Five Nights at Freddy's

Five Nights at Freddy's

224 ratings
Five Nights at Freddy's 1 - Strategy Guide
By Chimanruler15
Hello, everyone! After several days of hard work, this guide is finally finished! I'm here to give you some tips on how to beat the game and to clear up some misconceptions about the animatronics themselves. This guide uses information from people who have actually decompiled the game data.
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Introduction
Welcome to my FNAF guide. Here, you will find some of the best strategies for beating the game.

This guide will cover the PC version only. The mobile version is not included because I don't own it. It has different mechanics from the PC version, the most obvious difference being the shorter duration of the nights.

Most of the screenshots in this guide are provided by me. The only ones that aren't are the picture of the guide and two of the Golden Freddy pictures (I couldn't get him to show up).

Now, let's begin.
The Mechanics
The game's mechanics are simple to learn.

You can't fight the animatronics, but you can ward them off. Your tools for that are the monitor, the doors, the hall lights, the power indicator, the clock, and a pair of good ears.

The game requires a mouse to play. The mouse is responsible for all inputs in the game, from controlling the player's view to using the door controls to checking the cameras.

To pan to the left side of the office, move the mouse towards the left of the screen. To pan to the right, move the mouse to the right.

The monitor is used to watch the animatronics' movements throughout the restaurant. It can also be used to prevent Freddy and Foxy from moving.

To activate the monitor, simply scroll down to the giant rectangle with the double arrows at the bottom of the screen.


The monitor will then pull up.



Now, you have access to all the cameras in the building. You'll see a mini-map of the entire building on the right side of the monitor screen. This map has clickable boxes that represent the camera feeds of all the rooms. The camera feeds are labeled with numbers and letters, and the monitor will display the name of the currently selected camera feed at the top of the map.

To view any of these camera feeds, simply click on the one you want to see. You can switch to a different camera feed at any time.

When you're done using the monitor, scroll down to the double arrows at the bottom of the screen again to put it away. Now, you're back in full view of the office.

The left and right hall lights are used to check for Bonnie and Chica when they try to enter the office from the doorways. These doorways are also known as your blind spots because the camera can't see those areas. Thus, you can't get away with simply checking the cameras; you must also use the hall lights. The reverse also applies.

This is the left hall light:



Use it to spot Bonnie when he appears.

This is the right hall light:



Use it to spot Chica when she appears.

To use a hall light, scroll over to the appropriate light button and click on it. Both the light button and the doorway will light up.

To turn off the hall light, just click on the button again.

The hall lights must be used whenever you can't find Bonnie and Chica in the cameras, whenever they cause the cameras to go out while they move, or whenever they make footstep sounds. This is important for avoiding deaths.

Anyway, you can only use one hall light at a time. Using one light while the other light is on will automatically shut off the first light you used.

Sometimes, the lights may not turn off after you've clicked on them. This is because there's a bit of a delay. To remedy this, you can do one of two things:

  1. Wait about a half-second before turning the lights off.
  2. Open the monitor. Bringing up the monitor will instantly turn off either light. This is a useful maneuver for the later nights where you need to be faster with your tools.

Foxy and Freddy CANNOT be checked with the hall light. The hall lights are only effective against Bonnie and Chica.

The left and right doors are the only way to prevent any animatronic from entering the office once it has the chance to strike.

Here is the left door:



Use it to protect yourself from Foxy and Bonnie.

Here is the right door:



Use it to protect yourself from Freddy and Chica.

To use the doors, simply mouse over to the door buttons and click on them. The buttons will turn green, and the doors will drop.

To deactivate the doors, click on the door buttons again. The buttons will change back to red, and the doors will rise.

Unlike the hall lights, both doors can be used at the same time.

Fail to close the doors at the right time, and it's game over. This will be explained in more depth in each of the animatronic sections.

Your ears must be used to listen to certain in-game sounds that will warn you of approaching animatronics. The only animatronic that completely bypasses this mechanic is Foxy. This will be further explained in the sections about the animatronics.

The clock is found in the upper right side of the screen.


This thing tells you the time and number of the current night.

The clock will start from 12AM and will go all the way up to 6AM. Use this to keep track of what you should be doing at certain times of the night.

The monitor, hall lights, and doors all use up power. How much power you're using is displayed by the power indicator at the bottom left side of the screen.


Using no tools will use up only one bar of power.


Using one tool will use up two bars of power.


Using two tools will use up three bars of power.


Using three tools will use up four bars of power.


The left and right doors are separate tools. The same goes for the hall lights. Along with the monitor, that makes five tools to use at your disposal, but you can only use up to three of them at a time.

Once the power hits 0%, all the tools that you can use to protect yourself will disappear from the screen, and you will be unable to use any of them. If the monitor is already up when the power goes out, it will drop and stay down. If either hall light is on, it will turn off automatically. If the doors are closed, they will suddenly open. The only things on at this point are the emergency lights:



Then, only one animatronic will use this opportunity to kill you: Freddy. Freddy will commence his final attack after a short period of time. This will be explained further in the "Freddy" section.

However, the clock will still run after the power goes out, so not all is lost when there's no power.

In any case, practice with the mechanics during the first two hours of Night 1, and you'll quickly understand how to play the game.
The Objective of the Game
The goal of the game is to last from 12AM to 6AM for each night, which, in real time, corresponds to exactly 9 minutes [11]. Each in-game hour is 90 seconds [11]. Once 6AM hits, a chime will be heard, the screen will turn black, and the clock will be in the center of the screen, changing from 5AM to 6AM, like this:



The trick of the game is NOT to use up too much power before 6AM hits. If you use up the power too early, Freddy will kill you.

Newer players may frantically and profusely check the cameras, use the hall lights, and close the doors, wasting a lot of power. You must use your tools as sparingly as you can.

However, if you run out of power, you can still make it to 6AM. This is because the clock still runs even after the power goes out. Thus, it is entirely possible, though not guaranteed, to reach 6AM before Freddy has the chance to do his final attack.

As the nights progress, the animatronics will get faster and more aggressive. As a result, there is no point in checking all the cameras to monitor all the animatronics, especially past Night 2. Just use the cameras for only Freddy and Foxy while using the hall lights for Bonnie and Chica. This tactic will be explained in more depth in the "General Strategies" section.
The Animatronics
Now, I will explain each animatronic in full detail. They are very easy to understand and counter. I will post the mechanics of each character in separate sections.

Before you read those sections, here's a picture of the whole animatronic family (without Golden Freddy):



If you get caught by one of them, you'll get their jumpscare screen. Next, you'll get some static, like this:

...and then, you'll get a GAME OVER screen, where you get stuffed inside a Freddy Fazbear suit. Here's the picture:

On the other hand, with Golden Freddy, you'll only get his jumpscare screen, and then he'll crash the game.

To learn how to prevent any of this from happening, keep reading.
Bonnie
The fastest animatronic. He will only show up at the left door.

Bonnie's movement path is much less linear than Chica's path, so he'll often jump to a room that's disconnected from another room. This makes Bonnie seem as if he's teleporting. Also, Bonnie has certain choices for his next destination depending on his current room, but his choices are very random, so he doesn't have a set path.

Still, Bonnie will always start from the show stage (Cam 1A). Once he leaves the show stage, he will never return there. He will then move only in the other rooms on the left side of the map, which includes Cam 1B but excludes Cam 1C (Pirate Cove). He will never show up anywhere else.

Because Bonnie is very fast, he shows up at the office more often than the other animatronics. When he appears, he will stare right into the office from the left door.

To prepare yourself for him, listen for “pit-pat” footstep sounds. These could be either Bonnie's footsteps or Chica's footsteps, so you must check BOTH hall lights. If Bonnie is in the left hall light, like so...


...drop the door immediately.

You only have a few seconds to react, and if you don’t close the door in time, Bonnie will jam the door and enter your office. You will also be unable to use the door to protect yourself from Foxy, and the light switch will not work. Additionally, different sound effects will play when the light and door buttons are pressed.

Before using the monitors again, once Bonnie shows up at the door, check the other door as a precaution. It is not that uncommon (though not that frequent, either) to have both Bonnie and Chica attacking at the same time.

Bonnie can even show up at the door (and make pit-pat sounds) while you're using the cameras. If that happens, drop the camera and check both hall lights immediately. Sadly, you may not always be able to hear these footsteps. Thus, you'll want to avoid taking too long on the cameras while the doors are open.

If Bonnie jams your door, he will only attack if the player uses the monitor and puts it back down. Once the monitor is up, Bonnie will make groaning sounds. If the player takes too long putting the monitor back down, Bonnie will pull it down himself. Here's what you'll get if you put up and put down the monitor while Bonnie's in the office:



Game Over.

However, if you're close to 6AM, and Bonnie jams your door, you may still make it through the night if Foxy doesn't use this opportunity to attack. Just do NOT flip up the monitor. You don't need to worry about the right door. Freddy can't come in if the player is not using the monitor, and when Chica jams the door, she works the exact same way as Bonnie.

If the monitor is already put up after Bonnie has jammed the door, just keep it up for as long as possible and ignore the groaning sounds. Hopefully, 6AM hits before he forces the monitor down.

These desperation tactics are not guaranteed to work, but they can help. But, if you're too far away from 6AM, either let Bonnie kill you or just restart the game. Hopefully, your next try will be more successful.

If the door is closed in time, however, do not open it until Bonnie leaves, or you’ll risk allowing him to jam the door. To see if he has left, look for a large, rabbit-shaped shadow in the left hallway against the wall when the light is used.


If there is no shadow, like so...



...then Bonnie has left, and you can open the door. He will also make footsteps when he leaves, but remember--check the hall light before opening the door. Again, the footstep sounds you hear may not always be Bonnie’s footsteps; they may also be Chica’s footsteps. As a precaution, check the other door after Bonnie has left.

Upon a successful counter with the left door, Bonnie will always return to the Dining Area [12]. Then, he will try to make his way to the door again.

If you’re looking at the cameras, and Bonnie’s in a room, he causes the cameras to temporarily go offline and emit static sounds whenever he moves to a different location. The camera feed will go back to normal a few seconds later.

Phone Guy says on Night 1 that you should always check the door lights whenever the cameras go offline, but that isn't necessary. Bonnie will only "jump" to the left doorway from either the Supply Closet or the West Hall Corner [12]. He can't jump to the doorway from any other location. Moreover, as I've said in a different section, you won't have time to check all the cameras past Night 2, so Bonnie can't catch you off-guard on the cameras.

Still, you can check the doorway whenever the cameras go out if you want to feel safe. If the cameras go out while Bonnie's in the room, drop the monitor and check the left hall light immediately. To be extra safe, check BOTH hall lights whenever the camera feed goes out.

If you hear warbled robotic sounds outside the office, then that means that Bonnie or Chica is nearby. If you view Bonnie in Cam 2B or Chica in Cam 4B, these sounds can be heard more clearly. Also, you will see both animatronics twitch. This can only happen in Night 4 and above and will occur randomly [8]. You can use the warbled robotic sounds to help warn you of Bonnie and Chica, but do NOT rely solely on them to decide when to check the hall lights.

There's one more thing that I must mention. If Bonnie still manages to jumpscare you, his jumpscare can be interrupted once the power goes out. Then, he'll disappear. However, you'll still get a game over. Fortunately, Bonnie's jumpscare can also be interrupted if the clock hits 6AM, and this time, you'll survive. Again, try to make it to 6AM if Bonnie attempts to kill you.
Chica
The least aggressive animatronic. She will only show up at the right door.

Chica generally takes longer to get to the door than Bonnie does, but her AI is actually higher than Bonnie's AI on Nights 3-6. Night 2 is the only exception [11]. This programming is most likely to compensate for Chica's slower movement. Also, Chica can actually skip cameras like Bonnie, but her path is much more linear, giving the player the illusion that she doesn't skip cameras.

Moreover, Chica tends to attack at much less consistent intervals than Bonnie. This is because unlike Bonnie, Chica doesn't go all the way back to the beginning after being blocked at the right door. She goes to the East Hall instead. From there, she can choose to go back to the Dining Area or to the right door again through the East Hall Corner.

Much like Bonnie, Chica's choices in her path are entirely random. She will always start in the Show Stage (Cam 1A) and will never return there once she has left the area. Unlike Bonnie, she will move around only in the rooms on the right side of the map, as well as Cam 1B. She will never show up anywhere else. Additionally, Chica moves through the same rooms as Freddy.

If Chica's right next to the office, and if the right hall light is used, she will stare into your office from the hallway window, not from the door, like this:



Other than that, she works the exact same way as Bonnie. Listen for footsteps, check BOTH hall lights, and drop the door if Chica’s in the hallway. Again, check the hall light before you open the door. If she has left, then you won’t see her through the window anymore when you check the right hall light, like this:



Before using the monitors again, check the other door once Chica has left to make sure that Bonnie isn't there, too.

Remember--much like Bonnie, Chica can appear at your door while you're using the cameras. Again, it's possible to hear footsteps while using the cameras, but you may not always be able to do so, so don't take too long on the cameras.

Once Chica shows up at the door, check the other door as a precaution. Again, it is not that uncommon to have both Bonnie and Chica attacking at the same time.

If you fail to close the door at the right time and if you use the monitor afterwards, Chica will want to greet you, like this:



Game Over.

When Chica jams the door, it's not as bad as when Bonnie jams the door, especially if you're close to 6AM. Unlike Foxy, Freddy can't walk into the office while the monitor is down. At this point, all you need to do is not to use the monitor. You will need to close the left door, however, as Foxy may attack you.

Anyway, you can hear Chica when she’s in the kitchen as she will make noises with pots and pans. The kitchen is two rooms away from the East Hall Corner, so Chica can’t attack you from here. Thus, you don’t need to check on the right light when she can be heard in the kitchen. However, once the noise stops, you must resume checking the right hall light.

Chica can also disable the camera feed when she moves, but again, checking the door every time this happens is not necessary. Like Bonnie, Chica will only jump to the door from certain rooms. Unlike Bonnie, Chica will only attack from one place: the East Hall Corner. In other words, you only need to check the right door if Chica is in Camera 4B and causes the camera to emit static.

Still, if you want to feel extra safe, drop the monitor and check the right hall light whenever Chica disables the camera. Check BOTH hall lights to be really safe. Much like Bonnie, if you hear groaning sounds while viewing the monitor, then Chica is in the office, and you’re dead. You can try to keep the monitor up if this occurs, but like Bonnie, Chica will eventually pull it down.

Much like Bonnie's jumpscare, Chica's jumpscare can't be interrupted by a power outage, so try not to run out of power when she's about to attack.
Foxy
A peculiar animatronic. Surprisingly not as unpredictable as he seems, despite what many people think.

Foxy spends most of his time in Pirate Cove (Cam 1C). However, he can come out and attack if the player isn’t watching him regularly. If this happens, Foxy will run down the West Hall (Cam 2A) and will barge into the office through the left door. If the left door is open when he does this, he will jumpscare you, like so...


...and it’ll be game over.

Phone Guy says that checking on Foxy with the monitor regularly will slow him down, but that is also not necessary. You don't need to check on Pirate Cove (Cam 1C) specifically to "stun" Foxy; you can use any camera to stun him. This is because Foxy CANNOT move while the monitor is up unless he's already left Pirate Cove.

Still, you’ll obviously need to use Cam 1C from time to time to check on Foxy. After all, you won’t be spending all your time on the camera, so Foxy may take that opportunity to ready himself for an attack. The trick is not to go TOO long without using the monitor. If you do, Foxy will be more likely to strike.

Moreover, contrary to popular belief, you can’t really check on Foxy too much, only too little [8][10]. Foxy will not come out more often if you spam the cameras or have the monitor up for a long time, regardless of his AI level.

Sadly, Foxy may still attack even if you try to watch him correctly. To better explain Foxy, I need to explain his movement patterns. He has four stages, which are analogous to his four stages in FNAF4. Here they are:

  • Stage 1 - Foxy is fully hidden behind the curtains in Pirate Cove. He can’t attack at all in this stage.



  • Stage 2 - Foxy is partially hidden behind the curtains but peeks out of them, leaving his face and some other parts of his body visible. He still can’t attack in this stage.



  • Stage 3 - Foxy is completely out of the curtains. In front of Pirate Cove, he will appear on the left side of the camera in a stance that indicates that he’s ready to run. Also, his head will be tilted to the player’s right. Moreover, the curtains will be somewhat open. Foxy still can’t attack in this stage but is getting ready to do so.



  • Stage 4 - Foxy has left the area and is heading towards the office via the West Hall. The curtains are completely open, with the sign for Pirate Cove right in the middle.
    • In the first three stages, this sign will say “Sorry, out of order.” The final stage will also have this sign normally:
    • However, in the final stage only, this sign will occasionally say “IT’S ME” instead:

















Foxy may sometimes skip the first stage and go right to the second stage after returning to Pirate Cove, so watch out for that.

A guideline that I use for checking on Foxy is this: I check on him sometimes when he's in Stage 1 or Stage 2, and then I check on him more often when he's in Stage 3. This method often works for me, even in 4/20 mode.

Once you see that Foxy has left Pirate Cove, you must act quickly, for you have a very limited time before he kills you. You can do one of two things:

  1. Drop the monitor and close the left door immediately. Do not change cameras, or you will waste time. Also, you must avoid changing to Cam 2A, or you’ll trigger Foxy’s running animation too soon. When the door is closed, then you can switch to Cam 2A to trigger Foxy’s running animation (if he hasn’t reached the door already) so that he attacks sooner and goes back to Pirate Cove.
  2. Change the camera to Cam 2A to trigger Foxy’s sprint. Then, immediately close the left door. Again, do not change cameras once Foxy sprints, or you will waste time.

Either method will protect you from Foxy. Method 1 is much safer, but method 2 drains a little less power. It’s your call.

For those who don't understand this strategy, we look at Cam 2A to trigger Foxy's running animation early, so that we can open the left door sooner and waste less power. Foxy will take a longer time to attack if he isn't triggered in Cam 2A, and if you don't close the left door soon, he will burst into the room without warning.

Once Foxy makes it to your office, and the left door is closed, you will hear four bangs. Once those bangs have subsided, Foxy has returned to Pirate Cove. You only need to open the door after the first bang; the other bangs are irrelevant. Do this to save a bit of power and to quickly get back to whatever you were doing. After Foxy leaves, remember to check for Bonnie before you open the door. He can appear while Foxy attacks.

Foxy will steal some of your power every time he bangs on the door. Foxy starts out with 1% power and adds 5% every time after that. In other words, he'll steal 1% power the first time, 6% power the second time, 11% power the third time, etc. In any case, you do NOT want Foxy to attack more than twice. Allowing only one attack or even no attacks is better. If Foxy attacks too many times, just restart the night.

Interestingly, Foxy's jumpscare can be interrupted by a power outage, and the game will not end. It even happened to Markiplier at one point. You would have to be precise for that to happen, though.

One final note: you may hear Foxy singing from time to time, and you can hear this more clearly in Cam 1C. Ignore this because it means nothing, though it can serve as a useful reminder to check on Foxy.
Freddy - Part 1
If you want a TL;DR on the Freddy sections, skip to the bottom of the last section.

The most elusive animatronic. Ironically, he's also the most predictable.

Unlike Bonnie and Chica, Freddy follows a set path. Much like Chica, Freddy travels through the right side of the map, but unlike Chica (and Bonnie), he does NOT backtrack or wander around. In other words, he heads straight to your office without turning back once.

Freddy follows this path:
  1. Show Stage (Cam 1A). He ALWAYS leaves after Bonnie and Chica leave.
    • Freddy will often look like this:
    • ...but only when he's alone, he may look at the camera sometimes, like this:
  2. Dining Area (Cam 1B). He's not that hard to spot here.
  3. Restrooms (Cam 7). He's even easier to spot here.
  4. Kitchen (Cam 6). This camera is audio only, so you can't see anything. I decided to show this camera feed anyway so that newer players know what it looks like.
  5. East Hall (Cam 4A). Probably the hardest camera to spot Freddy in.
  6. East Hall Corner (Cam 4B). He's impossible to miss here as he will stare right into the camera.
  7. The Office. Once he makes it here, it's game over. Here's his jumpscare screen:

Notice how Freddy's eyes don't light up in his regular jumpscare. However, in his other jumpscare during a power outage, his eyes do light up.

Anyway, Freddy will appear in these same places every single time. Note how he tends to favor dark spots, though his eyes will still be visible. However, he CANNOT be seen if Bonnie or Chica are in the same room. He'll be there, but his image will be "covered" by the images of Bonnie and Chica. Once Bonnie and Chica leave the room, Freddy will be seen again. The game should have mentioned this fact, but it did not, so don't be confused by Freddy's apparent disappearances.

I should mention one other thing. Unlike Chica, Freddy "skips" the right blind spot before entering the office, so he can't be seen before he attacks. This gives him the illusion of teleporting or busting through locked doors. He can't do that; only Golden Freddy can. In any case, this means that once Freddy is in Cam 4B, he is only one step away from killing you. You must be careful once he gets that close.

Moving on, Freddy lets out a single series of laughs and makes running footsteps every time he moves to a different room, and these sounds get louder as he gets closer. You can use the number of laughs to pinpoint Freddy’s location. For example, if Freddy has left the show stage, he will have laughed only once. Once Freddy has reached the East Hall Corner, he will have let out five laughs. If he laughs six times, then he got into the office, and you’re dead after a few seconds.

However, Freddy may not always let out the right amount of laughs that corresponds to his location. This may happen because other in-game sounds may make it hard to hear Freddy’s laugh or because Freddy may move too quickly. A level 20 Freddy can seemingly enter Cam 4B in under 5 laughs.

Still, your ears (and the monitor) are the best weapon against Freddy. Thus, I recommend listening to the volume of the laughs along with the current number of them. If the laugh is pretty loud, and the number of total laughs is at least three, then Freddy might be in Cam 4B, assuming that you didn’t let him into the office.

Additionally, once Freddy’s in the kitchen, he will play his music that he normally plays when the power goes out. When you hear that music, you don’t need to worry about him just yet because he’s two rooms away from the East Hall Corner. That, and if Chica's also in the kitchen, you will hear her banging the pots and pans, too.
Freddy - Part 2
Now, let’s discuss how Freddy moves.

If Freddy's not at Cam 4B, he will only move when the monitor is down. However, using the monitor to look at him will halt his movements. Also, Freddy will not move if Bonnie and Chica enter or leave a room.

The only exception to these rules is the Show Stage. Freddy can't move from the Show Stage unless both Bonnie and Chica leave first, but once they leave, Freddy may or may not move while the monitor is still up. Fortunately, that room is the furthest room from the office, so this isn't a problem.

Still, you can exploit Freddy's movement patterns. Since Freddy doesn't move when the monitor is focused on him, you can lock him at any camera you want. This is great because Foxy is stunned whenever you use the monitor on any camera, not just Pirate Cove's camera, so periodically spamming the monitor on one camera will effectively slow down both Foxy and Freddy.

Once Freddy gets to Cam 4B, things change a bit. There are four situations that can occur when Freddy reaches Cam 4B:

  1. You have the monitor down.
  2. You have the monitor up and on Cam 4B.
  3. You have the monitor up and on any cam except Cam 4B. The right door is not closed.
  4. You have the monitor up and on any cam except Cam 4B. The right door is closed.

Freddy can only attack you in situation #3. This makes sense because this situation is the only position where the night guard CANNOT see Freddy or block him with the door. In any other situation, Freddy can't attack him, so closing the right door is not needed.

In short, the game wants you either to watch him closely or to protect yourself if you can’t keep an eye on him. To reiterate, close the right door before using the monitor only when you're viewing (or switching to) any camera other than Cam 4B. When you're done using the monitor after looking at a different camera, open the right door after selecting Cam 4B and putting the monitor down.

Furthermore, because Freddy can't walk in if you're not using the cameras, you can idle in the office without touching the right door if you're running low on power. It doesn't matter if Chica jams the door. Just do NOT pull up the monitor. However, be sure to close the left door if you feel that Foxy may attack...unless Bonnie jams the door beforehand. Just hope for best if this happens.

You can actually get Freddy to leave Cam 4B, but he'll only go to the previous room (Cam 4A). Freddy will move back to Cam 4A while laughing if you're using the monitor on another camera and when the right door is closed (in other words, if situation #4 applies). However, because Freddy will always head right for the office, he'll just come right back to Cam 4B if you don't keep him at Cam 4A. In my opinion, it's best to just let Freddy stay at Cam 4B to avoid wasting power.

Now, if you don't know where Freddy is, but you're sure that he's not in the office, close the right door BEFORE using the cameras and look for him right away. If Chica's in Cam 4B, and you can't find Freddy anywhere else, assume that he's in Cam 4B either until Chica leaves or until he laughs.
Freddy - Part 3
Once Freddy makes it into the office, he will kill you after a short period of time if you have the monitor down. The time that he takes to kill you is completely random [12].

However, if you put the monitor up before Freddy has the chance to attack you, he will not be able to kill you. Unlike the other three animatronics, Freddy CANNOT pull the monitor down. Instead, he'll just wait until you put the monitor down yourself before killing you. Also, if he manages to jumpscare you, you can't put the monitor back up because he'll just force it down. The same applies to Foxy.

I didn't know this before, but thanks to someone on YouTube, I now know one important fact. When Freddy gets into your office, he has a 25% chance to kill you every single second [14]. Again, this is halted whenever the monitor is up. Putting the monitor back down will continue but not reset the attack timer. This timer has no upper bound, so Freddy can attack you in a single second or never. It depends on how lucky you are. That being said, most people seem to get killed by Freddy within ten seconds or so.

There is one error in reference 14. On line 2 where the page says "if "viewing" = 0 (if freddy is not viewed on any camera)," it should say, "if "viewing" = 0 (if the monitor is not up)." This line in the coding means that Freddy's attack timer comes into play ONLY when the monitor is not up, which is in accordance with what I said three paragraphs ago.

Now, let's discuss what Freddy does when the power goes out.

Stage 1

First, the emergency lights will turn on, like this:



Next, Freddy will come to the office through the West Hall (while making footsteps).

Stage 2

Freddy will then play his music while his eyes repeatedly light up.



Sometimes, Freddy will immediately start playing his music after the power goes out.

Stage 3

Freddy will stop playing his song, and the emergency lights will go out, leaving you in total darkness. At this point, the only thing you can see are the outlines of the doorways.



Freddy will then look around for the night guard while making footsteps. After a short period of time, Freddy will then attack the night guard, ending the game.



Sometimes, Freddy will attack right after the emergency lights go out.

Sadly, the only way to avoid Freddy's final jumpscare is to reach to 6AM before the jumpscare occurs. The clock stops when Freddy does his final jumpscare, so you can't reach 6AM while Freddy attacks. However, once 6AM hits, Freddy can no longer attack. You can reach 6AM during any of the aforementioned stages.

Contrary to popular belief, not moving the mouse will NOT make it less likely for Freddy to attack you [8]. How long Freddy will take to attack you is completely random. Stage 1 can range from 0-20 seconds, stage 2 can be 5, 10, 15, or 20 seconds long, and stage 3 can be 5, 10, 15, or 20 seconds long [11]. Doing the math, that means that Freddy can kill you in 10-60 seconds.

Interestingly, it's possible to see Freddy's jumpscare coming. If you move the mouse after all the lights go out, pay attention to the outlines of the doorways, shown here.


They will move while you pan the camera. If they freeze in place, you are unable to pan the camera in the office anymore. Then, Freddy will attack a second later. You can use this to predict when he will jumpscare you.

TL;DR - Close the right door before looking at any camera other than Cam 4B and do NOT run out of power. If the power goes out, pray that Freddy won't kill you before 6AM hits.
Golden Freddy
A very spooky animatronic. He's essentially a recolor of Freddy, but he's no less scary.

This animatronic isn't even worth worrying about. According to this source, he has a 1 in 100,000 chance of appearing in Cam 2B.

The Freddy poster in Cam 2B will warn you of Golden Freddy's presence. It goes through three stages that don't necessarily work in this order:
  1. The first stage is "normal Freddy." If you see Freddy on that poster without any sort of change to his appearance, you don't need to worry. Here is a picture:
  2. The second stage is "warped Freddy." If you see a distorted version of Freddy where he appears to rip his head apart, you still don't need to worry. This has a 1 in 100 chance of appearing, according to this source. Here is a picture:
  3. The third stage is "Golden Freddy." If you see Golden Freddy on the poster, it means that you have summoned him accidentally and will hear a little girl's laugh. This will only happen if Bonnie isn't at Cam 2B. Start worrying when you see this picture (NOT my picture):
When the third stage occurs, putting down the monitor will cause Golden Freddy to appear in your office. (NOTE: He's always in the office. He's just invisible until he's triggered.) He will appear in a slumped position on the floor in the office, like so (again, NOT my picture):


To make him go away, simply flip the monitor up and down. He will leave as soon as you do that. If you do not use the monitor within 5 seconds, Golden Freddy will jumpscare you and crash the game, like this:



To avoid triggering his presence, simply avoid looking at Cam 2B. This may be hard for newer players who may want to look at Cam 2B to avoid Bonnie, but checking the left hall light regularly, especially whenever footstep sounds are heard, will be enough to keep the rabbit at bay.

Again, the second stage of the Freddy poster is not dangerous, but if you happen to accidentally trigger it, drop the monitor and open it again. The poster should go back to normal. Changing the cameras will not make the poster go back to normal.

Interestingly, Golden Freddy's jumpscare can also be seen at will if you type in "1-9-8-7" in the Custom Night menu, like this:



Golden Freddy will appear right after you press the "READY" button, and again, he'll crash your game. Try it if you want.
General Strategies
I decided to post a separate section for these strategies for quick access.

Here are some general strategies that can be used to beat the game's most difficult nights (Nights 3-7). Not all of them are equally effective, however. It doesn't help that the game uses RNG (random number generation) elements quite a bit.

Strategy 1

If Freddy is not in Cam 4B...

  1. Check Freddy (wherever he is).
  2. Check Foxy.
  3. Check Freddy again.
  4. Check the hall lights. Don't forget about the footstep sounds.
  5. Repeat.

You can change up this strategy any way you wish. For example, you could check on Foxy every 3 cycles instead of every cycle. This can work because Foxy can be stunned by looking at any camera, rather than just Cam 1C. Thus, you will save a bit of power and can check the hall lights faster.

This strategy will NOT work for 4/20 mode because Freddy will move too fast for you to keep up. It will only work up to Night 6.

Strategy 2

Now, if Freddy is in Cam 4B, do NOT use the previous strategy, or else you might accidentally let him in. If he's made it to Cam 4B, you can use the following strategy:

  1. Close the right door.
  2. Check Foxy. Leave the monitor on Cam 1C if you haven't done so already.
  3. Check the right hall light.
  4. Open the right door.
  5. Check the left hall light.
  6. Repeat.

YouTuber BigBug used this strategy and became the first person to beat 4/20 mode. YouTuber Markiplier used a very similar tactic and became the second person to beat 4/20 mode.

However, this strategy drains your power a bit too much. DJ Sterf himself says that you waste about 10% power closing the right door before doing a camera check. Thus, I cannot recommend this strategy.

Strategy 3

An alternative strategy that saves even more power, especially when Freddy's at Cam 4B, is this.

First, switch the monitor to Cam 4B. If Freddy's already too close, close the right door before switching to Cam 4B. Then, follow these steps based on Foxy's current stage.

If Foxy is in Stage 1 or Stage 2...

  1. Check the left hall light.
  2. Check the right hall light.
  3. Flip up the monitor. Do NOT get off Cam 4B.
  4. Whenever Bonnie or Chica try to jam the doors, close both doors.
  5. Use this opportunity to check on Foxy in Pirate Cove. Then, switch back to Cam 4B.
  6. Open the doors again after checking for Bonnie and Chica.
  7. Flip up the monitor.
  8. Repeat the process.

If Foxy is in Stage 3...

  1. Check the left hall light.
  2. Check the right hall light.
  3. Flip up the monitor. Do NOT get off Cam 4B.
  4. Close both doors and check on Foxy every 5 cycles of steps 1-3. Then, switch back to Cam 4B.
  5. Open the doors again after checking for Bonnie and Chica.
  6. Flip up the monitor.
  7. Repeat the process.

On Nights 6-7, you will have to flip up the monitor in between checking each hall light to keep Foxy away for a longer period of time.

In the community, this technique is known as "camera-stalling." YouTubers Kevin Kevin, MrBuu423, Bagel the Bagel, and DJ Sterf used variations of this tactic to beat 4/20 mode.

"Camera-stalling" is a technique where the monitor is used to prevent an animatronic from jumpscaring the player or from moving from its current location.

Remember that simply using the monitor slows Foxy down, so we don't need to get off Cam 4B to stun him. This also prevents Freddy from coming into the office and killing us, even when the right door is open, saving us some power. Additionally, to save even more power, if Foxy is in Stage 1 or Stage 2, we check on him only when someone tries to jam the door. If Foxy is in Stage 3, however, we'll have to check on him more often (every 5 cycles or so is enough).

Alternatively, you could stay on Cam 1C to watch Foxy more closely, and then you could switch to Cam 4B only when Freddy arrives in the East Hall Corner. This won't work in Night 7, however, as Freddy will move to Cam 4B really fast.

Strategy 4

There's an even better way to save power.

Essentially, execute strategy 3, but ignore step 2 in both forms of the strategy by checking only the left hall light. You can do this because Chica will ALWAYS show up in Cam 4B before she tries to attack, and her image on the camera feed replaces Freddy's image when both are in the same room, so you'll always see her coming. Whenever Chica causes static to appear after being in Cam 4B, then you can check the right hall light for her. She may or may not have advanced to the right door.

One important thing to note is that you must check the cameras frequently enough. It's very easy to let Chica jam the right door if you're not paying enough attention on the monitor. This has happened to some people.

Nonetheless, this strategy saves even more power than strategy 3 because you're using only one hall light instead of two. DJ Sterf used this strategy to finish 4/20 mode with 13% power left [6]. This is actually the world record right now.

Conclusion

Strategy 3 will save quite a bit of power, so I recommend this one. Strategy 4 is even better, but you'll have to be even more careful with Chica. Strategy 2 can work, but you would have to be really careful with your power usage. Strategy 1 is good, but once again, it will only work up to Night 6.

You can even alter or combine these strategies if you wish. Do what works for you.

How fast these strategies must be executed depends on the difficulty of the night. For Nights 3-4, you don't need to be that fast. (Don't be too slow, though.) For Nights 5-6, you'll need to be fairly fast. For Night 7 (a.k.a. 4/20 mode), you'll need to be really fast.

Did you get all of that? Good. Then, let's get right into the game nights!
Night 1
Now, let's start a new game.



To get started, simply click on the option you want. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys and the Enter key to make your selection.

Upon starting a new game, you will see this screen:



Once the job ad disappears, the first night will commence. Click on the screen or press the Enter key or the Escape key to make the job ad disappear faster.



Welcome to your first night at Five Nights at Freddy's! Are you ready for the graveyard shift? If so, let's start!

Difficulty: Easy

The first night is by far the easiest in the game as the animatronics will not be very active.

By the way, I've decided to post the general strategies for beating all nights in the "General Strategies" section. I did this because I didn't want to make the sections about the nights too long. Be sure to read that section whenever you can.

Upon starting the game, a recorded message on the phone will play after a few seconds. This character's name is "Phone Guy," and he'll tell you a bit about the pizzeria. He'll also give you a few tips on how to survive the night. Listen carefully to his message if you want to beat this game.

Phone Guy will call you on Nights 1-4, and someone else will call you on Night 5. Nights 6 and 7 don't have phone calls.

If you don't want to listen to any of these phone calls, you can mute them by pressing the "Mute Call" button that shows up in the upper left corner of the screen.


You only have about 20 seconds to do this before the button disappears, forcing you to listen to the entire call.

Again, the animatronics are only slightly active, but they are still a threat. Bonnie is the biggest threat on Night 1 as he is the most active. Chica is the second most active on this night. Both characters are very capable of coming to your door before 6AM, so watch out for them.

Freddy will never move on this night, so you do not need to worry about him at all. If you want, you can look at the show stage to check on him.

Foxy isn't very active but can still attack. If you don't use the cameras at all (or very little), Foxy may attack at around 4AM or 5AM. To avoid this, just check Pirate's Cove at least several times every hour (maybe every 10-15 seconds or so).

You can listen to Phone Guy's message (which lasts until about 2AM) without worrying about the animatronics because no one will move until 2AM at the earliest [8][12]. You can use this time to familiarize yourself with the controls. However, you can get away with this only on Night 1 as the animatronics will be quite active during the phone calls on all the other nights.

In any case, keep an eye on Foxy with the cameras and check the hall lights for Bonnie and Chica whenever you hear footstep sounds. For added safety, check the hall lights before and after you use the monitor. Do these things, and Night 1 is easily beaten.

You may also take this time to use the monitor to study Bonnie's, Foxy's, and Chica's movements.

If you want, you could simply close the left door for the whole night to protect yourself against Foxy, but I wouldn't recommend doing this until after Phone Guy has finished talking (or, for those who muted his call, until 2AM). If you close the left door the moment the night starts, you may still be able to survive, but you'll run out of power far too soon.

Anyway, once you close the left door, you don't need to worry about the right door. Even if Chica jams the door, you'll be fine if you don't touch the monitor. Freddy is, once again, not active, and even if he is, he can't come in if you're simply looking at the office.

If you don't want to use that method either, you can close both doors once 5AM or even 4AM hits, provided that you have a lot of power left.

Occasionally, you may see flashing images of Bonnie and Freddy with the text "IT'S ME". These are called hallucinations, and they will display on the screen randomly [8]. They mean nothing and are only here to scare you, so just ignore them.

Once the clock hits 6AM on this night (and any other night), you will get a screen in which the clock changes from 5AM to 6AM, like so:



If you get this screen, then congratulations! You beat the first night! Every time you complete a night, you unlock the next night.

Now, can you handle the rest of the nights? If so, let's head to Night 2!
Night 2


Difficulty: Easy

This night is considerably more difficult than the first night, but it's still quite easy.

Phone Guy will call again at the beginning of the night and will tell you a bit about Foxy's and Freddy's mechanics this time. Do note that Phone Guy says that Foxy becomes more active only when the cameras aren't being used, not that Foxy will become more active if you use the cameras too much. This is, once again, a common misconception. Just don't stay off the cameras for too long, and Foxy will not progress through his stages as fast.

Phone Guy will also warn you that the animatronics may move while he's talking on the phone, so pay attention to your surroundings while he talks.

Freddy still won't move from the Show Stage, but the other three robots will try to attack you more frequently. Still, the procedure for warding off the animatronics is the same. Check the hall lights whenever you hear footstep sounds, and check on Foxy regularly. Because Night 2 is harder than Night 1, you'll have to check on Foxy more often.

I wouldn't recommend closing the left door for the whole night. However, if you're at 4AM or 5AM with a lot of power, either you can close the left door and not use the monitor, or you can close both doors. It's your call.
Night 3


Difficulty: Medium

Night 3 is not that much harder than Night 2, but it is where things start getting interesting.

Phone Guy himself even says this in his call. He will also tell you that if you get caught by one of the animatronics, you could try "playing dead" to fool them into thinking that you're just an empty costume. However, he also mentions that even if you try that, the robots might try to put a metal endoskeleton into you, so it's better not to get caught in the first place.

And, this is where another misconception comes in. I cannot stress this enough, but playing dead when the power's out and when Freddy's about to kill you will do absolutely nothing. The only reason it seems that way is because the time it takes Freddy to kill you during a power outage is entirely random. There's nothing in the code that can prevent Freddy from killing you whenever he wants, unless 6AM hits before he gets the chance to do so.

Anyway, Night 3 is going to be more difficult because Freddy will now become completely active (though he's still a bit slow compared to Nights 4-6). I've been fortunate to have him come to Cam 4B only once on Night 3, but other people haven't been as lucky as me. In other words, Freddy can very much kill you on this night, so you'll have to keep an eye on him.

Either you can keep Freddy from coming to Cam 4B by watching him on the monitor every few seconds, or you can freeze him at Cam 4B. Both strategies work well. Just remember not to view or switch to another camera while Freddy's in Cam 4B unless the right door is closed first.

If you have no idea where Freddy is, but you're sure that he's not in the office, just close the right door until you can find him on the cameras. If you need more help on finding and dealing with Freddy, check out the "Freddy" section of this guide.

Additionally, the other animatronics will show up at your door more often. Fortunately, they can still be countered with the same procedure for the other two nights. You'll just have to be faster here.

Once more, if you're pretty good on power, and it's 4AM or 5AM, either you can close the left door and not use the monitor, or you can close both doors. This will probably be the last night where you can get away with doing this. Nights 4-7 are relatively tough.

Follow these tips, and Night 3 will be complete.
Night 4


So, you've made it to the fourth night! Congratulations! This is good news.

Sadly, Phone Guy's call during this night is the last call he will ever make to you. During his last message, he is (presumably) killed by Freddy (or Golden Freddy--who knows?). Poor man.

No time to grieve during this night, though! We must press on!

Difficulty: Medium

Night 4 is just a somewhat harder version of Night 3. It's still very much beatable, however. Continue to use the same strategy for everyone, but be faster this time.

Freddy is even more active than before and will most likely reach Cam 4B before the night ends. Once he arrives at Cam 4B, remember to close the right door every time you want to check a different camera.

Anyway, Night 4 is probably the last night where you aren't likely to run out of power if you're careful. You may even finish with over 10% power left.

Unfortunately, Nights 5 and 6 are a whole different story.
Night 5


The phone call at the beginning is from a mysterious entity. Some demonic voice will spout some random gibberish before hanging up the phone.

This message means nothing, though. It seems to be just some backwards distorted version of some text from a random book, but that's not confirmed to be true. If you want to know more about this, look here[freddy-fazbears-pizza.wikia.com].

Anyway, let's talk about Night 5.

Difficulty: Hard

Night 5 is going to be fairly tough, but it's not unbeatable. The same tactics for Nights 3 and 4 still apply here, but you'll have to be even faster and more vigilant.

This may be the first night where you may actually lose power despite playing carefully. This night may even take you a few tries. If you happen to fail a few times, don't give up. You will beat it.

Upon completing the night, you will be presented with your first paycheck!



Congratulations! You beat the first five nights of the game! You'll earn a star on the main menu screen, and you'll also have access to Night 6 on the menu.
Night 6


Wow! You made it to Night 6! Now, get ready for a challenge!

Difficulty: Hard

Night 6 actually isn't that bad compared to 4/20 mode (Night 7). Night 6 is indeed hard but consistently beatable.

All the animatronics are more aggressive than ever before, but the biggest problem here is Foxy. Foxy will be much more active this time, so you'll have to check the cameras much more frequently to prevent him from draining your power.

If you want a specific battle plan, I've posted strategies for Nights 3-7 in the "General Strategies" section. For Night 6, I strongly recommend strategies 1 and 3. Strategy 4 is good, but it is not necessary since the animatronics don't move as fast in Night 6 as they do in Night 7. Strategy 2 can work, but it is not optimal.

Like Night 5, Night 6 may take you a few tries, but you can do it!

Upon completing the night, you will be presented with another paycheck for overtime work!



An extra fifty cents. Wow. At least the picture has a slightly different color.

Beating this night will earn you a second star on the main menu. You will also have access to the final night in the game, labeled "Custom Night" in the main menu.

Now, are you ready for the hardest night in the game? Here we go....
Night 7 (a.k.a. "4/20 mode")
Welcome to the 7th Night! Through your hard work and perserverance, you have made it this far. Congratulations!

However, there's still one more challenge that the game would like you to do.

Starting the 7th Night, also known as "Custom Night" in the main menu, will take you to a different menu. Here, you can control the AI level of any of the animatronics. Here's a screenshot of the default level selections:



Play around with the settings if you want. Just don't type in the numbers 1, 9, 8, and 7 in that order unless you want Golden Freddy to jumpscare you.

"4/20 mode" or "20/20/20/20 mode" is the highest difficulty of any night. This mode is often simply called "Night 7," though Night 7 can be of any difficulty.

This mode is not scary because it is nothing more than a speed test. Every robot is extremely aggressive, but your only major issue here is Foxy, who can steal your power if you can't keep up with him. You need every bit of power if you want to beat this mode, so try not to let Foxy attack more than once.

Fortunately, I have listed strategies in the "General Strategies" section that are effective. For Night 7, I strongly recommend strategies 3 and 4. Strategy 2 requires a lot more power management than necessary, and strategy 1 will not work at all.

Do note that this game has a luck component, so you may do everything right but still run out of power and lose. Still, I believe that you can do it. Don't give up.

In any case, if you're ready for 4/20 mode, crank up everyone's settings to level 20 and press the "READY" button at the bottom right corner of the screen. Good luck!



Upon defeating the night, you will receive a nice little piece of paper:



Oh, screw them, then. You wouldn't want to work here, anyway.

Anyway, once this screen disappears, you'll get your third and final star on the menu.



Congratulations! You beat the entire game! Well done!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading the guide! I hope it was useful, though it was pretty long, heh.

I don't know if I'll ever do any other guides on the FNAF games, especially since I have yet to beat the most difficult nights of every other FNAF game. Who knows? Maybe I'll beat them someday.

I welcome any positive feedback and corrections. My guide would be even better with those in mind.

I would like to thank MrBuu423 (YouTube), Zanarathas, Bagel the Bagel (YouTube), Kevin Kevin (YouTube), DJ Sterf (YouTube), BigBug (YouTube), Markiplier (YouTube), Combine11 (Reddit), and Boxfigs (Reddit) for the strategies and interesting information for the game!

Anyway, see you later!
62 Comments
Patixa Apr 14 @ 8:04pm 
I (21yo) was introduced to the FNAF universe through the movie (I enjoyed it A LOT btw) and I'm loving it. This guide saved me, ty \^-^/ Now omw to play FNAF 2 lol
iq_gameing Mar 27 @ 1:57am 
your the best :steamhappy:
Max Feb 12 @ 8:41am 
não
feymob Jan 17 @ 3:48pm 
i love you man
trashman Jan 7 @ 11:09am 
The mobile version got updated a while back to essentially make it identical to the PC version.
Also, the night actually lasts 8 minutes and 55 seconds. 12AM is just shorter for some reason.
g_nadia5 Dec 31, 2023 @ 5:33pm 
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Jammy (she/her) Dec 29, 2023 @ 10:01am 
The chance of golden freddy is actually 1/32,768 due to a glitch with clickteam fusions RNG.
AirpodOwl Dec 17, 2023 @ 1:23pm 
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