FNaF Security Breach: release date and time on PS4, when will it be unblocked - and what is its price?

After an unusually lengthy two-year wait (the franchise once appeared in the Guinness Book of Records for setting the record for the largest number of sequels released in a year), the latest game in the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise is upon us.

Security Breach is the eighth main instalment in the series, and the 13th game in the franchise overall.

So why are fans so excited about this latest release?

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Five Nights at Freddy’s?

The Five Nights at Freddy’s (or FNaF) series began with the 2014 video game of the same name and has since gained worldwide popularity.

The main series consists of survival horror games taking place in locations somehow connected to family pizza restaurant Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

In most games, the player takes on the role of a night-time employee, who must utilise tools such as security cameras, lights, doors, and vents to defend themselves against hostile animatronic characters that inhabit the locations.

The Five Nights at Freddy’s games typically feature static camera shots, as players cycle through CCTV feeds, and the series found infamy through YouTube, where streamers’ overreactions to the game’s many jumpscares provided entertainment and delight for viewers.

The franchise also includes spin-off games and other media, including a novel trilogy and an anthology series, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe. A film adaptation is also planned.

What happens in Security Breach?

The mainline games have kept to very similar formats ever since the series’ 2014 debut, but Security Breach breaks with tradition.

Instead of the low-budget, static gameplay of previous games, Security Breach drops players into a fully explorable environment (in this case, a shopping mall).

Along with a 3D location to traverse, the game also features combat and optional boss battles, and instead of taking place across five nights like the title suggests, takes place across just a single evening.

Players take control of a young boy named Gregory. Locked in the large shopping mall filled with murderous animatronics, Gregory must complete numerous missions to survive until 6am in order to escape.

Security Breach combines stealth mechanics with survival horror gameplay, and will see you mostly sneaking around the mall trying to avoid being detected by any of the enemy animatronics.

You can run to safety of course, but a stamina metre means you won’t be able to rely on your quick footedness forever, and when it is drained Gregory will move at a much slower pace.

Other items in your inventory - including a flashlight and an animatronic stunning camera - can help you out of sticky situations, but again they can only be used for so long before they’ll be in need of a recharge.

When can I play it?

The game’s release date has confused many players.

The game is listed as releasing on Thursday 16 December, and while that is true, it is only true for the US contingent of the series’ fanbase.

Since the game is releasing simultaneously across the globe, where you live in the world and the timezone you are in will make a difference as to when you’ll actually be able to play the game.

In the UK, the game will technically unlock on Friday 17 December, in the early hours of the morning: at 2am.

FNaF:Security Breach will initially be available on PC, as well as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

However, versions for other platforms and consoles are planned, though no confirmed date has been set for when these might be available.

How much does it cost?

Reflecting its status as a much ‘fuller’ game than perhaps previous entries in the series were, it seems as if players can expect to pay the usual price they would for a mid-level video game.

According to a listing on the Game website, Security Breach will retail for £39.99.

That listing seems to be far from definitive though, and the absence of any box art suggests that the info contained there could just be a placeholder until more details are confirmed.

In terms of online storefronts, both Steam and the PlayStation Store list the game more fully, but only offer players the option to add it to their wishlists; no price is given.

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