Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic is a first-person survival horror developed by Steel Wool Studios and published by ScottGames. Part of the Five Nights at Freddy's series, it serves as a prequel exploring the origins of the Mimic within Fazbear Entertainment. The game departs from the franchise's traditional point-and-click format, featuring fully explorable 3D environments, stealth-based gameplay, puzzle-solving, and an emphasis on environmental storytelling.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic
Developer	Steel Wool Studios
Publisher	ScottGames
Producers	Paul Sullivan Maes Young
Designer	Evan Lampi
Artist	Alessandro Briglia
Writers	Scott Cawthon Jason Topolski
Composer	Leon Riskin
Series	Five Nights at Freddy's
Engine	Unreal Engine
Platforms	PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S Windows Nintendo Switch
Release	13 June 2025 PlayStation 5, Windows 13 June 2025 Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 16 December 2025
Genres	Survival horror, puzzle
Mode	Single-player

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic was first released to Windows and PlayStation 5 on June 13, 2025, with later ports to the Xbox Series X and Series S and Nintendo Switch in December 2025. Post-launch virtual reality support and physical editions for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch were also introduced. The game received generally mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising its atmosphere, while noting occasional technical issues and repetitive gameplay.

Gameplay

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic is a first-person survival horror game. The game departs from the series’ traditional static-camera format, instead presenting a fully explorable 3D environment focused on stealth, exploration, and puzzle-solving.

Players control Arnold, a technician employed by Fazbear Entertainment, who is tasked with retrieving experimental technology known as the Mimic from an abandoned facility. The game takes place in a large interconnected environment, where players may freely explore areas such as theaters, maintenance wings, and storage facilities, with additional sections becoming accessible through progression-based security clearance upgrades. Gameplay is primarily centered on stealth and avoidance rather than direct combat. Players must navigate environments while evading a hostile adaptive animatronic entity capable of impersonating various characters. Hiding, distraction, and careful movement are required to avoid detection, while encounters may result in scripted chase sequences.

Players utilize a multifunctional device known as the Data Diver to interact with the environment. The device allows access to locked systems, puzzle interfaces, and security clearance upgrades, which are required to progress through restricted areas of the facility.

Plot

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic is a prequel set at the beginning of the Five Nights at Freddy's timeline. The story takes place in the abandoned Murray's Costume Manor, a facility formerly owned by inventor Edwin Murray. Players control Arnold, a technician sent by Fazbear Entertainment to retrieve a prototype endoskeleton known as the Mimic. Upon arrival, Arnold discovers the facility has been left in a state of disrepair, with hostile animatronic entities and malfunctioning systems preventing easy access to restricted areas. As the player explores the facility, narrative details are revealed through audio logs, emails, and environmental storytelling, gradually uncovering the history of the Mimic project and its connection to Edwin Murray and Fazbear Entertainment.

The Mimic is an adaptive endoskeleton capable of learning and imitating voices and behaviors. Throughout the game, it becomes increasingly aggressive, forcing the player to rely on stealth, evasion, and puzzle-solving to survive. Multiple endings can be unlocked depending on player progression and collected items, each expanding on different interpretations of the Mimic's origins and fate.

Development and release

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic was developed by Steel Wool Studios and published by ScottGames. The game continues the studio's collaboration with series creator Scott Cawthon following Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach and Help Wanted 2. Development for the game began around 2022. The game was officially announced in August 2024, as part of the franchise's 10th anniversary celebrations, accompanied by a teaser trailer. In February 2025, a full reveal trailer was shown during Sony's State of Play, for PlayStation 5 and Windows.The trailer also indicated post-launch virtual reality support, including compatibility with PlayStation VR2.

However, references to VR support were later removed from official store pages, and the Steam listing does not currently include VR functionality, leaving its status unclear. The game also appeared in public demonstrations at events such as PAX West 2024 and Day of the Devs: Fantastic Games, where early VR builds were showcased to attendees. In March 2025, the Steam page was updated with full product information.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic was initially released on June 13, 2025, for PlayStation 5 and Windows.

A physical edition for PlayStation 5, distributed by iam8bit, was released on October 31, 2025. The game was later released for Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch on December 16, 2025. A physical edition for Nintendo Switch, also distributed by iam8bit, is scheduled to ship beginning in 2026.

Reception

Upon release, Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic received "mixed or average" reviews from video game publications based on the review aggregate website Metacritic aimed towards the PC and PS5 ports.

Destructoid writer Hadley Vincent praised the level design and exploration, but criticized the lack of scares, "repetitive" gameplay, weak bosses, and technical issues. Shaun Cichacki of Vice would praise the game, saying that it had a "different vibe", and brought back the elements of earlier Five Nights at Freddy's installments.