Five Nights at Freddy’s, often abbreviated FNAF, is a horror electronic game released in 2014. The player takes on the role of night security guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a fictional pizzeria modeled after such theme restaurants as ShowBiz Pizza Place and Chuck E. Cheese. Like those restaurant chains, Freddy Fazbear’s features entertainment provided by animatronic (mechanical) animal characters. Several of these characters—including Freddy Fazbear—come alive at night and stalk the darkened halls of the restaurant. The player must use the restaurant’s security cameras to spot the animatronic characters and plan how to protect against them. Five Nights at Freddy’s has become famous for its simple design, creepy characters, and so-called “jump scares,” in which enemies suddenly leap at the screen. Critics of the game have expressed concern that its cartoonlike characters can draw in younger players, who may not be prepared to experience its sudden frights and dark themes.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is an independent game, a game not created with the support of an established electronic game company. It was created by the American game developer Scott Cawthon. The game became popular through distribution via the Valve Corporation’s online gaming service Steam. Its popularity spread mostly by word-of-mouth among players.
Cawthon has released several sequels and spinoffs, including Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (2014); Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 (both 2015); Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location (2016); Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator (2017); Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted and Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery (both 2019); and Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach (2021). 
Several novels based on the game series have been written by Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley. They include Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes (2016), Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Twisted Ones (2017), and Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Fourth Closet (2018). A motion picture based on the game series, also called Five Nights at Freddy’s, was released in 2023. Freddy Fazbear and the game’s other characters have also been widely featured in toys and other merchandise.
