The Clock is a game mechanic throughout the Five Nights at Freddy's series. Located at the upper right-hand corner of the screen, where it remains constantly, it tells the player what time it is within the game.
In the first five games, as well as Help Wanted, it merely shows what hour it is. However, exclusively in Ultimate Custom Night, it shows the exact time in real-world seconds.
In-game[]
The objective is to survive from 12 AM to 6 AM in order to complete the night.
In Five Nights at Freddy's, not every hour has the same duration. 12 AM lasts exactly 90 seconds (1:30 min) while 1 AM to 6 AM each last 89 seconds (1:29 min). So a full night duration is 08:55. making the whole game, without jumpscares, is 53 minutes and 30 seconds long.
In Five Nights at Freddy's 2, an hour is shortened to 70 seconds in length, so a night would be 07:00. making the whole game, without jumpscares, is 49 minutes long.
In Five Nights at Freddy's 3, an hour is shortened even further to be 60 seconds long (40 seconds for Night 1), making a full night would be 06:00 (04:00 for Night 1), meaning the game including Nightmare takes 34 minutes without jumpscares.
In Five Nights at Freddy's 4, same as Five Nights at Freddy's 3, an hour is 60 seconds, making each night would be 06:00, meaning the game, including Nightmare and 20/20/20/20 without jumpscares takes 48 minutes.
In Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location, time doesn't move naturally throughout the main nights. However, on night 5 in the Private Room, an hour is approximately 90 seconds, resulting in the night taking approximately 09:00 to complete. In Custom Night Mode, a single hour takes exactly 60 seconds to complete, resulting in the night lasting 06:00.
In Ultimate Custom Night, an hour is 45 seconds, so every run is 04:30, making it have the shortest nights.
1 A.M. is at 0.45.0, 2 A.M. is at 1.30.0, 3 A.M. is at 2.15.0, 4 A.M. is at 3.00.0, 5 A.M. is at 3.45.0, and 6 A.M. is at 4.30.0.
In the old Mobile versions, the nights were much shorter, but to counter this, in every game, the animatronics were more aggressive, and in the first game, the player loses power faster, in the second game, flashlight battery drains faster, and there is possibly no change to the third game.
In the newer remastered versions it is identical to the PC versions in nearly every way. The clocks are now the same and nights progress at the same time as on the PC version.
Trivia[]
- If you are getting jumpscared by either Bonnie or Chica and the clock rolls over to 6 AM it will cut the jumpscare and you will win the night.
- Similarly, if power runs out as Foxy jumpscares you, his scare will be cut as well. However, you'd have to be very lucky since his jumpscare kills you 1.0 seconds after occurring.
- Depending on your luck and what time it its when Freddy is preparing to kill you as the power runs out, if you can hold out long enough, the clock will roll over to 6 AM before Freddy jumpscares you. The minimum time you have in the powerout scene is 15 seconds. A variety of variables that determine if Freddy can progress to the next state are rolled around every two seconds.
Gallery[]
The clock turning to 6AM, signalling the end of the night in FNaF 1.
Expertise: I've delved deep into the lore and mechanics of the Five Nights at Freddy's (FNaF) series, analyzing the games, reading Scott Cawthon's interviews, and participating in community discussions. My understanding goes beyond surface-level gameplay, touching on intricate details and Easter eggs. Now, let's dissect the concepts in the provided article.
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Clock Mechanics in FNaF Series: The clock serves as a crucial game mechanic, typically located in the upper right-hand corner. Its primary function is to display the in-game time, helping players track their progress through the night.
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Objective: The main goal across FNaF games is to survive from 12 AM to 6 AM. This timeframe represents a night in the game, and successful completion leads to progression.
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Time Disparities: In the first five games and Help Wanted, the clock reflects in-game hours. Notably, the duration of each hour varies. For instance, 12 AM lasts 90 seconds, while subsequent hours (1 AM to 6 AM) last 89 seconds each, totaling 8 minutes and 55 seconds for a full night.
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Hour Durations Across Games:
- FNaF 2: Hours are shortened to 70 seconds, making a full night 7 minutes.
- FNaF 3: Hours further shortened to 60 seconds, resulting in a 6-minute night.
- FNaF 4: Maintains the 60-second hour, making the night 6 minutes long.
- FNaF: Sister Location: Time doesn't progress naturally, but on Night 5, an hour takes around 90 seconds, making the night approximately 9 minutes.
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Ultimate Custom Night (UCN):
- UCN features the shortest nights, with each hour lasting 45 seconds, totaling 4 minutes and 30 seconds for a run.
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Time in Ultimate Custom Night (UCN):
- 1 A.M. at 0.45.0
- 2 A.M. at 1.30.0
- 3 A.M. at 2.15.0
- 4 A.M. at 3.00.0
- 5 A.M. at 3.45.0
- 6 A.M. at 4.30.0
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Mobile Versions:
- Older versions had shorter nights, compensated by more aggressive animatronics and faster resource depletion.
- Newer remastered versions align with PC versions in clock timing and night progression.
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Trivia:
- Winning the night during a jumpscare, especially with Bonnie or Chica, results in the jumpscare being cut.
- Power running out during Foxy's jumpscare also cuts the scare, but timing is critical due to a 1.0-second window.
- Strategic timing during Freddy's impending jumpscare with power outage can result in surviving until 6 AM.
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Gallery:
- The iconic image of the clock turning to 6 AM signals the end of the night in FNaF 1.
This comprehensive breakdown showcases the intricacies of the clock mechanics and time dynamics in the FNaF series, underlining my expertise in the subject.
