Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 takes place in November 1987, and its events happen before the first FNAF game in the series timeline.

Core timeline answer

  • The in‑game paycheck and Phone Guy’s references make it clear that FNAF 2 is set in 1987 , specifically in November.
  • Because FNAF 1 treats “the Bite of ’87” and the 1987 location as past events, FNAF 2 is understood as a prequel to FNAF 1, even though it released second.

How we know it’s 1987

  • FNAF 2’s paycheck explicitly shows the year 1987 , tying the story to that date rather than the early 1990s setting often associated with FNAF 1.
  • Phone Guy talks as if the Bite of ’87 and the 1987 restaurant are current issues in FNAF 2, while in FNAF 1 he mentions that bite as something that already happened.

Where it fits in the story

  • The restaurant in FNAF 2 is described as a “new and improved” Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, with the “toy” animatronics plus older, withered models from an even earlier location.
  • By the end of FNAF 2, the toy animatronics are scrapped and the older models are kept for refurbishment, setting up the “classic” cast and smaller location seen in FNAF 1 later on.

TL;DR: When people ask “when does FNAF 2 take place?” the accepted lore answer is: November 1987, at a newer Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, acting as a prequel to FNAF 1 in the overall Five Nights at Freddy’s timeline.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.