Nights

Nights act as a level system in the Five Nights at Freddy's series. Each Night lasts 6 hours in-game, from midnight to 6 AM, and lasts around 8 minutes and 36 seconds in real life.

Night 1
Compared to later Nights, this is fairly easy and serves as an introduction stage. Freddy will not become active unless the lights go out, though sometimes he will turn to face the camera on the stage.

The only animatronics the player has to worry about are Chica and Bonnie, though if they are extremely inactive and don't use the cameras at all Foxy can wake up. Golden Freddy can be summoned on this Night and can be problematic if the player doesn't know how to get rid of him. This is arguably the best night to summon him as the animatronics are their least active.

Strategies

 * Close the left door: This is the simplest strategy. Don't check the door lights, don't check the cameras, just keep the left door shut. This is a good strategy for 3 reasons:
 * If Foxy or Bonnie leave their post to attack, they will be locked out and won't be able to attack you.
 * If Chica gets inside the office, she cannot do anything unless you check the cameras.
 * You should be able to survive the whole night with this strategy, even if you run out of power. If you want to conserve power, lock the door at 2 AM as the animatronics are not active until this time. This will also mean you have enough power to last until 6 AM. However, on the mobile version, you should instead lock the door when the Phone Guy hangs up, and Foxy has an 80% chance to leave Pirate's Cove at 3 AM and may reach the player if they are not checking the cameras. So at around 3 AM, check Foxy hasn't moved, and if he has then shut the left door. Regardless, you will have lots of power left over that should be enough to make sure Chica doesn't reach you.
 * Spotlight stage: Check the door lights every 8 to 12 seconds, then the stage in case Chica or Bonnie have moved. Check Pirate's Cove occasionally.

Tips

 * Get used to the game's mechanics such as the door lights, the doors and the importance of conserving power. Like the Phone Guy says, do not close the doors unless absolutely necessary.
 * Also, don't use too much power; it goes down fairly quickly on Night 1. Use the cameras quickly and efficiently.
 * Learn the patterns of the animatronics: Chica always goes for the right door while Bonnie always goes for the left.
 * Foxy can become active and can attack the player before his introduction on Night 2, but only if unchecked for a really long time. It usually takes until around 4 AM for him to make his move.
 * It may be helpful to know that each in-game hour lasts 1 minute and 25 seconds.
 * Bonnie and Chica tend not to become active until either 2-3 AM or after the Phone Guy hangs up. Make sure to check on Pirate's Cove every once in a while, though.
 * Beginners should need as much environmental awareness as possible. The cameras can help with this, but various sounds can too.
 * Footsteps mean an animatronic is active.
 * Loud, metallic clatters mean Chica is in the kitchen.
 * Foxy can randomly be heard singing. This means he isn't moving.
 * Golden Freddy's best chance to appear is during this night. If the poster in the west hall corner changes to show Golden Freddy, upon exiting the cameras he will appear in the office. To get rid of him, open the cameras again.



Night 2
The animatronics activate notably quicker, but overall Chica and Bonnie are the same as on Night 1. Freddy has a slight chance to activate, but this is unlikely.

Strategies

 * Close the left door: This can still work, but is fairly harder to execute as Foxy is more aggressive and is more likely to bang on the door, draining 1-6% power. Freddy can be lenient if his AI chooses a long cycle kill but this isn't guaranteed, and remember that Bonnie can jam the left door as early as 1 AM. You can also re-open it just before the Night ends to save a tiny bit of power.
 * Babysit Foxy: Leave the camera on the Pirate's Cove video feed, rendering Foxy useless, and check the door lights for Bonnie and Chica.

Tips

 * Foxy is introduced on this Night and is a difficult enemy if undealt with. The trick is to watch Pirate's Cove every, say, 4-20 seconds, where his post is. Phone Guy notes this, saying Foxy must dislike being watched. If Foxy is dealt with, the Night is a breeze.
 * Make sure the other animatronics aren't making their move before opening the cameras, as if they get inside they will attack if the cameras are exited or up for too long.
 * Bonnie and Chica become active at 1 AM this time, so check the cameras while the Phone Guy is talking.
 * Sometimes you may not be able to find an animatronic using the cameras or door lights, often Bonnie or Chica. Sometimes one of them can vanish for a short time. This is because apart from in the stage animatronics cannot be in the same room as the game files lack this. This is useful, so you can know that they are just both in, say, the dining room.
 * This is proved in the mobile version's Cheat Mode (which gives players unlimited power and the ability to see the animatronics' exact locations).