Five Nights at Freddy's 3 (FNaF 3) is the third installment in the Five Nights at Freddy's series, released in March 2015. This game shifts its focus, introducing new mechanics, a single active animatronic, and an even deeper dive into the lore of the haunted Freddy Fazbear's franchise.
In FNaF 3, the player is a security guard at Fazbear’s Fright: The Horror Attraction, a haunted house-style horror attraction based on the legends of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The game takes place 30 years after the events of the first two games, with the pizzeria long closed down.
Your goal is to survive five (or more) nights from 12 AM to 6 AM by monitoring the attraction's security systems and fending off a new animatronic threat.
Unlike previous games, FNaF 3 introduces some new mechanics that make it feel different from its predecessors:
Springtrap: The primary and only physical animatronic in the game is Springtrap, a decayed and horrifying animatronic with a disturbing backstory. While there are no other animatronics trying to reach you physically, Springtrap is constantly moving through the attraction, and if he gets into your office, it’s game over.
Phantom Animatronics: Though there’s only one real animatronic, you are haunted by phantoms of past characters like Phantom Freddy, Phantom Foxy, Phantom Chica, and others. These phantom animatronics can’t kill you, but their jumpscares cause system malfunctions, leaving you vulnerable to Springtrap.
Systems Management:
Cameras: As in previous games, you monitor security cameras to keep track of Springtrap’s location. However, the cameras can malfunction and need to be rebooted.
Audio: You can use audio cues (playing the sound of children laughing) to lure Springtrap away from your office. This is an essential part of your defense, but like the cameras, the audio system can also fail.
Ventilation: Springtrap can crawl through the air vents to reach you. You need to close the vents to block his path, but the ventilation system can malfunction too. If the ventilation fails, your vision becomes distorted, and hallucinations become more frequent.
Reboot Systems: Throughout the game, systems such as cameras, audio, and ventilation will frequently break down. You must reboot these systems via your control panel, but doing so leaves you vulnerable while the reboot happens.
Five Nights: As with previous games, you must survive five main nights, which increase in difficulty as Springtrap becomes more aggressive and the phantoms become more disruptive.
Sixth Night: Completing the five nights unlocks a more difficult sixth night.
Good Ending vs. Bad Ending: In FNaF 3, there are two possible endings, depending on whether you complete certain hidden mini-games. These mini-games reveal more about the tragic backstory of the pizzeria and its characters.
FNaF 3 dives deeper into the series' lore, exploring the history of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza and the infamous events that occurred there:
Springtrap’s Backstory: Springtrap is revealed to be a critical figure in the lore. He is the haunted remains of an animatronic suit that was used to murder children. The suit contains the spirit of William Afton, the main antagonist and the murderer behind the series' dark history.
The Phantom Animatronics: The phantoms are hallucinations caused by faulty ventilation systems, but they also tie into the haunted past of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, symbolizing the ghosts of the children whose lives were lost at the restaurant.
The Mini-Games: Between nights, players are presented with 8-bit mini-games that explore events from the past. These mini-games reveal key moments in the history of the restaurant and the story of William Afton.
Good Ending: The good ending is unlocked by completing secret tasks during the mini-games, and it shows the souls of the murdered children being freed.
Bad Ending: If the secret mini-games are not completed, the bad ending shows that the children’s souls remain trapped.
One Main Animatronic: While the first two games had several active animatronics, FNaF 3 has only one real threat—Springtrap.
Phantom Animatronics: Instead of physical threats, the phantom animatronics create jump scares that sabotage your ability to monitor or control the systems effectively.
System Management: Rebooting systems adds a new layer of complexity to the gameplay that makes survival more challenging.