Where was Squid Game: The Challenge filmed? All filming locations

❘ Published: 2023-12-05T17:39:06

A guard and the set in Squid Game: The Challenge

Netflix

With the anticipated Squid Game: The Challenge finale just around the corner, here’s what you need to know about the show’s filming locations.

It’s time to journey back to the land of Red Light, Green Light, nightmarish umbrellas, and a whole lotta backstabbing – that’s right, it’s Squid Game. Only this time there’s a lot less murder, as Netflix has released its real-life competition spin-off series, Squid Game: The Challenge.

As per the official synopsis: “456 real players will enter the competition show in pursuit of a life-changing reward of $4.56 million. As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.”

With Episodes 1-9 out now and the finale about to drop, you might be wondering where it was filmed. Let’s get into it.

Squid Game: The Challenge filming locations

Below, you’ll find a list of all of the filming locations where Squid Game: The Challenge was shot, as well as further details about how the iconic games were brought to life.

Wharf Studios, London, UK

While many of the contestants of the show are from the US and the UK, there are people from across the globe – and they all travelled to the UK to film Squid Game: The Challenge. Specifically, most of the filming took place at Wharf Studios, London.

As you’ll be able to see from the trailer, the creators managed to recreate the set pieces from many of the original games. And considering they had so many real players, this was no mean feat building the games to scale – as well as their sleeping quarters. That’s a lot of bunk beds.

Still from Squid Game: The Challenge on Netflix

But The Wharf Studios, located in Barking, certainly offered the space required. As per its website, the production facility “is a private 10-acre campus offering six large sound stages, purpose-built and acoustically treated, with full supporting infrastructure; including production offices, workshops, drive-in access and ample parking.”

There is over 200,000 square-feet of flexible creative space, six sound stages totaling 104,000 square-feet, and 94,000 square-feet of office and support space. As per Netflix, Squid Game: The Challenge was filmed over 16 days at Wharf Studios.

“The production took up a total of six interconnected sound stages that enabled players to live inside a completely immersive world,” it states. “Once players were inside, they never left unless they were eliminated. Players exited the dormitory and passed through the iconic stairwells of Squid Game – a labyrinthine, practically built maze of routes designed by Production Designer Mathieu Weekes – that led to a white pre-game area before every game.”

Cardington Studios, Bedford, UK

The only game that wasn’t filmed at Wharf Studios was the iconic Red Light, Green Light, due to the fact that there were 456 players involved, meaning it needed a much larger single space. And this is what brought the production team over to Cardington Studios, located in Bedford, UK.

As highlighted by Netflix, the record-breaking number of contestants for the game meant they needed to turn to one of Europe’s largest indoor spaces. The scale of the facility makes it an ideal filming location for many blockbuster movies.

The space was previously used to build enormous airships and zeppelins in the 1920s and 30s. At over 100,000 square-feet, each of the two hangars are large enough to hold four traditional sound stages. The streamer states: “The total area of play from starting line to finish line was approximately 100 meters x 40 meters (328 feet x 131 feet).”

Squid Game: The Challenge Episodes 1-9 are available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out our other coverage below: