Earth Defense Force 5 is coming to Steam this week

(Image credit: D3 Publisher)

Earth Defense Force 5 is scurrying over to PC this week, a year and a half after its console release. The arcade shooter once again pits squishy, vulnerable humans against hordes of giant enemies, including the classic gargantuan ants and the first humanoid enemies in the series. 

"Face the enemy with wisdom and courage," the Steam store page says, which is excellent advice. Start every day with wisdom and courage—you don't even need to be gearing up for a fight. 

To defend Earth from this alien invasion, you'll have four EDF classes to pick from, and you'll be able to bring three mates along with you in online co-op or one buddy in local splitscreen.

EDF has long been my go-to 'I'm drunk and have a house guest' game, being both jam-packed with stupid spectacle and blessed with little need for exposition or explanation. 'Big monsters are invading, so go shoot them' is a simple order anyone can understand.

Like its predecessors, it's a bit ugly and a bit janky, but gosh is it a ridiculous amount of fun. This entry in the series has a bit more of everything, from aliens to guns, and also introduces stuff like battle damage, so you can shred monsters with your bullets. 

Earth Defense Force 5 is due out on July 11.

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.