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 for multiple 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 game that focused on horror. Released in August 2014, the game's success prompted the development of its sequels. Cawthon created most of the games himself using game engine 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 had 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 garnered a cult following that produces numerous forms of fan media.

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. 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. In 2021, following backlash regarding donations to members of the Republican Party, Cawthon announced his retirement from game development, stating that someone of his choosing would be "running the show" from then on.

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 the fourth night'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. He released Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator on December 4, 2017, as freeware on Steam after teasing it several days earlier as a spin-off despite being a mainline release. 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 several themed game modes. 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. It was delayed many times, until the 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 an 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. The story follows a girl named Cassie who ventures within the destroyed Mega Pizzaplex in order to find Gregory while deactivating security nodes and being attacked by the ruined versions of the animatronics found in Security Breach. 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. The game was later released for Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. A physical edition for Nintendo Switch, distributed by iam8bit, began shipping in July 2026. VR support was added for PlayStation 5 through the PlayStation VR2 headset on April 28, 2026, and further support through Steam was released on May 20, 2026. The game follows Fazbear Entertainment technician Arnold, tasked with retrieving abandoned schematics inside of workshop and warehouse “Murray’s Costume Manor”, while being stalked by an endoskeleton that wears the complex’s mascot costumes.

Spin-off games FNaF World was announced on September 15, 2015. Unlike the main series, the game is a role-playing video game using previous games' 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. It is based on the first story in the Fazbear Frights short story anthology. 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