The Five Nights at Freddy's game is set in an office, where the player can observe the animatronic characters via watching surveillance cameras placed throughout the restaurant. The player has a limited quantity of energy to view camera feeds, activate hallway lights, and close hallway doors.

To keep the animatronics at bay, the player must utilize the camera feed points positioned throughout the complex and the doors. If the player fails to do so, they will be surprised and the Five Nights at Freddy's game will be considered finished. The player must survive from midnight to six a.m. in order to advance to the next night (8 minutes and 37 seconds in real-time).

The purpose of the game is to avoid collisions with Freddy Fazbear and his three pals, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. Golden Freddy is the fifth secret animatronic in the game, and he only appears when the player hallucinates.