All FNAF games: How to play in chronological order

Five Nights At Freddy‘s is a series known for having of the most confusing and convoluted timelines. The real life release dates of the games are sometimes far from where games fall in the actual story. If you want to experience the horror series of the 2010s in actual chronological order, we can roughly piece it together from what we do know. Here’s how to play all FNAF games in chronological order.

The Five Nights at Freddy‘s estimated games timeline

The first entry is already a debate. It’s either FNAF World, the RPG spinoff from the main series, or it’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 4.

Both games depict an important event near the timeline’s start, but we don’t know which happens first. Five Nights At Freddy’s 4 depicts a nightmare of one of William Afton’s- the main villain of the series- sons’ bad experience with the animatronics in 1983. FNAF World shows us the creation of Circus Baby, another early animatronic that claims one of Afton’s children. Was she created before the events of 1983? My guess is most likely. Circus Baby’s Pizza World originally opened around the same time as the first Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria.

Next on the timeline is Five Nights At Freddy’s 2. It’s a prequel taking place in 1987. The original Five Nights At Freddy’s is next, estimated to be a few years after 2, with the old animatronics repaired after the 2 location shut down and returned to their previous restaurant.

This brings us to Sister Location, estimated to take place sometime after. The animatronics are made in part from the melted scraps of the first game’s animatronics. Then Five Night’s at Freddy’s 3 directly continues the original, turning the pizzeria into a horror attraction and then burning down at the end. Pizzeria Simulator concludes this arc of the games’ story. It ties up all these games into a neat bow by luring the remaining animatronics to one location and setting it on fire to free everyone. This leads to Ultimate Custom Night, taking place afterwards in what is some kind of purgatory or hell with William Afton being tormented by the animatronics.

How to play FNAF in chronological order: The second arc

Related: Five Nights at Freddy’s Help Wanted 2 to release close to the FNAF movie release

The next and current arc of the story begins with Five Nights At Freddy’s: Help Wanted. Help Wanted is a video game created in universe to wave away the events up to this point. Unfortunately, it also releases a malicious virtual entity that manipulates a security guard named Vanessa, leading to Security Breach. In Security Breach Vanessa turns into the costumed killer Vanny and William Afton returns in the remains of the Pizzera Simulator pizzera.

Naturally, this puts the Ruin DLC for Security Breach as the final and latest entry in the timeline. The Pizzaplex is in complete disrepair and the main character from the base game is trapped inside. It directly continues the base game’s story.

With further games or DLC not released, this is currently how to play the FNAF series in chronological order. Stay tuned for likely revisions in the future.