The 13-year-old daughter of Merve Lapus told her father she was horrified: this month, every time her teacher left the classroom, the children in the class used their devices to play a new online game called Five Nights at Epstein's. In the game, accessible through a web browser, players simulate being sexual assault victims trapped on the infamous island of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. On YouTube, some viral videos about the game include links to download it in their descriptions. A variant of the popular game Five Nights at Freddy's, the Epstein-themed game emerged in recent months after the U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of pages of documents from government investigations into the late financier, who for years sexually abused underage girls with few consequences. His crimes have gained worldwide relevance, in part due to Epstein's network of prominent business and political leaders. They spoke and laughed about the game frequently, in a way that was 'almost dehumanizing for the victims,' she added. While there are now several versions of the game available online, a web version that allows students to play in their browsers without having to install or download an app attracted nearly 200,000 visits in February, according to estimates from digital market intelligence company Similarweb. Meta, TikTok, and YouTube distance themselves from Epstein game. A Meta spokesperson stated that the company has been preventing users from sharing links to the game. (Other versions of the game are available on the GameJolt site). To win, they must survive five nights on the island without Epstein finding and abusing them. The Five Nights at Epstein's series is sweeping through classrooms across the country, from Utah to North Carolina, fueled by social media videos showing children playing in class. According to the web version of the game developed by Evan Productions, as each night passes on the island, 'Epstein becomes more aggressive.' The characters must navigate security cameras and palm trees, move through dimly lit rooms, and ultimately avoid surprise attacks from the convicted sex offender. The game follows the rise of Five Nights at Diddy's, another Freddy's parody that spread online after former hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was federally charged with sex trafficking and other crimes in 2024, and imprisoned the following year for related prostitution offenses. Others are asking for versions that can be easily played at school. Combs's lawyers are appealing. The fact that they have turned Epstein's sexual crimes into a game concerns parents and educators, who fear that young people are not grasping the severity of their actions. Are social media desensitizing the youth? According to Mary Rodee, a librarian at Canton Central School in upstate New York, through video games, children are becoming desensitized to truly terrible situations. By typing the words 'five nights' into an Instagram or TikTok search, the title of the Epstein game, or misspelled versions, likely posted to evade filters, appears. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the game, but the most popular version appears to have been created by an independent group called Evan Productions, which initially posted it on the online video game platform itch.io. In some cases, videos on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have garnered millions of views, and some clips even show students how to bypass school security systems on campuses where they are already blocked. What concerned Lapus's teenage daughter the most was that her classmates at the high school in Northern California seemed 'disconnected from the reality that there were real victims.' YouTube declined to comment. Nonetheless, social media platforms are still featuring the videos prominently in searches or facilitating its download. Game Jolt did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In online reviews of the game, some commentators urge developers to include Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend and accomplice, as a character. Rodee's son, Riley Basford, 15, died by suicide in 2021 hours after being sexually extorted on social media by a fake account pretending to be a teenager. Rodee urged parents to recognize that what happens through a screen can be as harmful as real-life experiences. For years, educators have grappled with the issue of what to do with technology in schools, facing a host of issues from cyberbullying to artificial intelligence as a tool to help with schoolwork. Some of the same schools that have adopted all-day smartphone bans are simultaneously providing laptops, tablets, and other educational tech devices for use in class, which, according to some parents and advocates, simply replaces one distraction with another. Games like Five Nights at Epstein's are exacerbating the situation. The Evan account no longer exists. TikTok stated that its community guidelines prohibit sharing, displaying, promoting, or engaging in the abuse or exploitation of minors. The description also warns of another 'predator' lurking on the premises: President Donald Trump.
