FNAF Best Jumpscares - FNAF Insider (2024)

I’ve been a fan of horror my whole life, so I’m a connoisseur of the iconic and startling jumpscare. Horror franchises have used the jumpscare to add fear into moments that otherwise might not have been as engaging or as a punctuation mark to end a scene on a high note.

Five Nights at Freddy’s is terrific at using jumpscares. Every game over is met with a horrifying sight to let me know I messed up. This list will include the top three best jumpscares from each mainline, Five Nights at Freddy’s games.

Bottom Line Up Front

FNaF has so many incredible jumpscares that the only way to choose the best is through how expectable, novel, and themed they are. Because of this, the best jumpscares in the FNaF franchise are Golden Freddy from FNaF, Withered Bonnie from FNaF 2, and Moon from FNaF Security Breach.

Selection Criteria

There are many jumpscares across the various Five Nights at Freddy’s games, and trying to narrow them down to a shortlist is an enormous task. That being said, with the help of my fond FNaF memories and some recent replays of the games, I’ve compiled the rules for what makes an FNaF jumpscare better and more impactful than the rest:

1. Is the jumpscare predictable: A good jumpscare is one that you don’t see coming but feels inevitable. The nature of a jumpscare is startling, but the environment and lead-up can make a jumpscare feel like a well-placed trap from the developer for the player.
2. Is the jumpscare novel: Is it new? Does it change the gameplay? Is the game better for trying something new with this particular jumpscare?
3. Is the jumpscare correct for the character: Not every jumpscare should be something appearing on your screen and screaming at you. Some require a different approach. A brooding and cunning character might have a jumpscare involving deception or hiding around a corner. Are these jumpscares fitting and appropriate for the character doing the scaring?
4. Is something broken from fear in my room: pretty simple, did the jumpscare make me break something out of fear while I was playing the game? A genuinely great jumpscare makes you react physically. Jump out of my chair? That’s a good one. Throw my mouse at the wall because I thought an animatronic would come through my screen—incredible jumpscare.

What Are the Best FNAF Jumpscares?

Five Nights at Freddy’s 1

This original masterpiece set this whole franchise in motion, and it is still my favorite installment in the series, Five Nights at Freddy’s. This game has a few stand-out jumpscares that still haunt me. Most of the jumpscare that this one has to offer are similar, and the ones that made this list were the ones that stood out above the rest.

Golden Freddy

Golden Freddy is a secret animatronic amongst the original four, making this jumpscare unexpected and terrifying. He could only appear on certain nights; even then, there was a slight chance of triggering him.

Golden Freddy would appear on a poster in CAM 2B, and if you didn’t switch to another camera immediately, it was game over. He added an element of the unknown. Even after the player figured out the movements of the other animatronics, Golden Freddy was a wildcard.

Rating:10/10

Shock Value:10/10

Did I Break Something:Yes. I had to buy a new mouse because I jumped back and smacked my coffee cup onto it.

Foxy

The second-best jumpscare in the first FNaF game is the always-surprising foxy. The first time I saw this animatronic running at a full sprint toward my small box of safety, I knew that I was about to have to restart the night. The other animatronics give the player time to swap back to the room and close the door they’re coming through.

Not Foxy, the player must react and close the door within a few seconds because Foxy moves so much faster than the rest. The jerky lean into the room gives foxy more personality than the other animatronics, and the slight pause gives the briefest chance to let your guard down before it attacks.

Rating:7/10

Shock Value:5/10

Did I Break Something:Almost. When I kneed the desk, a few Pokemon plushies bounced away.

Freddy when the power runs out

The last jumpscare that makes this list from the first FNaF game is one of the most memorable. The power hits zero percent, and the tablet showing the camera’s views disappears.

There is an entirely dark room; all I can do is turn my head left and right. The music starts, and Freddy’s face lights up. Game over. Repeat this whenever you keep a door closed for too long or light on for a moment longer than needed. A dead battery is a dead run. This jumpscare is one of the most seen in the first game, and every time it happens, I’m still scared.

Rating:8/10

Shock Value:10/10

Did I Break Something:No. I wasn’t petrified, just disappointed that I had forgotten to open the door.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Five Night at Freddy’s two expanded upon everything in the first one and added a few new mechanics for the players to enjoy.

The doors are gone and replaced with a mask, and the animatronics walk right up to the player before attacking. The jump scares in this one are much more involved, and the animatronics have more personality and uniqueness in their movements and scares. Now is where the jumpscares become harder to rank.

Withered Bonnie

Withered Bonnie is the best jumpscare in the second FNaF game because it’s the first one that played into the animatronic fear of it all. This model of Bonnie is missing everything on its face except for its bottom jaw, and what remains is a maw of teeth and wires. Bonnie attacks if they are in the room and the player doesn’t pull their mask down fast enough.

Rating:10/10

Shock Value:3/10

Did I Break Something:Yes, that face still scares me. R.I.P. my desk chair.

Mangle

Mangle is almost in the number one spot for FNaF 2, but Withered Bonnie’s face is too terrifying. Mangle hanging from the ceiling adds something that the first game didn’t have: danger from above.

The first game had two doors to protect, but this one added overhead vents on either player’s side to look out for. Mangle will cause audio static to play when it comes to attacking, and, much like Foxy; the player must instantly return to the room and throw on their mask to stay safe.

Rating:8/10

Shock Value:5/10

Did I Break Something:No, but it does keep me awake at night.

Toy Chica

The change from Chica to Toy Chica was night and day for me. The cheeky smile and the cupcake would go on to be the baseline in Chica’s design, and the added cute elements make the whole thing downright creepy.

Toy Chica will stand in the shadows just outside the player’s room, and the player has to throw on their mask before Chica walks in. The lunging motion it makes while it attacks is much more brutal than the normal biting one and is forever burned into my memory.

Rating:6/10

Shock Value:3/10

Did I Break Something:No, but who knew how much fear could fit behind a beak.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 3

The third installment in the FNaF franchise, this game returned to the first game’s desk and window style. The main difference, though, is that this is the first game that feels like it has a central antagonist, with Springtrap continuously showing up and needing to be dealt with in different ways.

Springtrap is also the only animatronic to give the player a game over. The other Phantom Animatronics distract the player or mess with equipment. All of the Phantom Animatronics have the terror ratcheted up, but the smile and subtlety of Springtrap make it horrifyingly different.

Springtrap

As said before, Springtrap is a central antagonist in this game, meaning you often see this face. Springtrap is the only real animatronic walking around this game; the others are all phantoms.

Springtrap can attack from the doors or either vent, and the player must watch the cameras and listen to see if it’s coming. All while being harassed by this decaying bunny. This one is the best in this game because you start to feel stronger and have a sense of progression each time you keep him at bay.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value:6/10

Did I Break Something:Yes, but with happiness. I went to a rage room the day I beat this game, and it felt right.

Phantom Puppet

One of the more annoying jumpscares in FNaF 3, the Phantom Puppet, gets second place in this game because its jumpscare follows the player’s screen.

The Puppet pops up on the cameras like the other Phantom Animatronics, and if the player doesn’t swap cameras, then the puppet attacks. It obscures the player’s vision with a terrifying face and follows their screen for eighteen seconds before fading. The Puppet’s jumpscare exists to annoy the player and keep them helpless against Springtrap.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value: 8/10

Did I Break Something:Yes. This Puppet mask is haunting, and I had no clue what to do the first time it popped up. There are a few dents in my desk from this Puppet alone.

Phantom Chica

Once again, Chica’s transformation causes her jumpscare to be one of the most effective in any FNaF game. The decaying and disintegrating Phantom Animatronics appear on the player’s camera feed, and they have to swap cameras quickly before the phantoms appear in the room.

Phantom Chica attacks from the left only once the player looks in that direction. It waits to scare the player and stays there until they can’t help but look to get rid of it.

Rating:6/10

Shock Value: 7/10

Did I Break Something:No, but I suddenly feel like I can’t turn my neck left ever again.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 4

The most different entry up to this point, FNaF 4, throws out the original formula and storytelling by going into a child’s nightmares.

Before, this was a story of a night security guard surviving attacks from living animatronics; now, this is the story of a child dealing with the trauma of those animatronics. The jumpscares in this game can only be avoided by closing doors and flashing the animatronics with your trusty flashlight.

Nightmare Foxy

By far, the most fear-inducing face in FNaF 4 is Nightmare Foxy; there is a monster in this closet, and it has a mouth of sharp teeth.

The first time Nightmare Foxy shows up in the game will always be in the hallway. That’s the warning. Once the player sees it, Nightmare Foxy will start appearing in the closet and getting ready to attack. The player must shine their flash at it to make it disappear, but that does involve looking this murder robot directly in the eyes.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value: 8/10

Did I Break Something:Yes. Similar to the Withered Bonnie, this gapping mouth haunts my nightmares. It was also why I played on an old tv instead of my monitor for a while.

Nightmare Fredbear

Nightmare Fredbear takes second place for FNaF 4 because he can act like other animatronics. Each animatronic has a set of behaviors they stick to, but not Nightmare Fredbear; he can do anything and attack from anywhere. The player must flash Nightmare Fredbear as soon as they see it in the hallways or under the bed.

They have to close the door on it if it’s in the closet. The player must listen for a terrifying laugh to know when it’s near and be ready to look everywhere to find this scary thing and stop it.

Rating:7/10

Shock Value:9/10

Did I Break Something:Almost, but he did break my will. This game had some hard nights later on

Freddles

These creepy plushies stack up on the bed like a timer, and they may not have a jumpscare of their own, but they are terrifying.

These Freddles appear on the bed as the night goes on, and the player has to get rid of them before three accumulate. If the player lets them get to three, then Nightmare Fredbear will attack the player. Not only are they terrifying, but they are also taunting the player as they summon Freddy to attack.

Rating:5/10

Shock Value:6/10

Did I Break Something:No, but they’re cute in a weird way.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location

This game takes the players to an abandoned underground facility that houses some of the more malicious and exploited animatronics from the FNaF franchise. This game puts the heaviest focus on the mechanical elements of these animatronics, and as such, this game has a lot of jumpscares that involve gears and tentacles. Many of them are great, but these are the best.

Bidybab

Bidybabs are tiny animatronic dolls that attack the player on night two and force them into a mini-game under their desk. The player has to make the correct inputs to keep a metal sheet up to block the opening under the desk.

Meanwhile, a flood of these dolls comes in to attack the player. If they hold these dolls off for long enough, then they win. This jumpscare is a one-off in the game and lends itself to be a more unique and memorable encounter. Because of this, these tiny little devils take Sister Location’s number one jumpscare spot.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value:8/10

Did I Break Something:No, this one required too much effort to stay alive. If I had tried to break something, I would’ve had to start it all again.

Ballora

One of the main antagonists in Sister Location, Ballora, takes second place because of her tragic story and awful breakaway face. Also, on night 2, the player has to sneak through a part of the abandoned facility while trying to avoid this blind animatronic.

The player has to keep away from her as she searches for them, singing the whole time that she’s searching for the player. The player has to make it to the end of the maze-like facility while keeping an ear out to tell if the singing is getting louder.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value:7/10

Did I Break Something:No, but that face is horrifying.

Maskless Ennard

I mean, look at it. Maskless Ennard takes third place for both his appearance and the level that he’s in. Ennard is lurking in the darkness as the player is led through the facility by one of the other animatronics.

Circus baby is telling the player where to go and what to do, all while they are on the lookout for this welcoming face. If the player makes a missed step or doesn’t follow the instructions, Ennard will send them back to the beginning to try again.

Rating:9/10

Shock Value:5/10

Did I Break Something:No. If I break a near electronic Ennard, I’m afraid he will absorb it and strengthen himself.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

This game is the most recent installment in the FNaF franchise, and much like the other recent installments, this one follows a new character in a strange, unique setting. A young boy locks himself in a massive Freddy’s pizzeria and arcade, but this one is more neon and futuristic. The animatronics are much sleeker but also have more of a rockstar feel packed into them.

Moon

Coming in as one of my favorite new characters, Moon takes the top spot for FNaf: Security Breach. His whole room is a daycare and jungle gym for younger children.

Usually, he is a kind and caring Daycare operator named Sun. At night, however, Moon changes and looks for bad kids who’ve stayed in his room. The player enters the daycare to find a key card, and it is stalked by Moon when the power cuts off. They must avoid this animatronic as they try to turn on generators to regain their ability.

Rating:10/10

Shock Value:5/10

Did I Break Something:Yes, but it was because some of those generators were awful to find.

Vanny

Vanny takes second place for Security Breach because of how different her jumpscare is from the previous ones. Vanny might be a human, but the game is purposely vague about this point. But Vanny walks around the arcade and is seen ahead of time like the other animatronics.

The difference for Vanny comes from the strange static and screen distortion that happens whenever the player is near her. The player has to avoid her as they navigate the Fazbear arcade, but if she catches them off guard, the effects are scary enough without the bunny face.

Rating:8/10

Shock Value: 7/10

Did I Break Something:No, this one is calmer than the rest, and that’s how it gets you!

The Blob

Without a doubt, the grossest of all the animatronics, The Blob is a mass of other animatronics that have come together to get revenge on the game’s central antagonist.

This monster only attacks the player if they walk around outside of Freddy or if the player touches this monster’s tentacles. This jumpscare is in the late game, earning its place and then some through sheer unexpected force. The Blob comes out of nowhere and attacks the player with one of the most disfigured faces in the franchise.

Rating:7/10

Shock Value:6/10

Did I Break Something:No. This time, I was confident that if I broke something, it would only strengthen this thing.

FAQs

Conclusion

There are dozens of fantastic jumpscares throughout the FNaF franchise, and they are one of the most iconic parts of the games. The jumpscares that I picked for this list were the scariest and the most inventive and unique. These jumpscares have left a lasting memory on me as a gamer and have shaped horror game trauma for multiple generations.