If You Invested $1,000 In Netflix Stock When 'Squid Game' Was Released, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

A third and final season of the hit series "Squid Game" hits streaming platform Netflix Inc NFLX on June 27.

Fans of the show and Netflix shareholders are likely excited to see the potential high viewership of the final iteration of the series that began in 2021 and smashed records.

Here’s a look back at the release of “Squid Game” and how much investors could have made following Netflix’s success.

What Happened: The nine-episode first season of “Squid Game” was released on Sept. 17, 2021, and went on to break records for the streaming platform.

Hundreds of millions of households around the world watched the first season in its first month of release, with Netflix reporting a record of 1.65 billion hours of the series streamed during its first four weeks.

Set in South Korea, the series centered on a secret contest of 456 players facing financial hardships who were competing for a huge cash prize of 45.6 billion South Korean won, or around $38.5 million.

The players quickly learn that the children’s games they must win are lethal — losing means death, with only one survivor allowed to remain.

Still ranking as Netflix’s most-watched series, the first season has more than 265 million viewers with over 2.2 billion hours watched.

A highly anticipated second season was released on Dec. 26, 2024, with seven new episodes. The series had 68 million viewers during its first week, setting a new Netflix premiere record.

The third and final season brings back Seong Gi-hun (aka Player 456), portrayed on screen by Lee Jung-jae. Director and writer Hwang Dong-Hyuk also returned for the third season.

Investing $1,000 in NFLX Stock: Netflix stock soared to previous all-time highs back in November 2021, helped by the COVID-19 pandemic and more people streaming movies and shows at home with movie theaters shut down.

The critical reception to “Squid Game” and the series being talked about around the world may have also contributed to Netflix’s stock surge.

Netflix stock began falling in late 2021 and traded down into 2022 before beginning an upward trend that led to new all-time highs set in 2024 and multiple times throughout 2025.

On Sept. 17, 2021, Netflix stock hit a high $590.28. An investor could have purchased 1.69 NFLX stock with $1,000 at the time.

Today, the $1,000 investment would be worth $2,208.27 based on a price of $1,306.67 at the time of writing. This represents a return of 120.8% over the nearly the past four years.

For comparison, the same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY,which tracks the S&P 500, could have purchased 2.25 shares on Sept. 17, 2021. That investment would be worth $1,376.71 today, up 37.7%.

While small investors wouldn't come close to earning the $38.5 million "Squid Game" prize, betting on Netflix stock at the show's release would have beaten the S&P 500's returns.

In fact, the $1,208 gained in profits along the way could pay for a Netflix streaming subscription for many months. An investor could cash out the profits and pay for the Standard $17.99 monthly plan for 67.1 months, or more than 5.5 years. Those willing to sit through ads could use the $1,208 in profits to pay for 151.2 months of Netflix with ads ($7.99), or more than 12 and a half years.

What's Next: While "Squid Game" may be coming to an end, it's far from the end of Netflix's streaming success.

Netflix will also continue to look to its "Squid Game" intellectual property with a mobile game and as part of its growing experiences business.

The company will also be releasing the second season of "Wednesday" in two parts across August and September. A new "Stranger Things" season will be released in three parts across November and December.

Netflix will also air two National Football League games on Christmas Day 2025.

It's shaping up to be an exciting last six-plus months for Netflix and more all-time highs could be in store for the stock.

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