The Five Nights at Freddy's video game franchise features horror-themed games in which the player typically works nights at a location associated to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a made-up kids' eatery that draws inspiration from family-friendly pizza franchises like Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place. Life-size animatronic figures from the restaurant perform for kids' birthday celebrations. The guard is told to keep an eye on the animatronics because they prowl the eatery at night. The player must use a range of items to defend oneself against animatronics as they advance through the games. The two security doors that separate the player's office from the nearby halls in Five Nights at Freddy's game can be used as a deterrent against nearby animatronics.

Every night, the player's power supply drains faster when a tool is used. If the power goes out, the player will be unable to use any tools and will be helpless against the animatronics. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 has different tools; there are no protective doors, and the player must instead defend themselves against the animatronics using an empty animatronic head and flashlight. The game included a music box that had to be remotely wound up on a regular basis in order to prevent an attack from a specific animatronic. There are now 8-bit minigames that are played at random after death.