10 Most Terrifying Animatronics In The FNAF Series (2024)

When it comes to the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, the amount of animatronics and characters you’ve faced are countless. Something that the franchise prides itself on is putting new spins on the animatronics we knew from the original title, as well as bringing in new ones. While some aspects may look different, their intentions are still the same…stopping the player from making it through the night. The degree of severity can be seen in their actions and words, which is terrifying, if you ask me.

While a lot of horror is based upon personal preference, there’s no doubt that some things find their way to send chills down your spine. In this series, there's a niche for almost every type of horror, that varies from small plushies to gigantic mechanical animatronics.

10 Funtime Freddy

Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 71/100

Developer(s)

Scott Cawthon

Publisher(s)

Scott Cawthon

While Freddy has had iterations where he’s a friend of the protagonist, like in Security Breach, this version doesn’t want to play nice. With a colorful circus design, this state-of-the-art Funtime Freddy provides an eerie sense of discomfort when players meet him, especially when tasked by HandUnit to interact with the animatronic in the Scooping Room. As seen by the other animatronics in Sister Location, Freddy has several faceplates that reveal the endoskeleton underneath.

Even though the new and (definitely not) improved Freddy has similar attributes to its predecessors, none of them have Bonnie alongside them. Funtime Freddy’s left hand has a Bonnie puppet called Bon-Bon attached to it, which is another character in the game, but plays an important role in Funtime Freddy’s state of being, due to it being equipped with a voice mimic. The character itself is unsettling to look at, but makes itself terrifying when faced in the game.

9 Chica

Five Nights at Freddy's

Five Nights at Freddy's

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 78/100

Developer(s)

Scott Cawthon

Publisher(s)

Scott Cawthon, Clickteam LLC USA

See Also

Animatronics - Jmann2002 - Wattpad

The first game set the scene for what was to come in the series, but while the animatronics get scarier, one of the originals cooks up a scare within the kitchen. Chica is typically found making its way on the east side of the map and can usually be seen glaring directly into the camera. Even before they make it to the office door, there’s no doubt that the animatronic knows you are watching them through the security cameras.

Chica can only attack if the player is busy checking the camera or until the power runs out. The frightening thing about finding out if she’s there is by switching the light on and seeing her face alongside Mr. Cupcake. There’s something about the way that they make their presence seen that creates a dreadful feeling inside. The souless stare from those two stands out among the creepiest animatronics in the original title.

8 Daycare Attendant

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 72/100

Developer(s)

Steel Wool Games

Publisher(s)

Scott Games

Often referred to as Sun and Moon in Security Breach (and Eclipse, if you’ve played the RUIN DLC), this animatronic presents a duality of personality that's sure to cause a sense of unease among players. The Daycare Attendant during the day is Sun, who boasts an upbeat and friendly personality, but as some visitors may never know, there's a darker side to the character. The Moon is the opposite of the Sun, with a hostile and darker side lurking underneath the surface. In the game, players will have to shine their light at them in order to bring out the Sun, because when it's dark, that's when the dread starts to set in.

The physicality is also disturbing with its flexibility, the clown-like wardrobe and that evil smile. The abrupt change between the two characters is cool to watch when it comes to appearance, but the change in attitude becomes apparent once you’ve met the Moon. This Jekyll and Hyde animatronic presents players with a morality check when it comes to trust and safety.

7 Withered Bonnie

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Systems

Developer(s)

Scott Cawthon

Publisher(s)

Scott Cawthon

With a decaying appearance, there's more to this animatronic than meets the eye. Given that this is the same Bonnie from the original title, it's unsettling to think that this character has been waiting to attack for a long time. A key feature that stands out is its missing face, which reveals its exoskeleton and piercing red irises. The lore aims at the fact that these old animatronics were supposed to be a part of the new pizzeria, but were replaced by new animatronics that utilized some of their spare parts.

When it comes to gameplay, Withered Bonnie displays an erratic behavior that's unpredictable and terrifying. With Bonnie’s face being removed, the programming is the only thing that helps distinguish a person from an animatronic, which is why the security guard wears the Freddy Mask. The sporadic appearance keeps players on their toes, which adds tension to the already crazy night shift.

6 Plushtrap

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 67/100

Developer(s)

Scott Cawthon

Publisher(s)

Scott Cawthon

While this character isn’t the main attraction in Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, Plushtrap still puts on a show that's terrifying as it is suspenseful. With its own minigame called Fun with Plushtrap, players have to get this tiny, not-so-adorable animatronic stop on the X in the hallway, where you are met with a few doors and a chair at the end with Plushtrap starts in. There's an eerie feeling knowing that the protagonist is a child, and they’re playing a “fun” game with a plush that isn’t here to make any friends.

Its design is toy-like, similar to how Balloon Boy is, but in this case, it's a plush animal. Mixed with the razor sharp teeth and its black beady eyes, however, makes this character one to be afraid of. In the minigame, there’s that sense of dread that appears when players can’t seem to find where Plushtrap went, since they are hidden in the shadows. While it’s fun to get them to land on the X, its purpose as to why its getting so close to you makes this cute monster someone to look out for.

5 Ballora

Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

There’s something disturbing about seeing an animatronic look so human-like and yet be an animatronic. Ballora usually spends her days doing pirouettes with her mini ballerinas (who are disturbing), but tries to get away from the spotlight at night. As players know, to keep Ballora in the Gallery is by sending a controlled shock. The character itself displays elegance but poses a deadly threat when it comes to interacting with her.

To add more fuel to the fire, the character has a voice which brings a sense of humanity to the animatronic. Knowing this, sound plays a big role in Ballora’s movements, which can bring another level of anxiety to the game. Similar to Funtime Freddy, the character has faceplates and lifeless eyes underneath that mask. In terms of the horror experience, Ballora is an animatronic steeped in atmospheric terror, which makes her a solid entry on this list.

4 Nightmare

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

If you thought that the Nightmare versions of the characters in Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 were already creepy, I’d like you to meet Nightmare. Fueled entirely by its own name, this gigantic animatronic is based on Nightmare Fredbear and Shadow Freddy, which are two disturbing characters in the series. Dressed in his golden hat and bowtie, Nightmare makes his debut in Night 7 of the game as the main antagonist, in which he can move to all the locations in the area.

There’s a sinister element to the animatronic, given its demonic appearance and translucent skin. This distortion is met with its aggressive movements through the night, as it can appear without warning and emerge from dark corners of the room. With an appearance already so disturbing, its actions are just as terrifying. Being that the game holds a theme of childhood nightmares, the animatronic hits all the marks.

3 Springtrap

Five Nights at Freddy's 3

Five Nights at Freddy's 3

Systems

OpenCritic Reviews

Top Critic Rating: 73/100

Publisher(s)

Scott Cawthon

Mixed with its haunted backstory and deteriorated design, Springtrap ignites a dreadful feeling throughout the entirety of Five Nights at Freddy’s 3. When it comes to holding grudges, Springtrap takes the cake for the longest time, waiting for the moment to come. The character itself holds the soul (and body) of the infamous Purple Guy (William Afton). The level of creepy is heightened once you realize that a murderer was crushed and mutilated inside the animatronic and is still ‘alive’.

The appearance of Springtrap is disturbing, given its heavily deteriorated look and silver-eyed glare. In the game, his movements are unpredictable, which makes the game even more terrifying to play. The character design matched with the atmosphere of the horror attraction adds more creepiness to the presence of Springtrap. The thought that a soul of a murderer is within the rotting animatronic, whose main goal is to kill you, is definitely one that’ll send chills down any player's spine.

2 Ennard

Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

When you think of unsettling, a picture of Ennard should be the textbook definition when it comes to the Five Nights at Freddy’s series. We met this creature at the end of Sister Location, in the Scooping Room, which for those who know the ending, is where things get disturbing. Ennard had been tricking Michael Afton to send the animatronics into the Scooping Room, which only added more animatronics to his already disturbing endoskeleton. That false sense of trust fades away once it's revealed that The Scooper and Ennard have plans for our protagonist.

Ennard’s chaotic designs contribute to the pervasive sense of fear. With a clown face and torn wires and rods, this endoskeleton amalgamation conjures up a frightening villain for a story that was already scary enough. The true nature of this animatronic is terrifying, making its placement on this list worthy of a top spot.

1 Nightmarionne

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

Goodness gracious, this one is creepy. This character takes everything about The Marionette, making him taller and thin, sorta similar to the Slender Man, but in puppet form (which is even more terrifying). The character has the same behavior as Nightmare Fredbear, who is aggressive and stealthy. It plays on the fear of being watched in the dark, adding another level of creepiness and unease.

Everything about this character is terrifying, from the long fingers to his broad smile with his sharp-looking teeth. The elongated design is stuff made out of nightmares, given that a larger presence creates an unsettling atmosphere to the room. With it being nighttime, the only thing you’ll spot during the survival of the night is its beady white eyes and frightening mask. Nightmarionne also sports the same laugh as Nightmare Fredbear and plays the music from the Music Box from Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, just to add more eeriness to your night.