The lore of Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF), spanning games 1 through 7, is rich, mysterious, and filled with hidden details. Here's a full chronological summary based on the main games (FNAF 1–6 plus Ultimate Custom Night), sticking to the core canon as it’s most widely interpreted. Note that the FNAF series often presents its lore in fragments—some details are confirmed, while others are still debated.
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🧩 Key Terms
* William Afton – The main antagonist, also known as the Purple Guy.
* Afton Family – William Afton, his daughter (Elizabeth), his son (often believed to be the Crying Child), and Michael Afton.
* Animatronics – The haunted mascots at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
* Remnant – A mysterious substance tied to souls and possession.
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📘 FNAF 1 (2014)
* Set in 1993.
* You play as Mike Schmidt, a night guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.
* Animatronics (Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy) roam at night and try to stuff you into a suit.
* It’s revealed through phone calls and newspaper clippings that children were murdered at the pizzeria, and the place is haunted.
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📘 FNAF 2 (2014)
* A prequel, set in 1987.
* You play as a night guard at a newer Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza with toy animatronics.
* It introduces Toy Freddy, Toy Bonnie, Toy Chica, Mangle, Balloon Boy, and The Puppet.
* The Puppet is possessed by the first child murdered.
* William Afton is responsible for the Missing Children Incident, luring kids into a back room and killing them.
* The souls of the murdered children possess the animatronics.
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📘 FNAF 3 (2015)
* Set 30 years after FNAF 1, around 2023.
* The location is Fazbear’s Fright: The Horror Attraction, a horror museum based on the old pizzeria.
* You face Springtrap, the decayed body of William Afton inside a spring-lock suit.
* Minigames reveal that the Puppet helped the spirits find peace, except one.
* The game ends with a fire at Fazbear’s Fright, attempting to destroy everything.
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📘 FNAF 4 (2015)
* Set in 1983, the earliest point in the timeline.
* You play as the Crying Child, believed to be William Afton's son.
* The child is tormented by hallucinations or nightmares of the animatronics.
* His older brother, often believed to be Michael Afton, bullies him.
* The Crying Child dies after being shoved into Fredbear’s mouth during his birthday.
* This game shows the origins of the trauma and possibly the first spirit to haunt.
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📘 FNAF: Sister Location (2016)
* Set after FNAF 4 but before FNAF 3.
* You play as Michael Afton, working at Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rentals.
* Circus Baby is possessed by Elizabeth Afton, who was killed by the animatronic after getting too close.
* Other animatronics include Ballora, Funtime Freddy, and Funtime Foxy.
* The animatronics merge into Ennard, who uses Michael’s body as a disguise to escape.
* Michael is seemingly killed but is revived somehow, perhaps due to remnant.
* He vows to find and stop his father, William Afton.
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📘 FNAF 6: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator (2017)
* Set after FNAF 3, with Michael running a pizzeria as a trap.
* You salvage animatronics including:
* Scrap Baby (Elizabeth),
* Molten Freddy (Ennard’s remains),
* Scraptrap (William Afton, now decayed),
* Lefty (housing the Puppet).
* Henry Emily, co-founder of the original pizzeria and Puppet’s father, orchestrates the trap.
* In the ending, Henry burns the pizzeria, destroying the animatronics and supposedly freeing the souls.
* He and Michael perish in the fire as well.
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📘 FNAF: Ultimate Custom Night (2018)
* Believed to be William Afton’s personal hell.
* You play in a purgatory-like state tormented by all the animatronics.
* The line “I will make you suffer like so many of the others” suggests it’s punishment for Afton.
* The Puppet and Golden Freddy seem to be holding Afton in this endless torment.
* Afton’s body is destroyed, but his soul is trapped.
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🔥 Conclusion: Timeline Summary
Year
Event
1983
Crying Child dies (FNAF 4)
1985
Missing Children Incident (FNAF 2)
1987
Bite of ’87 and Toy Animatronics (FNAF 2)
1993
FNAF 1 setting, spirits still haunt Freddy’s
~Late 90s
Sister Location, death and revival of Michael
2023
FNAF 3, Springtrap and fire at horror attraction
After 2023
FNAF 6: Final fire, attempt to end it all
Purgatory
Ultimate Custom Night – Afton’s punishment