Five Nights At Freddy's

''Five Nights at Freddy's'' (''FNaF'') is a video game series and media franchise created by Scott Cawthon that includes video games, novels, graphic novels, and films. The story arcs typically follow a night guard or other character trying to survive from midnight to 6 a.m. for five levels, called "nights", while fending off attacks from homicidal animatronic characters. Each game is set in a different location connected to a fictional pizza restaurant franchise called "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza". The core gameplay mechanics involve using tools effectively and managing limited resources to avoid being caught by the animatronics.

Cawthon conceived the idea for the first video game after his family-friendly resource management game, ''Chipper & Sons Lumber Co.'', was criticized for the resemblance of its characters to frightening animatronics. Responding to this feedback, he developed a horror game that intentionally featured scary animatronics. Released in August 2014, the game's success prompted the development of sequels. Cawthon created most of the games himself using Clickteam Fusion, but partnered with Steel Wool Studios to create various entries in the series, including an open-world game and a virtual reality anthology. Several spin-offs were created in collaboration with groups such as Illumix and Mega Cat Studios.

The series has a mixed critical reception, with praise for its storytelling and atmosphere but criticism for its gameplay. It has achieved significant commercial success, with merchandise available internationally. The franchise has also garnered a cult following that produces fan media inspired by it.

Origin and development

The concept for '' Five Nights at Freddy's'' stemmed from the negative reception of Scott Cawthon's earlier game, ''Chipper & Sons Lumber Co.'', where players said that the main character resembled a "scary animatronic animal." Initially discouraged by the criticism, Cawthon, who had predominantly created Christian-oriented games, leveraged this feedback to develop something intentionally frightening. ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' was released on August 8, 2014, via Desura, followed by a Steam release after gaining approval through the crowdsourcing platform Greenlight. The game rapidly gained popularity after being showcased by prominent YouTubers.

Following its success, the franchise expanded rapidly, earning a Guinness World Record for "most video game sequels in a single year" for the games released between August 2014 and June 2015. Cawthon used Clickteam Fusion 2.5 for game development and Autodesk 3ds Max for 3D graphics, enhancing later titles with professional voice actors and original soundtracks. Since ''Help Wanted'' in 2019, Cawthon has worked with game development company Steel Wool Studios. Ports for ''Five Nights at Freddy's'', ''Five Nights at Freddy's 2'', ''Five Nights at Freddy's 3'', and ''Five Nights at Freddy's 4'' on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch were released on November 29, 2019.

Media

Main series

* '' Five Nights at Freddy's'' was released for Microsoft Windows on August 8, 2014, followed by ports for Android and iOS on August 27 and September 11, respectively. The game follows the security guard Mike Schmidt, as he tries to survive his shift at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that lasts from midnight to without being killed by the homicidal animatronic characters that wander the pizzeria at night.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's 2'' was teased shortly after the release of the first game. A trailer was released on October 21, 2014, and it was released for Microsoft Windows on November 11, 2014 through Steam, and for Android and iOS on November 13 and 20, 2014, respectively. The game, largely inspired by its predecessor, follows Jeremy Fitzgerald, the new player character, as he tries to survive his shift at the "new and improved" Freddy Fazbear's Pizza without being attacked by any of the ten animatronics that wander from room to room.
* ''Five Nights at Freddy's 3'' was teased on Cawthon's website in January 2015, and a trailer was released on January 26, 2015. The game launched on March 3, 2015, on Microsoft Windows, with Android and iOS ports following on March 6 and 12, respectively. It follows a night guard at a soon-to-open horror attraction based on Freddy Fazbear's Pizza called "Fazbear's Fright", who must survive the night against only one animatronic, called Springtrap.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's 4'' was teased in April 2015 as "''The Final Chapter''", its release date set as that Halloween. A trailer was released in July, and its release date was advanced to August 8. However, Cawthon announced that he had finished it on July 23, on which date he released it on Steam. Android and iOS ports were released on July 25 and August 4, respectively. The game follows an unnamed child in his bedroom as "nightmare animatronics" attack the two doors on the left and right of the room, which the player must use to defend against them.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location'' was teased in April 2016 with the tagline "there was never just one", and a trailer was uploaded on May 21. It was released on Steam on October 7, 2016, with a patch released shortly after to alleviate night four's difficulty. Android and iOS ports were released on December 22, 2016, and January 3, 2017, respectively. Unlike previous entries where players are confined to a single room, players must move between rooms and complete tasks.
* ''Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator'' followed an announcement by Cawthon in July 2017 that a sixth game was in development but ultimately canceled. He released ''Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator'' on December 4, 2017, as freeware on Steam after teasing it several days earlier. It is a simulation game in which the player manages a pizzeria during the day and fends off animatronics at night.
* ''Ultimate Custom Night'' was released as freeware. The customizable night contains a total of fifty animatronics from previous games, which allows the player to determine how aggressive they are during the night. The player can select the office to play in, unlock cutscenes, and choose from 16 themed game modes available.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted'' was announced during Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play livestream on March 25, 2019. It was released on May 28 for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on Windows and PlayStation VR headsets on the PlayStation 4. It was developed in collaboration between Cawthon and Steel Wool Studios, with other studios giving further support. Cawthon initially proposed recreating the original ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' in VR, but the game turned into an anthology of minigames based on the first five games in the series.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach'' was announced with a teaser trailer on September 16, 2020, slated for initial release on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 in the year. However, it was delayed many times, until a release date of December 16, 2021 was set. It is the second collaboration between Steel Wool Studios and Cawthon. The game follows Gregory, a young boy trapped in a massive entertainment complex known as Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex who must complete tasks while avoiding the free-roam animatronics that surveil the complex.
** Free downloadable content for ''Security Breach'', titled ''Ruin'', was announced in May 2022. It was released on July 25, 2023 on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, with Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S versions released on April 23, 2024.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2'' is a direct sequel of ''Help Wanted''. Announced on May 24, 2023, where it was scheduled for release in December 2023, the game was released on December 14 for the Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR 2. A non-VR port for PlayStation 5 was released on June 20, 2024. The game features minigames based on ''Sister Location'' and ''Security Breach'', and was made by Steel Wool Studios''.''
* ''Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic'', the eleventh main installment, was announced on August 6, 2024, with a trailer shown on the State of Play livestream in February 2025. The game was developed by Steel Wool Studios. It was released on June 13, 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Windows.

Spin-off games

* '' FNaF World'', the first spin-off game, was announced on September 15, 2015. Unlike the main series, the game is a role-playing video game using the first four games' animatronic characters. Using the characters, players must fight enemies and progress by unlocking perks and items. Originally planned for release on February 2, 2016, Cawthon rescheduled the release for January 22 and released it on January 21.
* ''Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery'', an augmented reality game with location-based gameplay, was announced on September 13, 2019. Developed by Illumix, a video game startup company, the game was released for free in November 2019. Its servers were shut down on March 14, 2024.
* ''Freddy in Space 2'' is a side-scrolling platform shooter game and a sequel to a mini-game from ''FNaF World''. It was released for free on December 3, 2019, on Game Jolt. The game was made to promote a charity livestream hosted by the Game Theorists YouTube channel.
* ''Security Breach: Fury's Rage'' is a free side-scrolling beat 'em up game featuring the main cast of ''Security Breach'', set in city streets. The game was made to compensate for the release of ''Security Breach'' being delayed for a second time and was released for free on Game Jolt on April 28, 2021.
* ''Freddy in Space 3: Chica in Space'' is a side-scrolling platform shooter game and a sequel to ''Freddy in Space 2''. It was released on October 18, 2023, under the title ''FNAF: The Movie: The Game'', and developed by Cawthon, who claimed it a spoiler-heavy tie-in to the ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' film. It was released for free on Game Jolt.
* ''Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit'', a role-playing adventure horror game developed by Mega Cat Studios, was released on PlayStation and Xbox ports on September 27, 2024. The Nintendo Switch port was released on October 31.
* ''Five Laps at Freddy's'' is a kart racing game based on characters from ''Five Nights at Freddy's''. It was announced on June 19, 2024, to coincide with the series' 10th anniversary.
* '' Five Nights at Freddy's: Survival Crew'' is an unreleased official Roblox adaptation of the series, accidentally released in an unfinished state by its developers, Metaverse Team Frights, on December 20, 2023. The game was immediately taken down after major backlash and Cawthon promised the game would be released in a functional state sometime in 2024. In the short time the game was released, players described the gameplay as similar to the cooperative horror game, '' Dead by Daylight''.

''Fazbear Fanverse''

On August 21, 2020, Cawthon announced his plan to help fund and publish ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' games developed by fans, bundled with previous installments in their respective series. Games published under this initiative include the ''One Night at Flumpty's'' series, the ''Five Nights at Candy's'' series, the ''POPGOES'' series, and ''THE JOY OF CREATION''. Cawthon stated that these games will come to other platforms, such as mobile and consoles, and may have merchandise created for them. The first game to be released under this initiative was a port of ''One Night at Flumpty's'' for Android and iOS on October 31 and November 18, 2020, respectively, followed by two of its sequels in 2021 on the same platforms.

Other media

Novels

Starting in 2015, ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' has been the subject of three major novels published by Scholastic, the first of which being ''Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes,'' which released on Amazon Kindle on December 17, 2015, and on paperback on September 27, 2016. Cawthon said that the novel "expands the mythos and reveals a human element never before seen in the games". ''Five Nights at Freddy's: The Twisted Ones'' and ''Five Nights at Freddy's: The Fourth Closet'' followed, released on June 27, 2017, and June 26, 2018, respectively.

Film adaptations

A film adaptation based on the game series was released for streaming on Peacock and theatrically in the United States on October 27, 2023, by Universal Pictures. Directed by Emma Tammi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cawthon and Seth Cuddeback, the film stars Josh Hutcherson. ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' received generally negative reviews from critics, but it was a commercial success, becoming Blumhouse Productions' highest-grossing film worldwide with nearly $300 million. A sequel is scheduled to be released on December 5, 2025.

Common elements

Gameplay

The games in the ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' series are survival horror. Players typically assume the role of a nighttime security guard at an establishment or other location connected to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a fictional pizzeria chain. The objective is to monitor and survive the movements of homicidal animatronic characters that roam these establishments after hours. Players must last from midnight to 6 a.m. for five shifts—referred to as "nights"— while managing a limited-use resource that, if depleted, leaves them vulnerable. These resources vary by game: for example, limited power in ''Five Nights at Freddy's,'' failing systems that require rebooting in ''Five Nights at Freddy's 3,'' and control of a friendly animatronic called Glamrock Freddy—who requires hourly recharging—in ''Security Breach''. As the nights progress, the animatronics become more aggressive. If the player is unable to defend themselves from the animatronics, they are jumpscared and receive a game over. If they successfully survive for five nights, they win the game.

In many entries in the series, players use security cameras to track the animatronics’ movements throughout the building. In some games, such as ''Five Nights at Freddy's'', camera feeds become disabled when animatronics are in motion. ''Five Nights at Freddy's 2'' introduces a music box mechanic, which must be kept wound via the camera feed to prevent the Puppet animatronic from activating. In ''Five Nights at Freddy's 3'', the cameras monitor a single animatronic, Springtrap, and include an audio system that can be used to lure him to different areas. ''Security Breach'' camera system is accessed through Gregory's watch. Lights are another recurring mechanic, often used to ward off animatronics or alert players to their presence. Doors also appear frequently, allowing players to block away the animatronics in games such as ''Five Nights at Freddy's'', ''Five Nights at Freddy's 4'', and ''Help Wanted''.

Story

The ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' series mainly revolves around a chain of family restaurants under the ownership of Fazbear Entertainment, a company founded by Henry Emily and William Afton. The latter is a robotics engineer who creates a series of animatronic mascots to entertain customers, including Freddy Fazbear, a brown bear and the namesake of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Bonnie, an indigo rabbit, Chica, a yellow chicken, and Foxy, a red pirate fox. Other animatronics included the Puppet, the ghostlike Golden Freddy, Freddy's predecessor Fredbear, and Circus Baby, the mascot of the restaurant's sister location, Circus Baby's Pizza World. William is also a negligent father and child murderer who hides his victims' bodies inside animatronics, which their souls inhabit; he specifically designs Circus Baby to be capable of murdering children, which leads to the accidental death of his own daughter, Elizabeth.

William's direct murder victims start with his co-worker Henry's daughter and expand to include five children visiting the restaurants with their families. Meanwhile, an incident involving William's youngest son being shoved into Fredbear's mouth by his older brother Michael results in the closure of Fredbear's Family Diner, a predecessor location. After accidentally murdering his brother, Michael begins seeking redemption, starting with recovering the remains of his sister. After the closure of a Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location, William dismantles the remaining animatronics in a backroom, releasing the souls that inhabit them who proceed to torment him. Seeking refuge from the ghosts, William hides inside an old yellow rabbit animatronic suit. Shortly after, the suit's mechanisms fail and snap shut, crushing William to death as his soul inhabits the animatronic, becoming a bionic revenant called Springtrap. Some time after, the whole restaurant chain shuts down.

Thirty years later, a horror attraction based on the restaurant chain known as Fazbear's Fright is constructed and leads to Springtrap's excavation; a fire destroys the attraction before it can open to the public. The destruction frees the souls of William's first five victims and destroys the original mascots, though Springtrap escapes. Some time after the fire, Henry lures Springtrap and all animatronics that were not destroyed in Fazbear's Fright into a single pizzeria. With help from Michael, Henry sets fire to the restaurant and destroys every animatronic inside, freeing the souls of the children that inhabited them, including Elizabeth. The fire also kills Henry, Michael, and William. Afterwards, William's soul is trapped and tormented in a personalized hell with all animatronics he created. Years later, Fazbear Entertainment is re-founded and releases an in-universe virtual reality experience based on the past of a new restaurant, in an effort to convince the public the company's previous controversies were merely fiction.

Reception

Critical reception

The ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' series has a generally mixed reception. The original game received "generally favorable" reviews, earning a score of 78 on the review aggregator website Metacritic. Omri Petitte of ''PC Gamer'' described it as a “less-is-more” experience, where fear stemmed more from anticipation than direct threats. However, Petitte said the gameplay became repetitive once its mechanics were mastered. ''GameRevolution'''s Ryan Bates commended the game’s audio design and simple yet effective mechanics, calling it "horror done right," though he found the experience too short.

Subsequent entries saw divided responses. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 received a Metacritic score of 62, with reviewers from ''Destructoid'' and ''TouchArcade'' finding its introduction of new mechanics and animatronics creatively enriching, though Mitch Vogel of ''Nintendo Life'' felt the difficulty was punishing and the jumpscares excessive. ''Five Nights at Freddy's 3'', which earned a Metacritic score of 68, maintained the franchise's core formula but updated its camera system; Petitte appreciated these improvements but felt the phantom animatronics fell short of their older counterparts. Nic Rowen of ''Destructoid'' found it mechanically solid yet lacking the charm of earlier entries. ''Five Nights at Freddy's 4'', with the series's lowest Metacritic score of 51, divided reviewers further—'' The Escapist'' and '' Gamezebo'' highlighted its darker tone, emotional subtext, and scare factor, but others, like Rowen, called its gameplay confusing and encountered technical issues.

''Sister Location'' attempted to revitalize the series by shifting its structure and tone; reviews were again mixed, with Metacritic assigning a score of 62. Patricia Hernandez of '' Kotaku'' called it Scott Cawthon's "most ambitious game yet," praising its production value, while Rowen and William Hughes of '' The A.V. Club'' highlighted the improved mobility and task-based gameplay. However, critics like Angelo M. D'Argenio of ''GameCrate'' argued the difficulty was unbalanced, likening each night to its own tutorial, while Rowen criticized night four as a frustrating roadblock. In contrast, ''Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator'' and ''Ultimate Custom Night'' were better received. Outlets like '' Rock Paper Shotgun'' and ''GameCrate'' applauded the former’s blend of business simulation and survival horror, while ''PC Gamer'' described ''Ultimate Custom Night'' as an inventive twist on the franchise's standard gameplay loop.

Later titles continued have mixed feedback. ''Help Wanted'' received praise for its use of virtual reality, with the PS4 version earning a Metacritic score of 80. Reviewers highlighted its atmosphere and blending of old and new content. However, non-VR ports were criticized—Nintendo Life rated the Switch version poorly, citing the loss of VR functionality as a major drawback. ''Security Breach'', which was assigned a score of 64 by Metacritic, drew attention for its larger scope and visuals, but faced criticism for technical issues and a clunky save system by critics such as Ben Croshaw of ''The Escapist''. Meanwhile, ''Into the Pit'', based on the franchise's extended universe, was positively received for its storytelling and adherence to the tone of the original series. It received the series's highest Metacritic score of 87.

Legacy

Since the release of the first game, popular video creators such as PewDiePie, Markiplier, and Jacksepticeye have garnered millions of views on their playthroughs of the series, which helped the games receive additional attention. In May 2015, YouTube reported that videos of the ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' series were the platform's eighth-most-watched playthroughs. The interpretive, non-linear, and cryptic narrative of ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' is a popular topic for fans to discuss and debate. YouTube channels such as The Game Theorists feature ''Five Nights at Freddy's''-related videos with the goal of decoding the lore of the franchise. In 2023, the series had over 60 videos and 800 million views combined.

The game mechanics of ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' have inspired the creation of thousands of fan games. Their prevalence led Game Jolt to categorize ''FNaF''-inspired projects as a separate genre to better organize its content. The franchise has also influenced music, with fan-made songs, such as those by The Living Tombstone, garnering hundreds of millions of views. Their first ''FNaF'' song was featured in the closing credits of the film adaptation. Additionally, a range of toys and collectibles has been released, with Funko and Todd McFarlane among the major producers. A themed attraction based on the film is set to appear at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights in 2025.

Notes

References

Further reading

* Lewis "Dawko" Dawkins (August 8, 2018).
An Interview with Scott Cawthon – The Creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s
'' – via YouTube.
* Clarke, M.J; Wang, Cynthia; et al. (John Vanderhoef, Bonnie Ruberg, Betsy Brey, Emilie Reed, Kevin Rutherford, Cody Mejeur, Aaron Trammell, Patrick Davison) (April 16, 2020). "Five Nights at Fan Games: Feminism, Fan Labor, and Five Nights at Freddy's".
Indie Games in the Digital Age
'. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. .
* Lewis "Dawko" Dawkins (August 4, 2024).
An Interview with Scott Cawthon 2.0 – The Creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s
'' – via YouTube.

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