Five Nights with Maids places you in the security office of a monochrome mansion where you must survive shifts from midnight to 6:00 AM across five main nights and a bonus Night 6. Success requires using your cameras to locate roaming maids, flashing your hallway lights to confirm their positions, and shutting the safety doors only when danger reaches your doorstep to prevent your battery from draining before 6:00 AM.
Developed by Now and published by Saikey Studios on Steam, this single-player horror simulation relies on strict resource economy. Every defensive tool draws from a single power meter, meaning poor habits formed during the introductory hours will quickly leave you defenseless in later shifts.
Core Mechanics and Office Controls
All controls are operated from the central desk in the security room using the mouse. Surviving until morning requires understanding the exact role and resource cost of each tool at your disposal.
| Security Tool | Primary Function | Energy Usage Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Surveillance Cameras | Tracks maid positions across rooms | Open briefly to locate; close immediately once updated |
| Security Lights | Inspects doorways and windows next to your room | Quick toggles only to confirm presence |
| Shutter Doors (Left / Right) | Physically blocks maids from entering the office | Drop only during immediate threats; reopen once clear |
| Power Meter | The shared energy supply powering all systems | Ticks down constantly; accelerates with active tools |
The Information-to-Defense Sequence
A reliable survival cycle relies on a strict order of operations:
- Locate threats across rooms using cameras.
- Confirm proximity using the door lights only when a maid approaches your adjacent hallways.
- Defend by closing the corresponding left or right shutter button.
- Reset by reopening the shutter immediately after the maid retreats to stop active power drain.
Managing Your Power Supply
The power meter is the primary failure condition in Five Nights with Maids. Idle office time passively consumes a small amount of electricity, but running cameras, checking lights, or keeping shutters lowered accelerates depletion dramatically.
Practical Power Rules
- Keep camera sweeps concise. Avoid browsing through quiet, unoccupied rooms. Look for changes from the previous check and drop the monitor right away.
- Avoid leaving doors closed out of caution. Shutters consume power continuously every second they remain down. Never close both shutters simultaneously unless both hallways have confirmed incoming maids.
- Use hallway lights as instantaneous flashes. Do not leave the light switches held down while scanning or thinking.
- Conserve reserves for the final stretch. As observed in gameplay, reaching 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM with under 10% power leaves you almost entirely helpless if a maid attacks right before 6:00 AM.
Maid Behavior Patterns and Auditory Cues
The mansion features multiple maids whose activity escalates as the work week advances. Understanding how they travel helps you anticipate attacks before they reach the office.
Movement Routes and Teleportation
Unlike continuous walking animations, maids shift between rooms in snapshots. A player playthrough highlights that maids can skip intermediate camera views or disappear entirely when navigating unmonitored hallway segments. If a maid suddenly vanishes from a nearby camera (such as Camera 2 or Camera 3), she is likely already positioned directly outside your office threshold.
The Hallway Curtain Maid
Introduced during Night 2, a specific maid hides behind a hallway curtain. The caller describes her as shy; she tends to freeze or avoid movement when actively watched on camera. However, ignoring her allows her to advance. Gameplay confirms she will eventually step out from behind the curtain and approach your room.
Audio Warnings
Listening carefully provides critical advance warning:
- Footsteps indicate rapid movement through nearby corridors.
- Knocking sounds signal that a maid is right at your office boundary. When knocking is heard or footsteps draw near, immediately check the door light and seal the appropriate shutter.
Night-by-Night Walkthrough Overview
Each night introduces greater movement frequency and requires tighter power management.
| Night | Threat Level | Strategic Focus | Common Failure Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night 1 | Introductory | Learn room layouts and button controls; establish a camera route | Staring at camera monitors too long and wasting power |
| Night 2 | Moderate | Monitor the shy curtain maid; react to faster room changes | Holding lights on continuously; panicking at doorway appearances |
| Night 3 | Escalated | Track all roaming maids, as stationary room maids begin moving | Over-focusing on one feed while ignoring side approaches |
| Night 4 | High | Execute compact, rapid checks; listen closely for footsteps | Leaving shutters shut too long after threats move away |
| Night 5 | Maximum Campaign | Strict power budgeting; minimal camera uptime; instant reactions | Running out of power before the 6:00 AM clock clears |
| Night 6 | Bonus Challenge | Punishing bonus stage designed for survival mastery | Any wasted light or camera check results in an early blackout |
PC System Requirements
Before starting your shift, verify your hardware meets the official Steam requirements published by Saikey Studios.
| Component | Minimum Specification |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 / 11 |
| Processor | Intel Core2 Duo or better |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics | DirectX 9 / OpenGL 4.1 capable GPU |
| Storage | 1 GB available space |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if a maid disappears from the cameras?
When a maid disappears from intermediate rooms such as Camera 2 or Camera 3, she is likely using unmonitored pathways directly toward your office. Drop the monitor, flick your left and right doorway lights to spot her, and close the corresponding shutter if she is present.
How does the shy maid behind the curtain work?
Introduced on Night 2, she remains stationary while viewed on camera. If left unchecked for extended periods, she emerges from the curtain and heads toward your office. Check her feed periodically to stall her advance, and listen for auditory cues like footsteps or knocking.
What happens when the power meter reaches 0%?
Once power drops to zero, the office goes completely dark. Camera monitors, security lights, and shutter doors become entirely non-functional. If this occurs before 6:00 AM, you are fully exposed to roaming maids.
What is included beyond Night 5?
After finishing the five main campaign shifts, the game unlocks Night 6. This bonus stage provides a significantly harder challenge that grants a special reward upon completion.
