The Five Nights at Freddy’s books are a successful adaptation of video games into another medium. Enjoy the famous horror series in the proper reading order.

How to read the Five Nights at Freddy’s books in order

Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) is a popular multimedia franchise created by Scott Cawthon. It started as a bestselling horror video game series taking place in a pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the player is tasked with keeping an eye on the security cameras and making sure everything goes smoothly. The game met with positive critics, going viral almost immediately upon release. Its popularity spawned numerous spin-off games, a book series, and tons of merch, and now even a movie is being made starring Josh Hutcherson, Matthew Lillard, and Mary Stuart Masterson.

Publication order of Five Nights at Freddy’s books

There are three books in the main FNAF novel series released between 2015 and 2022. The story follows Charlie, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant, who returns to the restaurant to mark the anniversary of the tragedy covered in the game.

Book 1: The Silver Eyes (2015)

The Silver Eyes is the first book in the series. It was written by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley and published in 2015. The story centers on Charlie, the daughter of the owner of the restaurant, and her group of friends who’ve come to explore the ruined restaurant and uncover the truth of the tragedy that played out in the game.

Book 2: The Twisted Ones (2017)

In the 2017 sequel, Charlie is doing her best to move on. But something won’t let her rest, and there are bodies popping up left, right, and center. Did she miss something? Is there something even more sinister at play.

Book 3: The Fourth Closet (2018)

In the final part of the trilogy, we follow John, one of the characters from the previous novels who’s now haunted by Charlie’s seeming death. But she eventually reappears, and her story introduces even more chaos into everyone’s lives.

Fazbear Frights books order

The Fazbear Frights series is an anthology of mystery horror novellas set in the same FNAF universe as the main trilogy. The series comprises seventeen books, and there’s a graphic novel adaptation as well.

Novella 1: Into the Pit (2019)

In Fazbear Frights #1, Cawthon weaves three tales from three different angles, each more sinister than the one before. What binds them together, however, is one central theme: one’s deepest, darkest desires.

Novella 2: Fetch (2020)

Desires give way to self-mastery in the second volume of the series. This time, the main characters are taking matters into their own hands — or at least they think so until horror beyond their wildest imagination thwarts their plans.

Novella 3: 1:35 A.M. (2020) 

In the third volume, the theme is being left behind in whatever way imaginable. Unfortunately for Cawthon’s characters, evil always strikes when we are down.

Novella 4: Step Closer (2020)

Continuing where he left off in the third volume, Cawthon explores the themes of isolation further in the fourth book. Once again, ghouls and monsters are keen on the lonely and the dejected.

Novella 5: Bunny Call (2020)

What comes to play when we’re in a dark place? The answer is, of course, anger. What the protagonists of the fifth volume are bout to find out, though, is that anger itself breeds all sorts of evil.

Novella 6: Blackbird (2020)

The sixth volume is all about living in the past — a past that can take a life of its own and become much worse than the present. Actually, it can become much worse than anything you’d imagined it to be.

Novella 7: The Cliffs (2021)

Some things we learn the hard way. And sometimes, the hard way is strewn with all sorts of evil and sinister mishaps. Well, at least that’s what happened to the protagonists of the seventh novella as they were trying to combat bullying and fit in.

Novella 8: Gumdrop Angel (2021)

The theme of the eighth volume is bad lack. Specifically, the kind of bad luck that follows you constantly, never giving you any rest. Well, unless eternal rest counts.

Novella 9: The Puppet Carver (2021)

The sense of failure is a downright nasty thing to experience, and it leads to all sorts of negative outcomes. In the ninth novel, Cawthon explores guilt more than anything, and he does it in the spookiest of ways.

Novella 10: Friendly Face (2021)

The faster we want something done, the slower it goes. And sometimes people die. Well, at least that’s the case in the world of the tenth of the novella entry.

Novella 11: Prankster (2021)

It’s tough standing up for yourself, no matter how light the matter may seem. What makes it worse in the FNAF book universe, though, is that even the bravest of acts can have dire consequences.

Publication order of Five Nights at Freddy’s graphic novel books

The Fazbear Frights series is being adapted into graphic novels. The first volume is out, and the other two are set to release this year.

Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel 1 (2022)

The first graphic novel covers pretty much the same stories the novella volume does: it’s all about one’s deepest desires. What makes everything spookier, though, are the illustrations by Didi Esmeralda, Eva de la Cruz, Anthony Morris Jr., Ben Sawyer, Andi Santagata, and Gonzalo Duarte,

Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel 2 (2023)

The second volume is coming out in March 2023, and in the vein of the first, it’s going to cover the stories published in the second novella volume.

Tales from the Pizzaplex series order

Tales from the Pizzaplex books are another anthology series beloved by virtually all FNAF fans. It follows the same format as the Fazbear Frights series, with each volume containing three separate stories dealing with similar themes.

Book 1: Lally’s Game (2022)

The first volume hits hard from the get-to, teaching us that some secrets better stay hidden. Otherwise? Well, the price we pay for telling them might be more than we can pay.

Book 2: Happs (2022)

Keeping secrets is tough, but desire can be even tougher, and sometimes, we can’t keep it in check. But you know what they say: be careful what you wish for.

Book 3: Somniphobia (2022)

Coveting things can be our downfall, but running away from them can lead us down the precipice, too. That goes especially if we have no idea what we’re running away from.

Book 4: Submechanophobia (2023)

Have you ever felt that sixth-sense kind of feeling that let you know something was wrong? The characters in the fourth volume sure have, and they were definitely right.

Book 5: The Bobbiedots Conclusion (2023)

The fifth volume is set to come out in March 2023, but we know the gist of the stories: don’t cut corners, or you’ll wind up in trouble, especially if you’re dealing with animatronics and AI.

Book 6: Nexie (2023)

The sixth book is set to come out in May 2023, and it seems like it’s going to explore the topics covered in Happs a bit more. It’s also going to explore themes such as VR and technology.

Guides

In addition to a bunch of fiction books, Scott Cawthon has published several guidebooks that offer a comprehensive view of the FNAF lore.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Freddy Files (2017)

The first book covers all the mechanics, lore, and gameplay of the video game. It also teaches you how to unlock some unique events in the game and map animatronics’ paths.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Survival Logbook (2017)

Wanna feel like an actual security guard at the famous pizzeria? The second volume features tons of quizzes and prompts that will teach you what it means to be an ideal worker at Freddy’s.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Security Breach Files (2022)

Want more easter eggs and a deeper dive into the map and everything related to Freddy’s series? The third guidebook has it all — in extreme detail.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Ultimate Guide (2022)

The title is not misleading: the fourth guidebook is the most comprehensive, most detail-rich book so far. It covers pretty much everything you’ll need to become the ultimate player.

Fazbear Frights: Felix the Shark (2022)

Fazbear Frights is a horror anthology series set in the Five Nights at Freddy's universe. It follows Felix the Shark, a security guard who must protect a mysterious horror attraction from a series of supernatural threats.

Audiobooks

A good horror book is always a pleasant read, but true dread cannot be conveyed in words alone — you need to hear the story to experience it to the fullest. If you’re a fan of FNAF novels, you can maybe ditch that box set you’ve been eyeing on Amazon and try listening to some audiobooks.

Listen to horror books at Speechify

If you’re a fan of horror and mystery books, you can also check out Speechify. Speechify is a new audiobook platform with over 60,000 titles, including tons of horror stories, such as New York Times bestsellers like R. L. Stein’s Goosebumps series and Stephen King’s The Mist and It. The app is available on all devices, and you can even get the first premium book for free so sign up for Speechify Audiobooks today.