How to Understand the Five Nights at Freddy's Timeline

Last Updated: July 3, 2019

The Five Nights at Freddy's series is a complex and quizzical game. Not the game itself, but the intricate story dedicated to the haunted animatronics that hunt for you 5 nights a week. It can be difficult to understand, but this article will help you wrap your head around it.

Steps

1
Understand that first of all, Five Night's at Freddy's 2 is a prequel to all games, but not the fourth games minigames. It comes first (gameplay wise) in the FNaF timeline.
2
Think about the clues hidden in the first game. Randomly appearing posters and newspapers clippings show that 5 children did indeed go missing at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The Phone Guy confirms that a suit was used to lure the children to their deaths (this suit is confirmed to be Springtrap, supposedly an original animatronic along with Golden Freddy).

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3
Make note of the intros. In the first three games, an intro of a newspaper clipping relays what's going on. In Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the letter shows that a new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is opening. At the end, it is closed, scheduled for a downsizing. In the first FNaF, it says that they are holding a grand-reopening (the Phone Guy lets slip that it is a smaller-scale version restaurant). In the third game, it is revealed that you are guarding a FNaF themed horror attraction, 30 years after the events of the first game. The ending newsletter reveals that Fazbear Fright burns down.
4
Listen to the Phone Guy. In the second game, he volunteers to take your position, and you get moved to the day shift. In the first game, he mentions that he is on his final shift, but Night 4's recording implies that he is killed before he can retire.
5
Consider who the killer is. There are few definite clues as to who the killer is, why the hauntings are occurring, or if the killer was even really caught. The biggest bread crumb is the Purple Guy who killed the single crying child (which most likely possessed the Puppet) and set the whole thing in motion. There is a possibility that there are two Purple Guys, but only one is the murderer, William Afton. His son, Mike Afton, was killed and taken over by Ennard, eventually turning purple from the robot living inside the decaying corpse for so long. It was William that was crushed by the spring locks and became Springtrap. According to Sister Location and FNaF 3, this is a likely scenario, but it's all still speculation.
6
Take the third game into consideration. A 6th animatronic is revealed, known as Springtrap. The other animatronics in the game are mere hallucinations (this is due to the animatronics most likely being scrapped/stored away at the end of 5 Nights at Freddy's).

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Community Q&A

Question

Is FNaF 4 a prequel?

CamelHey73

Top Answerer

It is believed that FNaF 4 takes place before the first, third and fifth games. It is unknown whether it is a prequel or sequel to the second game, as it depends on whether it is set in 1983 or 1987, the two most likely years for its events.
Question

The robot in Sister Location (robots meaning extremely aware tech by itself) seems to know enough to not mistake the player as the Purple Guy. Why is this?

Community Answer

In SL, it is most likely that you play as Mike Afton - Purple Guy’s son. Baby, one of the animatronics there, is actually your sister who got trapped inside of Baby, as you can tell if you complete the Baby cupcake minigame. I would imagine your sister would be able to tell if you were her father or brother.
Question

When did Five Nights at Freddy's take place?

CamelHey73

Top Answerer

We don't know for sure, but it's likely to be around 1993, as the wages match the standard for that year.
Question

When will we hear the true, full timeline of the games?

CamelHey73

Top Answerer

Most likely, we'll never know for sure. There are sufficient clues in all games to decode the plot, it's just a matter of finding them and putting them together.
Question

Why does this game have so many jump scares?

Derp_Whale

Community Answer

Scott threw the jump scares in FNAF 1, and the response was huge, so once he added the different animatronics, he made jump scares for them! (FNAF is a horror game franchise after all.)
Question

Can they be sure the timeline ends and starts?

Community Answer

Not really, but they haven't got many leads besides the game's hidden messages, Scott's website, mat-pat and whatever else you can think of.
Question

Is Freddy Fazbear good or bad?

Community Answer

Neither. He is a robotic bear possessed by a child. The child attacks Mike/Jeremy because they think he is the Purple Guy.
Question

Is plush trap a toy of Spring Bonnie?

Community Answer

Sort of. It's a plushy of Springtrap, the animatronic in FNaF 3. He's kind of a "Withered Springbonnie."
Question

I know this was posted before Five Nights At Freddy's 4, but what is the meaning of the fourth game?

Community Answer

None of FNAF 4 is real -- it's the nightmares of a child in a coma. The young child was terrified of the animatronics, so on his birthday his brother and friends hoisted him into Freddy's mouth, where the animatronic bit down on his head, sending the kid into a coma. The game represents his nightmares while he is comatose.
Question

How does sister's location fit in?

Community Answer

According to the game theorists, sister location comes after FNAF 4 and FNAF 2.

Warnings

FNaF lore is very disturbing, increasingly so, the further you go in. Although there's very, very little visual graphic content, some descriptions can be quite graphic themselves.

Thanks!
Helpful 14 Not Helpful 0
Don't overthink it; the games' entire history has yet to be solved, so don't get frustrated.

Thanks!
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