Earth Defense Force 5 Reviews

Earth Defense Force 5 is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10
Dec 11, 2018

Even with it's inherited flaws, this is still one of the best installments yet for the series. EDF 5 makes no apologies for what it is and is more accessible than its predecessors. The game has just the right blend of cheesiness and action-packed gameplay that makes for a cult hit.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2018

Even though the formula is familiar, teaming up with friends to exterminate the alien menace is enjoyable

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Dec 18, 2018

At last the Earth Defense Force series gets a sequel worthy of its early promise, even if there are still a few unwanted bugs left.

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74 / 100
Dec 14, 2018

Insane mass battles with excellent B-movie flair, that make a lot of fun with friends, but offer too little variety.

Review in German | Read full review

7.4 / 10.0
Dec 9, 2018

It's dated, it's camp, it's occasionally annoying, but it still has a core mechanic that very few are still trying to do, and Earth Defense Force 5 does do it well. Take on the waves of monsters and tear into them with every last weapon in your arsenal for a great bit of mindless fun. The story and your progress will crawl through the 100+ levels but the types of enemies and the difficulty will ramp up alongside you.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2018

Earth Defense Force 5 is the best title the franchise has seen. Minor improvements makes it worthwhile to spend another dozen of hours killing bugs. Especially when playing co-op the game will outshine it's bad to mediocre story and graphics.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

8 / 10
Dec 11, 2018

If you're looking for an action-packed third-person PS4 release, then this is what Earth Defense Force 5 is going to give to you.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Dec 12, 2018

It’s hard to recommend this title at $60 to anyone but the hardest of hard core EDF fans.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 7, 2018

Earth Defense Force 5 may seem like a mess but it all adds to its charm. The pure joy of taking on hundreds of monsters and watching the destruction unfold is something the franchise has always been good at. EDF 5 is easily the best in the franchise.

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7.7 / 10.0
Jul 12, 2019

Earth Defense Force 5 is yet another iteration of a series that embraces the repetitiveness of the action to make it its own main strength, thanks to an enviable amount of unlockable content and an immediate gameplay formula capable of entertaining for tens, if not hundreds of hours.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.7 / 10.0
Dec 11, 2018

Seemingly the same as itself, Earth Defense Force 5 takes a small but significant step forward in terms of progression and multyplayer, masterfully combining furious action with grotesque scenery. The result, despite the graphic backwardness, proudly manages to keep up, giving us a great old-school action.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Wccftech
Top Critic
7.9 / 10.0
Dec 8, 2018

As campy and over-the-top as ever, Earth Defense Force 5 remains the best not-Starship Troopers shooter we'll see. EDF still remains a niche title without amazing production values, but there's a definite charm to hunting down thousands of insects with your friends.

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May 6, 2019

Despite some quibbles and the now trademark EDF performance problems, this is a very solid arcade shooter. It builds on the strengths of past games while addressing some of the issues that have cropped up. Less of a grind for a normal playthrough with the introduction of some very engaging enemy types. If you love EDF, you’ll be sure to love this. If you’ve never played these games before, this is basically as good as it gets, so feel free to jump in here. I sunk in about 100 hours into it, though it should take probably around 40-50 to beat it. It’s $60, which is a bit on the pricey side. If you’re a fan of past EDF games, I can recommend it at that price, if you’re a newcomer, waiting for a sale might be a good idea.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 26, 2019
Earth Defense Force 5 (ACTUAL Game Review) [PC] video thumbnail
Jul 19, 2019

After thousands and thousands of bugs killed, the infestation is seemingly never-ending. Rebooting the series with EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is likely for the best, making it an excellent entry point, but also a familiar place to return to. It feels right out of a Syfy movie, but its lack of gravitas is what makes it all work. Sure it’s a little unbalanced, a little uneven, but it’s a whole lot of fun. Whether EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5 is your first or fifth time with the series, you’re in for a great time.

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Dec 10, 2018

This is by far and away the best the series has ever been and is well worth a look if you want something a little different to jump into.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 18, 2019

EDF5 shows that this style of series can continue to thrive with some minor modifications to the experience. It's still fun to play years down the line, the premise is an easy one to follow and the gameplay is easy enough for anyone to slide into as the difficulty curve is a smooth one. Earth Defense Force 5 is a lot of fun alone but often you'll want someone beside you for your shenanigans or someone else from online.

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8 / 10.0
Jan 8, 2019

Chances are that if you’ve been a long-time fan of the Earth Defense Force games, you already made up your mind. For everyone else, this can be a harder sell to make. The charm of Earth Defense Force 5 doesn’t come from trying to be the best-looking game. It’s charm is all about having too much action crammed on-screen. In the past, this would’ve been difficult to help persuade people into trying out the game. With Earth Defense Force 5 though, I would say that it’s definitely a sleeper hit. With the amount of content in Earth Defense Force 5, it’s the perfect game to play in small chunks at a time. There’s an actual challenge to this game while also being as engaging and hilariously over the top as ever. It isn’t a game that many people would say is a standout in 2018, but if you’re looking for a fun side game to enjoy, Earth Defense Force 5 has you covered. So, pick up a gun and some explosives, and start blasting away as the alien menace!

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8 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2019

Like its predecessor, Earth Defense Force 5 is a fine jumping-off point for newcomers to the series. The shooting remains as solid as ever, and the concept of mixing in loot drops with blasting large enemy hordes remains enjoyable, even if the whole package isn't as polished as expected from something with a cult following. However, EDF5 doesn't surpass the heights of EDF4.1 due to its flaws detracting from the progress of its improvements.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 18, 2018

Earth Defense Force 5 by far is the best installment in the EDF series and it has everything that a fan of series want to be in an EDF game. EDF5 is a high quality mixture of improved elements of previous games and some new mechanics that lead to one of the most fun shooters of these years, specially if you play it co-op. With amazing amount of contents, more than 100 missions to play and so many equipment and weapons, Earth Defense Force 5 absolutely worth your time and money, either you are fan of EDF or not. Hurry up and Join the forces of earth to save our beloved planet from giant bugs and monsters!

Review in Persian | Read full review