Highlights

  • The Five Nights At Freddy's series has been able to keep audiences engaged by connecting all games through an overarching lore, despite some ups and downs.
  • FNAF World was a departure from the usual horror gameplay and received harsh criticism for its bugs and simplistic overworld.
  • Five Nights At Freddy's Security Breach introduced an open-world setting and multiple endings, but had a rocky launch with bugs that affected gameplay.

Five Nights At Freddy’s is one of the biggest horror game series out there. What initially started as a single indie game with a unique concept quickly spawned a whole series, spinoffs, and even fan content. You'd think it'd be hard to keep a series set around one simple game element without it getting too repetitive, but creator Scott Cawthon found a way to keep bringing audiences back.

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While there are a lot of animatronics with different functions and plenty of terrifying jump-scares to endure, every Five Nights At Freddy's game has its ups and downs. However, they’re all important to the overarching lore that connects all the games and keeps fans coming back for more.

Updated on August 20, 2023, by PJ Molloy: Just like Springtrap himself, the Five Nights At Freddy's series always comes back. FNAF is healthier than ever, thanks to the long-awaited movie. With so much buzz surrounding the series and new interest being spurred, now is a great time to get caught up with the Five Nights At Freddy's games before you watch the film.

While not every entry can be the best Five Nights At Freddy’s game, and some of them really miss the mark, most games in the series deliver an effective horror experience that will make you glance over your shoulder during the night. If you want to see the FNAF games ranked, brace yourself for some terrifying frights and a couple of embarrassing duds.

10 Five Nights At Freddy's World

FNAF World - Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, Foxy, And The Rest Of The Cast Standing Beneath The Logo

It's hard to forget the massive dumpster fire that was FNAF World. It's a departure from the series that trades the usual horror gameplay for a cutesy tone and RPG turn-based combat. The game was criticized harshly when it was launched for its many bugs and 8-bit art style that differed from the 3D graphics presented in the trailer.

While the game saw a huge update that boosted the graphics and fixed many of the issues, it couldn't improve the problem at the game's core. The adventure lacks a story outside of minor lore implications, and the overworld is simplistic and forgettable. Unfortunately, it falls short of everything you'd expect from an RPG or Five Nights At Freddy's game.

9 Five Nights At Freddy's Help Wanted

Five Nights At Freddy's Help Wanted - Freddy Fazbear Sitting In A Storage Room

Help Wanted is the first Five Nights At Freddy's game to bring a unique aspect to this horror series, turning classic FNAF on its head by putting it into a VR experience. While it’s a new and sometimes even more terrifying way to play, it doesn’t have a lot of original content.

The game’s biggest feature is allowing you to experience the first three games in VR. While it has a few mini-games, and the DLC is largely new, it’s not really a full game on its own, so it's far from being the best FNAF game.

8 Five Nights At Freddy's 4

Five Nights At Freddy's

FNAF 4 is the hardest Five Nights At Freddy's game because it relies heavily on sound. Instead of the usual security office, this game takes place in a child’s bedroom. You must keep looking back and forth between two bedroom doors, the closet, and the bed if you hope to survive.

Unlike other FNAF games, if you flash your light in the hallway and the animatronic is too close to the door, it’s game over. You have to rely solely on listening to tell if the animatronics are nearby, which means playing the game might be impossible if you have auditory issues or don’t own a good pair of headphones.

7 Five Nights At Freddy's Security Breach

Five Nights At Freddy's Security Breach - Glamrock Freddy, Montgomery Gator, And Glamrock Chica Jamming Out On A Big Stage

Security Breach brought an open-world setting to the series - the first game to do so. You run around as a child named Gregory, being helped by Freddy himself to survive the other animatronics and explore the hidden secrets the Pizzaplex holds. There are even six possible endings, giving the game a lot of replay value.

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Unfortunately, numerous bugs at launch resulted in many people finding it unplayable, while others found the game funny instead of scary. Thankfully, the game was updated a few months after it launched, and most bugs were fixed. It's now in a much better state and easier to enjoy.

6 Five Nights At Freddy's Ultimate Custom Night

Ultimate Custom Night - Official Art Showing The Menu Where You Select The Animatronics

Picture the average Five Nights At Freddy's game, only five times the amount of animatronics. And they're all coming for you. Welcome to Ultimate Custom Night. This game is like the Avengers of FNAF, with almost every animatronic from previous games teaming up against you to create a nightmarish survival horror experience.

Ultimate Custom Night feels like a celebration of the FNAF series. You need to juggle mechanics from previous games, like monitoring the cameras, repairing vents, preserving power, maintaining a steady room temperature, and many more. You can take on the preset challenges featuring a select few animatronics or tackle all 50 enemies at once in the near-impossible 50-20 mode.

5 Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator

Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator - Freddie, Bonnie, Chica, And Foxy On A Stage

Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator is a free game in the series, which made everyone wonder if it was just another spin-off. After all, the game doesn’t appear to connect to the others as you go through the tutorials on how to build your own Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria.

The game gets more interesting once you’re placed in your office, trying to balance work and maintaining your sanity. You’ll see some familiar faces at night when you find them left for scrap in the back alley. Sadly, there are very few hints to push you in the right direction. If you don’t do exactly what the game wants, you’ll miss the true ending and get one of the six basic endings instead.

4 Five Nights At Freddy's 3

Five Nights At Freddy's 3 - Springtrap Infiltrating The Office

After the first two Five Nights At Freddy's games, Freddy Fazbear’s becomes a sort of legend in the game's universe, culminating in FNAF 3 trying to replicate the supposed horror experience. Everything seems to be just fine on the first night, but on night two, your employer finds an actual Fazbear animatronic to make the attraction more realistic. He has no idea it’s still alive.

As Springtrap haunts the halls for the rest of the nights, you have to worry about the building's less-than-perfect systems, like the faulty camera wires that need to be reset and the vents that cause hallucinations if they stop working. Springtrap is menacing enough to terrify you all by himself, making for one of the best FNAF games.

3 Five Nights At Freddy's 2

Five Nights At Freddy's 2 - Withered Freddy Towering Over You In The Office

Just when people thought the first Five Nights At Freddy's game couldn't possibly get a sequel, the simple act of removing the doors in the office made FNAF 2 interesting and more terrifying. You can no longer hide behind closed doors when the animatronics are nearby, creating a truly horrifying setting.

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What makes it one of the best FNAF games are the new mechanics. You have to keep an eye on your flashlight battery to ensure some animatronics don’t sneak up in the darkness, and wear a Freddy mask to trick others into thinking you’re one of them. And don’t forget the new music box mechanic, because you won’t survive the night if it stops playing.

2 Five Nights At Freddy's Sister Location

Five Nights At Freddy's Sister Location - Circus Baby Lingering In The Dark

Sister Location decided to change things up for the FNAF series, bringing new animatronics to the table and putting you on the night shift to repair them. As you watch over the animatronics, you have to crawl through vents to get to each room, but that’s not the scary part.

You fight to keep the door to your hiding place closed as Circus Baby tries to force it open from the other side, make repairs while Funtime Freddy freaks out next to you, and even crawl through a room to the other side as the animatronics search for you in the dark. It’s the first Five Nights At Freddy's game to give the animatronics voices, bringing an extra layer of fear as they relentlessly taunt you.

1 Five Nights At Freddy's

Five Nights At Freddy's 1 - Chica Staring In The Office Window

Though the other Five Nights At Freddy’s games have their own charm, nothing can beat the first one. While it didn’t have the fanbase every other game started with and was originally just a parody of Chuck E. Cheese, the unique concept, mysterious lore, and the fact that you can’t move as the animatronics get closer are what made everyone invested.

It’s clear that FNAF 1 has had a lasting impact since people continue to replay and reference it. It’s been a staple of popular culture ever since it launched, and it’s unlikely to disappear anytime soon. It’s still the best Five Nights At Freddy’s game.

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