Five Nights at Freddy’s is a video game franchise created by Scott Cawthon that grew from a happy accident based on criticism of a prior game’s mascot character, Chipper & Sons Lumber Co.
When players thought the primary character (Beaver) looked suspiciously like a terrible animatronic, Cawthon was inspired to develop a survival horror series based on violent animatronics. Initially released in 2014, Five Nights at Freddy’s has seen tremendous success in the following years, with several sequels.
These titles are so popular that they have inspired numerous spin-offs and fan-developed games, where the lore continues to grow.
Since many of these games can be found in the Google Play Store, we have compiled a guide to assist newcomers in navigating this classic occult series. The list was also narrowed down to only include the mainline games while selecting the most appropriate order in which to play them.
Chronological order versus release order
When the release order does not match the chronological order of the story, it can be a daunting experience to know where to begin. To see how gameplay mechanics evolve from game to game, the release order of the series is more important than the chronological order (story).
1. Five Nights at Freddy’s
It’s easy to start with the first release. It’s always a challenge for developers to come up with ways to catch fish.
The fish are we, the consumers. It has been catching more fish than expected with the intended bait. Fortunately, the best version is the Google Play Store version (a remastered port of the PC version). It was the original mobile release of FNaF that had stilted animations that ruined the horror atmosphere, especially in jump scare scenes.
As a night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, you have to deal with homicidal animatronics at night. Your electricity is limited each night, and you are trapped in the camera room. Your eyes, the camera footage, and the security doors are the only weapons you have against these animatronics.
You must always keep an eye out for each enemy’s location – if you lose sight of them, you are toast.
2. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
It is a remaster (the same as the first game) of the first Five Nights at Freddy’s game. Improvements in animation and gameplay are comparable to those in the previous remastered title, ensuring a seamless transition from the first installment to the second with superior graphics.
The gameplay is similar to the first iteration, but you will have access to more tools than ever before. The camera crew is still on camera duty, but if you do not do your job well, your last line of defense is to disguise yourself as Freddy Fazbear using your new mask.
Your fate ultimately depends on how well you keep track of the game’s animatronics.
Note:
Next on our list are the third and fourth installments of Five Nights at Freddy’s. For a smooth transition and evolution of gameplay, we recommend playing Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 first. However, if you want a new frightful experience and a challenge, you should consider Five Nights at Freddy’s 4.
3. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 takes place thirty years after Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed. It is now your job to work for a horror-themed attraction whose owners have taken inspiration from the gruesome events of the first two games. Only one animatronic is capable of killing you this time, and the others are phantoms that may interfere with gameplay.
You can get a good or a bad ending depending on how many mini-games you’ve completed.
4. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 has you playing as a trapped child trapped in a bedroom and trying to defend themselves from what lurks in the shadows. The sinister animatronic ‘Nightmares’ who prey on your fears and life are provided with a flashlight this time.
The previous games relied primarily on camera and audio footage to survive the night, but this game adds auditory cues as well, making it more challenging.
5. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (FnaF 5)
In the fifth installment of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, Sister Location, it takes place at Fazbear Entertainment’s sister company that also rents out animatronics for children’s parties.
Rather than the previous confined-to-a-room survival gameplay, this entry asks you to move from room-to-room in order to accomplish narrative objectives each night. The post-death mini-games are back, and completing them unlocks a Night 5 secret level, which pays homage to the previous two games.
6. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator (FnaF 6)
The first arc ends with Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator. You are a Freddy Fazbear’s restaurant manager in this entry that mixes survival horror elements with business simulation gameplay. A good number of endings are also available, which makes the game quite replayable.
7. Ultimate Custom Night (Optional)
It is not a priority to pick up this entry since it is not considered canon to the series. This game was originally going to be released as downloadable content (DLC) for Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator, but was later decided to be a standalone title.
The game can be customized with up to 50 animatronics (59 total), a difficulty level, an office, and power-ups that will help you survive the night. In this particular release, you have the world at your disposal.
8. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted
The mobile port of Help Wanted is a virtual reality title by Steel Wool Studios, however it does not include all the mini-games since it is just a port without any VR components, so some mechanics will not work. We still include this title since it ties gameplay and story from the earlier installments and introduces a new arc from Fazbear Entertainment.
After the series of unfortunate events in the previous games, Fazbear Entertainment is trying to salvage its reputation in this game. Fazbear’s newest virtual game has one more attempt to convince players that everything leading up to this moment was a lie.
We have concluded our list of the best games in the FNaF series to play on Android and the order in which to play them. It is my hope that this post has piqued your interest in Cawthon’s Five Nights at Freddy’s popular collection so that you can experience the developing gameplay and lore from the creator’s perspective.
