Alice in Borderland season 3: Every game ranked by difficulty

Netflix dropped Alice in Borderland season 3 worldwide on September 25, 2025, with six new episodes. The Japanese survival thriller once again threw Ryōhei Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Yuzuha Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya) into the deadly world of the Borderland, now with the long-awaited “Joker” stage in play. Fans have waited nearly three years since the second season ended on the mysterious Joker card.

Alice in Borderland continued its formula of card-based games in its latest installment. Each contest, as usual, carried life-or-death stakes. In season 3 of Alice in Borderland, returning veterans and new characters faced puzzles, infections, physical endurance trials, and a final psychological gauntlet.

Each game demanded a different skill set, but not all were equally brutal. Some tested logic under pressure, while others drained players through survival odds stacked heavily against them.

Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this ranking belong solely to the author.

Here is the ranking of the Alice in Borderland season 3 games by difficulty (easiest to hardest):

Old Maid: Simple rules, but instant death raised tension
Sacred Fortunes: Puzzle-solving under fire arrows
Zombie Hunt: Strategic chaos with infection spreading
Kick the Can: Explosives and countdowns under pressure
Tokyo Bingo Tower: Deadly teamwork on dangerous heights
Runaway Train: Oxygen, poison gas, and no way back
Possible Futures: The hardest game combining psychology, chance, and sacrifice

More about Alice in Borderland season 3: Plot, characters, & all games explained

Season 3 of Alice in Borderland opened with Arisu and Usagi living peacefully in the real world and their memories of the Borderland erased. Their calm ends when Usagi is kidnapped by Ryuji (Kento Kaku), a researcher fascinated by the afterlife. Banda (Hayato Isomura) manipulates events by handing Arisu the Joker card and dragging him back to the games.

This season of Alice in Borderland introduced new players while bringing back survivors from earlier rounds. Key returnees included Ann (Ayaka Miyoshi), Chishiya (Nijirō Murakami), Kuina (Aya Asahina), Aguni (Sho Aoyagi), and Niragi (Dori Sakurada). Along with them, there were fresh recruits like Rei (Tina Tamashiro), Nobu (Kotaro Daigo), Yuna (Akana Ikeda), Sachiko (Risa Sudô), Tetsu (Koji Ohkura), and others.

Some became allies, others rivals, and many met their end in the brutal games.

Detailed look at every game in season 3 of Alice in Borderland

1. Old Maid (Episode 1)

Players sat in electrified chairs, drawing and discarding cards. The one left holding the Joker or breaking rules faced instant electrocution. It was the simplest concept, but deadly for those unable to keep composure.

2. Sacred Fortunes (Episode 2)

Players drew fortune slips with numerical puzzles. Every error triggered fire arrows, their number equal to the size of the mistake. With just one minute per question, most were killed before realizing that the “good fortunes” contained survival hints. Arisu found the clue and escaped through an underground passage with a few survivors.

Alice in Borderland season 3's first main game (Image via Netflix)

3. Zombie Hunt (Episodes 2–3)

Each participant received a set of cards, including special ones like Zombie, Shotgun, and Vaccine. Zombie cards could infect, Vaccine cards could cure, and Shotgun cards could kill once.

Infection spread quickly, and chaos turned the match into a survival of strategy and numbers. Arisu’s team ultimately won by embracing infection and turning fully into zombies.

Alice in borderland season 3 Zombie Hunt game (Image via Netflix)

4. Runaway Train (Episodes 3–4)

Players boarded a driverless train made of eight cars. Each of them either released oxygen or poison gas. They had five neutralizing canisters each, but no way to go back to the previous car.

Choosing whether to mask up or not became a gamble every time. The wrong choice led to violent deaths, making this one of the hardest physical trials.

5. Tokyo Bingo Tower (Episode 4)

Players scaled Tokyo Tower, pressing buzzers tied to a massive bingo card. Completing lines cleared the game, but each buzzer unleashed giant steel balls that knocked climbers to their deaths.

Usagi’s mountain climbing skill proved crucial, allowing her to reach the “Free” button at the top and secure a win.

6. Kick the Can (Episode 4)

Ten cans acted as timers and bombs. Each time a can was passed, the countdown reduced by five seconds. Players had to return them to their base before detonation.

With explosions and fighting over possession, it was unpredictable and violent, leaving fewer winners than available cans.

7. Possible Futures (Episodes 5–6)

The final gauntlet of Alice in Borderland season 3. Players entered a 25-room maze, rolling dice to decide movement. Each started with 15 points, losing one per round or move. Rooms showed visions of possible futures, forcing choices between hope and despair.

Usagi, revealed to be pregnant, was counted as two players. With alliances breaking, betrayals surfacing, and time running out, Arisu sacrificed himself to let others escape. Although it was his choice, it ultimately returned him and Usagi to life.

The final episodes of Alice in Borderland season 3 reintroduced the mysterious “Man in the Hat,” who acted as a gatekeeper between life and death. He clarified that the Joker wasn’t a ruler but a wildcard symbol of life’s uncertainty.

Season 3 of Alice in Borderland closed with Arisu choosing life, saving Usagi, and returning to reality. But the story ended ominously. Towards the end, earthquakes shook Japan and other regions worldwide, before the camera revealed a diner in California with a waitress named “Alice,” hinting at a possible American spin-off.

All six episodes of Alice in Borderland season 3 are now streaming on Netflix.

About the author

Mantasha is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda who covers K-pop and K-drama. She has recently completed her Masters in English and has a rich 3-year writing experience where she crafted engaging content for top companies such as Unacademy, Apollo Hospitals, Adani Airports, and the Economic Times. Her experience has helped her create a strong foundation that complements her passion for creating the best content related to K-pop, K-dramas and Korean movies.

Mantasha's interest in pop culture took root when her cousin introduced her to classic Hollywood and Bollywood tunes and the rest, as they say, is history. Mantasha’s connection with K-pop supergroup BTS is a special one as their song lyrics, hard work, and dedication resonate with her like no other group does.

Maintaining accuracy, relevance, and ethics in her reporting is extremely essential for Mantasha. She prioritizes thorough research, delving deep beyond just superficial sources, to ensure comprehensive and trustworthy information.

When not writing, Mantasha enjoys journaling and doodling, watching K-dramas and listening to songs.

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Edited by Ankita Barat