Five Nights At Freddy’s Timeline, Explained

Lovers of survival horror games found a classic franchise that keeps them entertained a decade on. Five Nights at Freddy’s launched in 2014 with its first instalment, a point-and-click survival horror. The games feature unique gameplay, switching settings between the horrific Freddy Fazbear restaurant and the sister location. Although the developers maintain a great flow of the main games, the progressions of their timelines are a little non-linear. That way, the franchise provides a gameplay experience that gets clearer and more interesting with each release. Here’s a quick look at the Five Nights at Freddy’s timeline.

9. Five Nights at Freddy’s

Point-and-click games fans were caught in a surprise game with Five Nights at Freddy’s. It was the first entry in the series and the first main game. It’s a survival horror game created and published by the American developer, Scott Cawthon. The game dropped in 2014, but like many other franchises, some titles have timelines that precede Five Nights at Freddy’s. It’s set in the early 1990s, revolving around the pizzeria’s night guard, Mike, and the murderous animatronics. The game’s plot tells stories of the restaurant’s history, such as the ‘Bite of 87,’ meaning the game is not set in the origins.

8. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 came shortly after the first instalment, barely two months after the original entry’s release. It is still a point-and-click survival horror game from the same developer and publisher. For many fans, it would have been a sequel to the first game, but the creator seems to take them aback. It is a prequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s, given its timeline. The events happened in the late 80s and specifically from 1987. In fact, the plot ends with ‘The Bite of 87’, which is part of the history told in the first game. 

7. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3

The third installment in the renowned series took an unexpected twist. After taking fans aback with the second entry, FNAF 3 bombards them forward to an unexpected timeline. It’s thirty years after the events of Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the family pizzeria has already closed down. It’s, however, set to reopen as Fazbear’s Fright, but the stories of the animatronic characters are still fresh. You play the new night guard, hired to guard the soon-to-open Fazbear’s Fright. Will you survive the nights without getting yourself killed by the wandering animatronics? 

6. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

In this instalment, the game deviates from the usual night guard’s gameplay. You control a young boy locked alone in his bedroom. The family restaurant is his neighbor’s, and the animatronic characters still roam around. The boy is already scared of them, and a Fredbear talking to him only accelerates his fear.  The game is set in the early 80s with multiple minigames based around the dread of the Fredbears. However, the boy is also bullied by his elder brother, who scares, bullies, and abandons him at the very restaurant.

5. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location

Sister Location dropped in 2016, marking the fifth mainline installment in the FNAF series. The game is set at the Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rental, a sister location to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. The player character is also not the night guard. Rather, players control a new employee tasked with maintenance work. However, they still have to stay safe from the animatronics. Its setting is a little ambiguous, with the story giving clues of the mid to late 80s or early 90s.

4. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted

In this game, Five Nights at Freddy’s creator partnered with Steel Wool Studios to make it a VR survival horror title. The game is typically a collection of multiple minigames, drawn from different games in the franchise. You will complete minigames from the first Five Nights at Freddy’s main game to the last installment before Help Wanted, Sister Location. As a result, it becomes somewhat challenging to assign a specific timeline to the game. The game still features the homicidal animatronics, so you must complete tasks without crossing paths.

3. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

Security Breach is also a Steel Wool Studios and Scott Games work, released in 2021. It marked the ninth mainline entry in the series, and the eleventh game overall. Here, you play as Gregory, a boy trapped inside the Mega Pizzaplex. The story’s timeline suggests the early 2030s, happening after the events of Five Nights at Freddy’s 6: Pizzeria Simulator. Playing as Gregory, you must survive not just the animatronics out to kill you but also the night guard. Use stealth in the free-roam gameplay, and this time around, Freddy is on your side and helps you evade the robots, mascots, and Vanessa.

2. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2

Steel Wool Studios announced Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 in 2023 and launched it later that year. It’s a direct sequel to Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted, with the events happening after Sister Location. It’s still a virtual reality game featuring multiple minigames from Sister Location and the 2021 Security Breach. Its story also features multiple endings, including some locked levels that you only access if you complete a puzzle in the narrative. You assume the role of a new employee at Fazbear Entertainment, going through a VR orientation process. Prove that you’ve got all it takes to run the Pizzeria.

1. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic

Secret of the Mimic is an upcoming game set to launch in June 2025. It will be the eleventh main entry in the series, and the latest release. However, going by the timelines, Secret of the Mimic will also mark the earliest game in the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise. The game is set in 1979, making it a prequel to the original game. It also serves to provide the foundational lore elements that will help fans understand other events that happened in the series. It showcases the creation of the mimic animatronic by Edwin Murray, even before the restaurant and Freddy Fazbear Entertainment.