Alex Neeler
Five Nights at Freddy’s
When Five Nights at Freddy’s was released back in 2014, no one could have foreseen the popularity it would amass. In fact, the game’s creator, Scott Cawthon, had never developed a horror game before and much of the idea for FNaF stemmed from negative reviews of his previous game, wherein many characters were said to look like “a scary animatronic animal.” In Five Nights at Freddy’s, the player takes control of a night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a fictional entertainment restaurant very similar to places like Chuck E Cheese. The player must attempt to survive each night by keeping a close watch on security cameras and using the building’s limited power to close doors in an effort to keep out the malfunctioning animatronics.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Freddy and the gang return in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, where they are joined by six new animatronics. FNaF 2 was actually released in November 2014, a month earlier than its originally intended date of December 2014, and is a prequel to its predecessor. The game also received much praise with the inclusion of many more story elements such as the death mini-games and the introduction of the series’ true antagonist, the infamous “Purple Guy.” FNaF 2 also saw reworked gameplay with the removal of the door closing mechanic. Instead, players find themselves inside an open room that the animatronics can wander into. In order to escape detection you have to don a hollow Freddy head and trick the bloodlusting death machines into leaving you alone. For the ones that don’t fall for the disguise, you have a trusty Flashlight that can reset the robotic systems and send them away. But be sure to wind the creepy music box, lest you face the wrath of the mysterious Puppet.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 was released on March 2, 2015, which was odd at the time as a demo for the game was given to select YouTubers just hours beforehand. The game is set 30 years after the events of the first and saw the location moved from a pizza restaurant to a fully ironic, horror-themed attraction called Fazbear’s Fright. In the story, the staff of Fazbear’s Fright uncover a deteriorated yellow rabbit animatronic name Springtrap, which attempts to enter the office to, presumably, murder you. FNaF 3 has the largest storytelling component compared with the series and even goes so far as to contain multiple endings. FNaF 3 is unique in that Springtrap is the only new animatronic to appear in the game and is the only one that can actually cause a game over. The other animatronics do appear, but as phantoms that don’t kill you and instead cause your equipment to malfunction. As with the previous installment, there are no doors to control, however the player must manage three systems—cameras, audio, and ventilation—in order to stay alive and return to the night shift the next day, because there are clearly no other jobs in the known universe that would pay as much as this one.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
The fourth entry in the series, Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, followed the trail of its ancestors in that its release was originally scheduled for October 31, 2015, but was push up twice and became officially available July 23 of the same year. FNaF 4 is the first title to bring players to a very, very different setting, moving away from a security office and into a child’s bedroom. The story also takes a new direction, focusing on a young boy who suffers a traumatic injury, with the “Purple Guy” showing up only briefly. The game’s mechanics also saw big changes as the former systems of managing multiple cameras and levels of power have all been done away with in favor of more simple, yet still difficult objectives. The player is equipped with an unlimited use flashlight which can be used to drive off some of the new “Nightmare” animatronics that roam the hallways of your home. Like most scared children, you’ll have to keep an eye on the bedroom’s closet and quickly close it before Foxy gets a chance to attack. Finally, three mini doll versions of Nightmare Freddy will appear on the bed and must be shoo’d away before they have time to enact the darkest Toy Story plot ever told.
FNaF World
FNaF World was the series’ first official spin-off and is a huge departure from every other game in the franchise. Instead of a point-and-click horror game, FNaF World is a turn-based roleplaying game that made the haunting world of Five Nights at Freddy’s… cute. When FNaF World was released on January 21, 2016, it was met with harsh criticisms over the game’s various bugs and overall unfinished gameplay, which led to the game being quickly taken down from digital storefronts. However, it was re-released on February 8, 2016, as freeware on Game Jolt with a huge update fixing many of the game’s problems. For all of its issues, FNaF World became a rather fun game to enjoy, especially for free. With over 40 characters from the series—and some from outside the series—to use, the game certainly doesn’t lack a sense of expansiveness the former games struggled to produce. That being said, and as we’ve stated earlier, FNaF World is a very different game in both style and tone. If you walk into this game aiming for heart-racing moments and fear-inducing jump scares, you’re in for a bad time.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location is less like FNaF World and more like the original series, Sister Location brings in brand new animatronics and a completely different setting, Circus Baby’s Pizza World. The player assumes control of a late night technician who “must enjoy cramped spaces and be comfortable around active machinery.” A gameplay trailer shows the increased amount of freedom of movement to crawl through air ducts and ride elevators. The trailer also shows off the new primary animatronic, Baby, as well as her crew of new “Funtime” versions of the previous ones.
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator
Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator takes away the spooky side of the FNAF series and just lets you do what we’ve all at some point dreamt of doing — to create your own pizzeria. In a series of mini-games, you’ll launch whole pies at hungry kids as Freddy Fazbear, design your own pizzas, design the pizzeria itself, and try and grind out high scores. This is another free-to-play title, so don’t expect anything particularly groundbreaking here in terms of gameplay or replayability. But if you’re looking to play something a little different from the tried-and-tested FNAF formula, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria simulator is a fun-enough distraction for a couple hours one evening.
Ultimate Custom Night
Ultimate Custom Night is very much the same core gameplay that we’ve seen in the series time and time again. You’ll be trapped alone in an office overnight trying to fend off killer animatronics. There are 50 different animatronic characters from seven different FNAF games, allowing for a seriously customizable experience. Not only that but you can change the difficulty of the animatronics between 0-20 to tailor the experience to your skill level. To help you take on these sinister robots, you’ll have the heater, A/C, a global music box, power generator, and other items. Figuring out how best to utilize these to keep you safe is all part and parcel of the fun. Rounding things out, players can unlock office skins and cutscenes through gameplay, as well as earn Faz-Coins to purchase items from the prize counter. There’s a lot to love in Ultimate Custom Night and even better, it’s completely free-to-play on Steam.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
FNAF: Help Wanted is a collection of classic and original mini-games that take place in the Five Nights universe. The game also featured VR compatibility, but could be played both with or without a headset. The mini-games included here range from having to troubleshoot the broken animatronics, spending your night surveying the security camera footage, or repairing busted ventilation systems. Of course, it wouldn’t be an FNAF game without the likes of Freddy, Bonnie, Foxy, Circus Baby and more showing up, though they’re not going to give you a welcoming hug. It’ll be more like tearing you limb from limb… so it’s probably a good idea not to get too close. The game even takes scenes from its predecessors like the original four games and Sister Location and remakes them for a more immersive experience. It makes Help Wanted feel like a rather comprehensive package, and for those looking to get their jump scares in VR, this is certainly one worth checking out.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Special Delivery
FNAF: Special Delivery is an AR game available on both Android and iOS mobile devices. The game was considered a spin-off to the series, although the basic premise largely remains the same here, too. The game used location-based AR to send malfunctioning animatronics to the player’s home, which you’ll then need to survive. You’ll have a number of tools in order to survive, including the classic flashlight, and a shocker. Despite releasing back in 2019, Special Delivery still receives free content updates, including Dark Circus: Encore in December 2021. This enabled players to move freely around the area by tapping on their screen to move forward, solving puzzles within set time limits. Clues can be found in your surroundings to solve these, so you’ll have to get sleuthing around to clear them all.
Freddy in Space 2
A sequel and direct follow-up to FNaF Wordl’s Freddy in Space minigame, Freddy in Space 2 is another side-scrolling, shoot ’em up. The game was created to bring awareness to the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital fundraiser that was running at the time. The gameplay here is fairly basic. You’ll shoot enemies in order to save all the animatronics and Freddy’s son. The more enemies you defeat with your chosen character, you’ll level them up, earning you more health, stamina, and a more powerful weapon. You’ll need to beat the three bosses that await you in each level, with the final one unlocking one of the animatronics you can play. These each have their own unique ability that can be used to help turn the tide of battle.
Security Breach: Fury’s Rage
Available on GameJolt completely free, Security Breach: Fury’s Rage is a side-scrolling beat ’em up spin-off from the mainline series. This time around, players can play as either Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Chica, Montgomery or Roxanne, each of which have their own stats that make them feel unique in how they play. Controlling your favorite character of the four, you’ll then explore five stages, fighting various enemies you encounter and eventually, a boss fight at the end of the stage. Security Breach isn’t a massive game, nor was it necessarily intended to be. The game was actually released as an apology for the delay to Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach
In Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, players assume the role of Gregory, a young boy who, surprise surprise, has been trapped overnight inside of Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex. This time around, though, Freddy will help Gregory uncover the secrets of the Pizzaplex, learn the unsettling truths around the establishments and its animatronics, and survive until dawn. You’ll need to survey the building with the security camera and plot out your route to avoid danger and reach your objective. There’s plenty of jump scares if you’re not thorough with your planning, though, so make sure you use the various paint cans and toys along the way to distract the animatronics from your location. Security Breach currently sits as the most recent mainline entry in the series, having released back in 2021.
Youtooz Presents: Five Nights at Freddy’s
Releasing on the iOS and Android platforms in April 2022, Youtooz Presents: Five Nights at Freddy’s is an augmented reality game developed by YouTooz. It was created to coincide with the release of Youtooz’s Security Breach wave of figures, bringing some of the series most iconic characters into adorable model forms. The gameplay here remains more or less the same. You play as a Youtooz employee temporarily housing the new line of Youtooz collectibles. Unsurprisingly, they’ve been upgraded to become miniature animatronics, who will hunt you down by clambering out of their boxes. The only way to lure them back in is to use your flashlight on their light sensors. Glamrock Chica, Dawko, Glamrock Freddy, Vanny, Montgomery Gator and Roxanne Wolf all feature in the game, as you try and survive until 6am with a dwindling power supply. This is more or less a minigame spin-off, but one that fans will enjoy all the same.
