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How to play Squid Game's Gonggi and where to buy stones
The mesmerising game is one element of Squid Game's terrifying 'Six Legs'.
No Ju-han/Netflix
- David Craig
Published: Monday, 13 January 2025 at 2:19 pm
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Squid Game season 2 has unleashed more nerve-shredding games on its unfortunate players (and viewers at home), with arguably the most challenging exercise being episode four's Six Legs.
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The team event requires participants to be collectively skilled in five different games, from Flying Stone (a basic aiming and throwing task) to jegi (a keepy-uppy type game played with a brightly decorated sack).
Of the selection, viewers have been particularly interested in gonggi, a traditional South Korean playground game which puts the hand-eye coordination of the player to the ultimate test.
The game's mesmerising depiction in Squid Game season 2 sees players quickly throwing, catching, dropping and picking up stones in a pattern that can be hard to decipher upon first viewing.
However, there is a very specific method to the task that viewers can try at home using a specific gonggi set, or whatever small, round objects they can gather together from around their home.
If you're keen to have a go but want to ensure that you're playing correctly, read on for our guide on how to play gonggi, as seen in Squid Game season 2's Six Legs challenge.
How to play Squid Game's Gonggi
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As demonstrated in Squid Game season 2 and in the helpful YouTube tutorial above, gonggi is a playground game of five rounds, each one played differently.
They break down like so:
- Round 1: Drop the stones and pick them up one-by-one.*
- Round 2: Drop the stones and pick them up two-by-two.
- Round 3: Drop the stones, pick up three at once, then pick up the remaining one.
- Round 4: Throw one stone in the air, drop the remaining stones, catch the airborne stone and then pick up the other four at once.
- Round 5a: Hold all five stones in the palm of your hand, carefully throw them and flip your hand over so that all of them land on the tops of your fingers.
- Round 5b: Continuing from the position at the end of 5a, throw and catch all five stones in your hand.
*Every time you're picking up, remember that you need to throw however many stones are already in your palm in the air as you do so, and then catch them again. This makes gonggi a particularly challenging exercise in hand-eye coordination.
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Where to buy Gonggi stones
Kang Ae-sim as Jang Geum-ja in Squid Game season 2 No Ju-han/Netflix
The great thing about Gonggi is its accessibility: you don't actually have to buy a specific set in order to play.
The game can be played with stones, pebbles, dice, beads or any other small round objects – in the case of Squid Game character Geum-ja, she even claims to have played it using bullets during the Korean War.
That said, as the game is most often played by children, colourful sets do exist that offer an aesthetically pleasing way of learning the rules. Several of these can be found by searching for 'gonggi stones' on Amazon, although some have lengthy delivery times.
If interest surges in the wake of Squid Game season 2, it may be that gonggi sets become more readily available in 2025.
Squid Game seasons 1-2 are available to stream on Netflix.
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Authors
David CraigSenior Drama Writer
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
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