Five Nights at Freddy's has an extremely vague backstory, and with such a huge following of fans, it's only expected that many theories about the game's confusing history and events would spawn. Amongst these theories, there are also rumors, most of which are false and immediately proven wrong. In an effort to keep all of these ideas in one spot, this page will be maintained as regularly as possible to keep up-to-date on any new ideas or discoveries.
This page can only be edited by admins. If you wish to add anything to this page, discuss it in the comments below, on the forums, or a blogpost. If you wish to submit a theory, provide solid proof and evidence for your theory. If it's convincing enough, it may be added.
Theories
These are fan-generated theories that attempt to explain certain aspects of the game. None of these theories have been confirmed and should not be accepted as canon unless Scott confirms that they are true.
Phone Guy's Death
One of the most hot-topic debates in the fandom is the mysterious death of Phone Guy. The lack of information surrounding his death has made room for intense speculation. On Night 4, you receive your usual recording from Phone Guy. He states that he "won't be around to send you more messages" after this night. In the background, a banging sound can be heard, as if someone or something was banging on the door. As the phone call comes to an end, the Toreador March jingle can be heard, followed by a strange moan, and then the call cuts off into static.
- Facts
It's obvious that Phone Guy was killed by an animatronic because of the screech that sounded as the call ended.
It's safe to assume that Freddy was involved in killing him in some way. Freddy is the only animatronic who plays the Toreador March. It's not safe to assume, however, that Freddy was the animatronic who captured and killed Phone Guy.
Near the end of the call, right before Phone Guy dies, a moan can be heard. This moan is actually one of the noises that Bonnie and Chica make whenever they are in The Office. It's safe to assume that they were involved in Phone Guy's death.
- Who Killed Him?
The phone call itself revealed very little about who actually killed him. The two most popular choices for this are Freddy and Foxy; however, with the recent discovery of the moan in the call, it's also possible that either Bonnie or Chica were responsible. Many fans debate that Foxy was the one who killed him because there is the sound of someone banging on a door in the background of the call. Foxy is the only animatronic who bangs on the door. However, because the Toreador March plays right before Phone Guy dies, many fans immediately assume that Freddy was the one who killed him. Concerning the moan, it's also plausible that either Bonnie or Chica got to him somehow.
However, a contradiction appears regardless of who you believe actually did it. It's safe to assume that, during his shifts, Phone Guy operates using the same mechanics as the player. In order for the situations within the phone call to occur, the following conditions need to be met:
Phone Guy needed to have the left door closed. The banging sound implies that Foxy was at the door.
Freddy needed to be involved in some way, and he needed to be in a situation where he would play his jingle. The only time Freddy plays his jingle is when he's in the kitchen or when the power goes out.
Chica or Bonnie needed to be inside The Office, which means that one of the doors had to be open. If Foxy was banging on the door, then it would be impossible for Bonnie to get in because Bonnie never appears in the West Hall if Foxy is at the door.
Assuming these conditions, there are a few possible ways that Phone Guy could have died following regular game mechanics. Most fans believe one of the following happened:
Freddy snuck into the room while Phone Guy was looking at the monitor and killed him. While this works easily in theory, there are quite a few flaws with it. First off, Phone Guy noticed Freddy's jingle before getting killed. Freddy never plays his jingle before killing the player unless the power goes out. If one assumes that the power did go out, there's another flaw. There is no sound of the power going out heard on the phone call (a loud hum always sounds when the power goes out). Even then, if the power did go out, the call would have cut off much earlier, before Phone Guy dies. However, the call goes all the way through until the screech. It's possible that Phone Guy recorded his messages using a battery-operated machine. However, battery-operated recording devices do not ring like a telephone when being played back. The only possible way that Freddy could have played his jingle and immediately after killed the Phone Guy without the power going out would be if Freddy was in the Kitchen and immediately teleported to The Office. However, the jingle was loud enough to be heard on the call, so Freddy couldn't have been far away when it started playing.
The power went out and Phone Guy was killed by Freddy. This seems to be the most logical, as it's the only situation where Freddy will play his jingle and then immediately kill the player. However, there's no sound of the power going out beforehand and there's still the issue with the phone-like device not cutting the call off.
Foxy got into the room and killed the Phone Guy. For this to happen, the Phone guy could have opened the door after Foxy left and Foxy could have quickly ran back in and killed him. However, this situation normally only occurs when Foxy's A.I. level is very high, which is usually only possible on the Custom Night. The power also could have gone out and Foxy could have gotten inside as he was at the door. However, Foxy leaves the door immediately after arriving and wouldn't be there if the power went out a few seconds later. Also, Freddy is the only animatronic that attacks when the power goes out. Finally, Freddy's jingle playing right before the screech makes it seem like Foxy had no real responsibility in killing him, as the two cannot attack at the same time.
Chica snuck into the room and killed him. It's possible that while Phone Guy had the door shut from Foxy attacking, he was looking at the monitor, at the kitchen. If Freddy was in there at this moment, his jingle would have been playing, which would have been loud enough to be caught on the call. During this time, Chica could have made it inside The Office, where she played her groaning sound. The Phone Guy could have noticed this and immediately dropped his monitor, which would have killed him.
If one assumes that the Phone Guy was not operating by in-game mechanics, the most plausible theory is simply that all the animatronics attacked him at the same time. This theory is plausible because you hear vocal cues from all animatronics before Phone Guy dies (Foxy banging on the door, Freddy's song, and Bonnie/Chica's groaning).
Since the only source of evidence surrounding Phone Guy's death is a non-visual phone call, there is really no way to confirm what exactly happened to him before he died. His death will be surrounded in pure speculation until Scott decides to shed more light on it.
Foxy Caused The Bite of '87
Back in a year that ended in 87 (presumed to be 1987), an incident occurred in which an animatronic bit someone and they, in turn, lost the frontal lobe of their brain. While not explicitly stated, it is assumed Foxy is the cause of this. The reason for this assumption is Foxy being a decommissioned animatronic. Foxy himself has fallen into disrepair over the years and Pirate Cove is listed as "Out of Order." Theory states that after The Bite of '87, Pirate Cove was shut down to avoid further injuries. Other evidence includes Foxy's damaged jaw (which always seems to hang open), which could most likely be damaged from someone attempting to pry him off of whoever he bit.
Where is Phone Guy's Body?
There is some debate as to what happened to Phone Guy's body after he was attacked. While it's entirely possible his body is nowhere in the pizzeria anymore, there are two leading theories as to what happened to it.
Chica's Suit
You can clearly see Chica's second set of teeth here.
By far the most popular theory is that Phone Guy was stuffed into Chica's suit when he was caught. The reasoning for this is, in certain poses when Chica opens her mouth, one can see an extra set of teeth inside her mouth. Judging by Phone Guy's call on the first night, the only human remains to see the light of day after putting the suit head on would be your eyes and teeth. However, Chica's second set of teeth look unrealistic and are most likely from her endoskeleton. Also, Phone Guy explicitly states that the animatronics will try to stuff you in a Freddy Fazbear suit. Finally, Chica already has an endoskeleton inside of her; it wouldn't make sense for the animatronics to stuff a human inside of her.
Another reason people think that Phone Guy is inside of Chica is because she makes raspy, human-like groaning noises when she's inside of The Office. However, Bonnie makes these noises also. A logical explanation for this would be that their artificial voice boxes (since they're singing animatronics, they most likely have one) are malfunctioning and need to be repaired. Considering that the company is rather stingy and wouldn't jump at the idea of hiring a repairman, and that the animatronics been singing these songs non-stop for 20+ years, it makes sense that their voice boxes would get damaged from repeated use.
Golden Freddy's Suit
Another popular theory is that Phone Guy was stuffed into the Golden Freddy suit. This seems plausible, as when Golden Freddy appears in The Office, he takes the position of a slumped over corpse. Adding to it, an endoskeleton cannot be seen inside Golden Freddy, especially since he has no eyes. This also lines up with the fact that Golden Freddy is a Freddy Fazbear suit, making it a very likely candidate to be stuffed with a security guard.
Golden Freddy is a Hallucination
Golden Freddy is a mysterious animatronic that has a special way of appearing. When looking at CAM 2B, it's possible for the poster to change to one of Golden Freddy. Upon lowering your monitor, Golden Freddy is sitting in The Office in front of the player. This occurs even if both doors are shut. What leads people to believe that he might be a hallucination is due to the fact that Mike Schmidt has hallucinations on occasion already. Looking at Golden Freddy's poster and looking into The Office might cause the image of Golden Freddy to stick in his head and cause him to think an animatronic has entered. Along with this, when looking at Golden Freddy, hallucinations increase. And finally, when Golden Freddy attacks, the jumpscare doesn't look like him attacking but more like one of the hallucinations when they flash on the screen.
Foxy is a Good Guy
The following is speculation with no real evidence to support the idea. A prevalent theory is that Foxy is a good guy. Supposedly, he runs from Pirate Cove to check up on Mike. However, when he gets to The Office, his scream, due to a malfunctioning voice box, causes a heart attack and kills Mike. This is very unlikely considering Mike is still stuffed into a suit just as violently as when the other animatronics catch him. The scream can also be debunked since all four animatronics make the same scream when attacking. If Foxy were to make this noise because his voice box is malfunctioning, then the rest of the animatronics would have malfunctioning voice boxes as well. That is disproved due to Freddy's laugh that occurs as he moves, showing his voice box works just fine. The likely source of this theory is due to the popularity of Foxy among the fanbase with fans attempting to make Foxy not seem as malicious as he is presented.
Nathan Dunlap Murders Parallel
On October 23, 2014, Youtube channel The Game Theorists posted a video with a compelling theory about Five Nights at Freddy's. In the video, narrator MatPat describes how the game parallels the murders committed by one Nathan Dunlap in a Chuck E. Cheese on December 14, 1993 in Aurora, Colorado. The gist of the story is as follows: Dunlap was fired from the restaurant five months prior due to a disagreement on his hours. On the night of the attack, he hid in the restrooms until the restaurant was emptied out, save for four employees (Colleen O'Connor, Benjamin Grant, Sylvia Crowell, and Bobby Stevens) and night manager (Marge Kohlberg). When executing his attack, Dunlap used a small caliber handgun to kill O'Connor, Grant, and Crowell, all of whom were cleaning the dining/game area. He then proceeded to the kitchen, where he shot Stevens in the jaw. However, unknown to Dunlap, Stevens was still alive and simply playing dead in hopes that Dunlap would not finish the job. Dunlap left the kitchen and entered the back office where Kohlberg was. After having her open the safe, Dunlap shot her as well, raided the safe, and left. Dunlap was caught within hours and convicted using security footage and testimony from Stevens.
There are many parallels that run between this story and the game. They may be coincidental, but there are a fair many.
- Setting
The setting for the murders was a Chuck E. Cheese in December of 1993. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is very clearly an establishment similar in theme to a Chuck E. Cheese. As far as the year goes, the setting for the game is most likely between 1991 and 1996, which easily encompasses 1993. (For information on how the year for the game is obtained, see the Mike Schmidt Trivia.)
- Animatronics
More interesting is the parallels between the victims and the animatronics themselves.
When considering the Supply Closet, it's a rather odd room in that it seems fairly pointless. It's a small room that only Bonnie can enter and has nothing inside other than floor cleaning material. This is linked to Benjamin Grant, who was vacuuming the floors when he was murdered.
Sylvia Crowell was the closest victim to the bathroom and was cleaning the salad bar when attacked. This link's Chica's "Let's Eat" motto and her path by the restrooms to Crowell.
Foxy is linked to Marge Kohlberg as both are sequestered off from the rest in the back of the restaurant. Kohlberg being the night manager would make her a more aggressive person, translating to Foxy's aggressive behavior.
The only victim to not have a strong correlation is Colleen O'Connor, who would be tied to Freddy. However, after passing through the Dining Area, Freddy hides in the women's restroom. This could be a nod to Colleen being a woman, but more likely would be a nod to Dunlap hiding in the bathrooms before his attack.
Golden Freddy himself is an enigma for the animatronics but plays a part in this theory as well, correlating to Bobby Stevens. Golden Freddy has a tendency to show up unexpectedly and appears in the limp, slumped over position. The positioning could be reference to Stevens playing dead after getting shot. As for Golden Freddy's surprising appearances, it relates to Stevens unexpectedly being alive, to Dunlap's surprise, and being the final nail in the coffin for the killer.
- Result
The result of this theory is that Mike Schmidt is the murderer. However, it goes one step further by claiming that Mike Schmidt is actually a death row inmate and Five Nights at Freddy's plays out in his nightmares. This explains why, no matter what happens, he leaves safely at 6 AM. Not to mention, his nightmares involve him being attacked by his victims, taunted by the survivor, and he's forced to watch the same camera feed that ultimately robbed him of his freedom. And once he survives one week, he's left to relive it over and over again.
Rumors
These are fan-made rumors that have turned out to be false. None of these are to be accepted as canon as they were made in an attempt to prove something that wasn't in existence in the game or were made to attempt to trick the fanbase.
1/9/8/7 on Custom Night
The biggest rumor about the game was that setting the A.I. levels on the Custom Night screen to 1/9/8/7 would reveal a secret ending to the game. Despite numerous people playing the night with those settings and showing that there was only one ending, many people believed completing the night with these settings would unlock an ending where Mike is not fired. This rumor was disproved after Update 1.3, which added the Golden Freddy kill-screen to the game whenever this code was entered. There is still no alternate ending to The Custom Night.
0/6/6/6 or 6/6/6/6 on Custom Night
It was rumored that entering either 0/6/6/6 or 6/6/6/6 on the Custom Night screen would enable the Kitchen camera. This has since been proven false. No images files for the Kitchen exist within the game.
Sparky the Dog
The photoshopped picture of Sparky in-game.
Sparky the Dog was a fan-made animatronic that was stated to appear on the Backstage camera. He was created by Tumblr users kodiabear and nyugen. He was described as a dog-like animatronic with a missing arm. Some claimed he was "non-violent" and would not attack the player, only occasionally appearing in the doorway to Backstage. He is completely fan-made and is not in the game, as no files for him exist. The only image of him is a photoshopped image released by his creator. The creator also claimed that Sparky is fake in this post.
Pirated/Torrented Death
Supposedly, if you pirate/illegally download the game from a specific torrent site, you will get jumpscared by Freddy when you try to exit or close the game. This was claimed to be a trick by the developer to "punish" those who didn't pay for the full version of the game. A similar trick was pulled by Greenheart Games.
"The Cupcake is a Camera"
It's rumored that the cupcake in The Office is a camera. The evidence for this is that the monitors on The Office desk seem to switch on and broadcast any attack on Mike Schmidt. However, this is easily proven false. Watch this gif. The monitors clearly show something from inside the room. And if you look, each monitor shows a different angle. If the cupcake really were a camera, they would show the same angle. But they don't. In fact, they show angles impossible for the cupcake to see from its position facing forward on the OTHER side of the room from Foxy. This suggests that the monitors simply reflect the attack rather than display it. However, why they don't reflect anything until an attack happens is unknown.
Surprise Bonnie Screen
Twitcher KennyXii encountering the Bonnie screen.
A rumor that's been gaining attention is one where, upon opening the game, the eyeless hallucination of Bonnie will appear and stare at the player. Information about how this occurs is unknown and seems to be random. Some reports say it lasts for just a few seconds and some say it can last for several minutes. Some even say that Bonnie's eyes start to slowly turn white. And further still, some say it can occur on death as well. With the inconsistencies in the reports and the only evidence being screen shots which can easily be manipulated, if at all, the rumor seems rather unlikely. However, despite the conflicting reports, at least some form of this has been proven true.
You can clearly see Chica's second set of teeth here.
The photoshopped picture of Sparky in-game.
Twitcher KennyXii encountering the Bonnie screen.
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