Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted
Information
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Developer	Steel Wool Studios
Publisher	ScottGames
Platform	Oculus Rift, SteamVR, PlayStation VR, Meta Quest, non-VR (Windows, consoles)
Device	Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 2, PlayStation VR
Operating System	Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android, iOS
Type	Game
Genre	Survival horror
Input Device	Tracked motion controllers (VR); gamepad (non-VR)
Game Mode	Single-player
Rating	ESRB: T (Teen)
Release Date	Oculus Rift / HTC Vive / PlayStation VR: May 28, 2019; non-VR (Windows/PS4): December 17, 2019; Nintendo Switch: May 21, 2020; Oculus Quest: July 16, 2020; Xbox One: October 29, 2020; PlayStation 5: November 21, 2023
App Store	Steam, Oculus Store, PlayStation Store
Website	https://www.steelwoolstudios.com

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See also: VR Apps and VR Games

Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted is a 2019 virtual reality survival horror game developed by Steel Wool Studios and Scott Cawthon and published by Cawthon's ScottGames. It is a collection of minigames set in the Five Nights at Freddy's universe, in which the player completes maintenance and survival tasks while avoiding attacks from hostile animatronic characters.

The game adapts the original Five Nights at Freddy's mascot-horror series, previously a set of point-and-click desktop titles, into a first-person VR experience. It first shipped on May 28, 2019, for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on Windows and for PlayStation VR on PlayStation 4. A non-VR "flat" mode followed in December 2019, and the game was later ported to additional platforms including Oculus Quest, where it broke the headset's one-day and one-week sales records according to Steel Wool. As of 2026 it ranks 13th on Meta's published list of the best-selling Quest games of all time.

Gameplay

Help Wanted is structured as an anthology of short minigames rather than a single continuous campaign. The player takes a first-person role and works through tasks such as monitoring security cameras, sealing vents and doors, repairing systems, and troubleshooting malfunctioning robots, all while avoiding being caught by animatronic characters that trigger a jumpscare on failure. Many segments recreate scenarios from earlier games in the series, spanning the original Five Nights at Freddy's through Sister Location, alongside original modes built for VR such as "Parts and Service," "Vent Repair," and "Dark Rooms."

Recurring antagonists include Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, Foxy, Springtrap, the Mangle, Funtime Foxy, and Circus Baby. The game is single-player. In VR the player uses tracked motion controllers to manipulate objects, hold up devices such as a flashlight or repair tools, and physically reach for controls; a VR headset is not required, and a flat-screen mode plays with a gamepad or mouse and keyboard.

Development

Steel Wool Studios is a California-based developer co-founded by former Pixar staff, including chief executive Andrew Dayton and creative director Jason Topolski. The studio was introduced to series creator Scott Cawthon through Lionsgate Games and Striker Entertainment. According to Dayton, Cawthon initially asked the team only to recreate the first Five Nights at Freddy's in VR, then expanded the project's scope after seeing their adaptation.

Dayton described the collaboration with Cawthon as direct and unfiltered, saying the studio could "simply just jump on a call" to discuss design questions, and that VR suited the source material because it heightens "scale and spatial tension." The game was built in Unreal Engine 4. Its announcement trailer premiered during Sony's State of Play broadcast on March 25, 2019, and the game was shown publicly at PAX East later that month.

Release

The game launched on PC VR and PlayStation VR in May 2019, with a non-VR version and ports to other platforms following over the next several years. The Halloween-themed expansion Curse of Dreadbear added a new hub and minigames such as "Corn Maze," "Trick or Treat," and the "Cap'n Foxy's Pirate Adventure" dark ride.

Platform / version	Release date	Notes
Oculus Rift / HTC Vive (Windows)	May 28, 2019	PC VR launch via Steam and Oculus Store
PlayStation VR (PlayStation 4)	May 28, 2019	Console VR launch
Curse of Dreadbear DLC	October 23, 2019	Halloween expansion; further levels added October 29 and 31
Non-VR "flat" mode (Windows / PS4)	December 17, 2019	Plays without a headset
Nintendo Switch	May 21, 2020	Non-VR port
Oculus Quest	July 16, 2020	Standalone VR port
Android / iOS	October 26, 2020	Mobile, non-VR
Xbox One	October 29, 2020	Non-VR port
PlayStation 5	November 21, 2023	Console release

Reception

The PlayStation VR version holds a score of 80 out of 100 on the review aggregator Metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews. On OpenCritic it has a Top Critic Average of 79, with 64 percent of critics recommending it.

Destructoid rated it 9 out of 10, and UploadVR called it "a masterclass in suspense," writing that VR heightened the atmosphere and the impact of its jumpscares. The Games Machine scored it 8.6 out of 10 and IGN Italia 8.3 out of 10, while PlayStation Universe gave it 7.5 out of 10. Reviews of the later Nintendo Switch port, which removes the VR component, were more negative; Nintendo Life rated it 3 out of 10 and that version holds a Metacritic score of 53. The game was nominated for Best AR/VR Game (the Coney Island Dreamland Award) at the New York Game Awards in 2020.

Commercially, Steel Wool stated that the Oculus Quest release broke the headset's one-day and one-week sales records, though it declined to give exact figures. Help Wanted appears at 13th place on Meta's 2026 ranking of the best-selling Quest games of all time, between Creed: Rise to Glory - Championship Edition and Vader Immortal: Episode III.