
They are forced to participate and earn 100 points to either go home or revive their friend.
9. Danganronpa
Danganronpa is a fusion of suspense and the thrill of the Squid Games with an intriguing murder-mystery spin. It balances the tension with dark humor by Monokuma, the game master’s comments.
The story follows Makoto Naegi, who wins a ticket to an elite school. However, things turn grim when he is trapped with 13 other students inside the academy by Monokuma, a sadistic teddy bear-like figure.
The rules of the survival game are similar to those of “Among Us.” In this game, a student must murder another student and get away with it.
After each round, there is a trial, and if the killer gets executed, then the game continues; however, if the killer isn’t identified, then the other members suffer while the killer gets to escape.
8. Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland is similar to Squid Game in that it explores a corrupt system that views suffering as entertainment. The personal backstories are unraveled, making you attached to the characters, just as we all got attached to Ali.
The plot revolves around Ganta Igarashi, unjustly imprisoned after an enigmatic “Red Man” massacres his class. The twist is that the high-security prison serves as an amusement park of horrors for the public.
Ganta is an inmate with a rare ability that allows him to control his blood as a weapon, classifying him as a deadman, where he is forced to participate in fights with other deadmen known as the Carnival Corpse.
He’s forced to participate in gladiator-style fights against other Deadmen, known as the Carnival Corpse, where the stakes are as threatening as life, death, or mutilation.
7. Future Diary
Future Diary should be on your watch list, as it instills the same intensity of suspense and action as Squid Game.
Like Squid Game’s enigmatic VIPs and creators, Future Diary features a higher power, Deus Ex Machina, which orchestrates the deadly competition, where the winner will be the next God of Time and Space.
The plot revolves around Yukiteru ‘Yuki’ Amano, a socially withdrawn high school student who documents his life digitally on his cell phone. His life turns darker when his cellphone diary suddenly starts predicting the future.
Yuki learns he is one of twelve participants Deus Ex Machina chose to compete in a deadly survival game. Each participant has a unique Future Diary that allows them to foresee events differently.
The game aims to eliminate the other players, with the last survivor becoming the next god of time and space.
6. Btooom!
For a survival story reminiscent of Squid Game, Btooom! is an excellent choice. The protagonist, Ryouta Sakamoto, wakes up on an island with no memory of getting there and is forced to play a real-life game called Btooom!.
He was an expert in that game behind the screen. Imagine getting pulled into Call of Duty and playing to survive.
In Btooom! The players try to eliminate each other by using peculiar bombs called BIMs to survive and escape the island of doom.
It tests the players’ physical survival skills and psychological endurance as alliances are formed, trust is shattered, and true personalities are uncovered.
5. Tomodachi Game
The Tomodachi Game, which literally translates to “friends game,” revolves around a group of friends who play a psychological game in which their trust, loyalty, and bond are tested through various levels.
Unlike in Squid games, the players don’t lose their lives. However, they lose their integrity and mental stability. This mind game eats away at their morale and will.
The story revolves around Yuichi Katagiri and his close friends, Sawaragi, Tenji Mikasa, Makoto Shibe, and Yutori Kokorogi. They are pulled into the Tomodachi game after someone enters their names to settle a personal debt.
4. Darwin’s Game
You will love Darwin’s Game, a thrilling death game in which players, called “sigils,” battle each other to the death. What intrigues you is that each player’s ability is tailored to their personality, inherent flair, etc.
The protagonist, Sudou Kaname, has a sigil called Hinokagutsuchi, enabling him to produce objects he has touched before.
Whereas the female lead, Karino Shuka’s sigil, is Queen of Thorns which lets her gain control over any string-like objects, which allows her to engage in combat with precision and scale towering heights.
This blend of abilities is like MHA, but the characters fight to the death here.
3. Alice In Borderland
This title will strike you. Remember the K-drama Alice in Borderland? However, it was actually inspired by a manga written and illustrated by Haro, which received its anime.
The anime revolves around Ryohei Arisu, a relatable protagonist who feels disconnected from Tokyo’s city life. One day, however, things take a steep turn when he is transported to a deserted version of the city with his friends Karube and Chota.
This deserted version of Tokyo is called the “Borderland.” They play games represented by cards to survive, like the Hunger Games.
2. Death Parade
If Squid Game had you on edge, Death Parade will take you on another intense ride. Through games, it dives into the intricate nature and psyche of humans.
The games take place in an enigmatic bar called Quindecim, where the dead arrive. However, these people aren’t aware that they are dead. Here, the bartender, Decim, is set to decide their fate: reincarnation or an eternity of nothingness with a series of games.
It sounds simple, but the players’ true nature, secrets, and how they died are revealed once the match begins. It’s gripping as it portrays the true nature of human beings, which seeps out when under pressure.
1. Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the producer of Squid Game, revealed that Kaiji’s tragedy inspired him to create the series we all love. This should be the perfect anime to fill the void after watching Squid Game.
This anime revolves around Kaiji Itou, who lives miserably by gambling, drinking, etc. It spirals downwards one day when a debt collector approaches him to repay a behemoth debt that a former worker had co-signed.
Just as in Squid Games, Kaiji is given a chance to participate in underground gambling games to either succeed in paying off the debt or end up with a higher debt and are forced to work in underground labor camps.
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