Earth Defense Force 2017 — The Western Breakthrough (2006 / 2007)
Earth Defense Force 2017 is the game that made the series.
Before 2007, EDF was an obscure Japanese budget franchise. After 2007 it was a cult classic
with a devoted Western following — and 2017 is entirely responsible for that transition.
The game was the third mainline Sandlot entry (internally Chikyuu Boueigun 3),
but it was the first to reach the West in any meaningful form. Its Xbox 360 release meant
exposure to an audience primed by Halo co-op and hungry for couch-companion games.
EDF 2017 delivered something those players weren't expecting: total, deliberate chaos.
Design: 2017 distils the EDF formula to its purest form. You are a Ranger —
a soldier with a rifle. The enemies are giant ants, spiders, and later UFOs.
They come in their hundreds. The buildings around you collapse under collateral fire.
The game never apologises for what it is. Its lo-fi presentation, its recycled sound
effects, its cheerfully cheap cutscenes — all of it contributes to an experience
that feels genuinely unlike any other shooter of its era.
Co-op: Two-player split-screen co-op is the game's heart. The missions
become meaningfully different with a partner — not just easier, but more dynamic,
more chaotic, and substantially funnier. EDF has always understood that co-op is not
a difficulty modifier but a mode of play in its own right.
Composer Jun Fukuda's score is the franchise's most iconic.
The heroic, orchestral themes — part 1950s B-movie, part military march —
are inseparable from the game's appeal. The main theme is immediately recognisable
to any EDF player.
Legacy: IGN gave it 7.0/10; Eurogamer gave 8/10.
Both reviews noted its obvious technical limitations alongside its irresistible appeal.
The game sold on word of mouth and became a touchstone for a specific type of player:
one who values fun over production values, co-op over story, and repetition over novelty.
See the full entry in the games catalogue,
review scores in reviews, and
the soundtrack on VGMdb.
The Xbox 360 entry is also covered in the
EDF 2025 catalogue entry which explains
how 2017's class system evolved.
For community perspective, see the EDF wiki.
EDF 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair — The Definitive Entry Point (2015 / 2016)
EDF 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair is the game most often recommended
to newcomers, and with good reason. It combines the four-class system introduced in
EDF 2025 with a technical quality that makes it genuinely accessible on modern hardware
— PlayStation 4 and, from December 2016, PC via Steam.
The four classes: EDF 2025 introduced the Ranger, Wing Diver, Air Raider,
and Fencer. EDF 4.1 refines them. The Ranger is the accessible all-rounder, familiar to
anyone who played 2017. The Wing Diver offers aerial mobility and energy weapons.
The Air Raider calls in vehicles and air strikes as support. The Fencer is a heavily
armoured, heavily armed monster who moves slowly but hits with tremendous force.
Each class has hundreds of weapons and plays completely differently — 4.1's content
lifespan is enormous.
Mission count: Over 85 missions across four difficulty levels, each
with class-exclusive weapons dropping on completion. The loot system — weapons
drop randomly from enemies and crates — drives repeat play in the way that
action RPGs drive their audiences. Players return to earlier missions at higher
difficulties to find specific weapons.
Critical reception: Eurogamer awarded it Recommended,
noting "the absurd joy of mowing down alien hordes has never been better realised."
IGN gave 7.8/10. Metacritic PS4 aggregate: approximately 72/100.
On Steam: EDF 4.1's Steam version introduced the series to PC players
who had never encountered it. Steam sales and reviews made it a gateway for a new
generation of fans. It remains the most played EDF title on Steam.
Full entry: games catalogue — EDF 4.1.
Available today: how to play EDF 4.1.
Critical scores: reviews — EDF 4.1.
Soundtrack: VGMdb.
See also the EDF 2025 catalogue entry for the original release,
and the MobyGames page for complete platform and release data.
Earth Defense Force 5 — The Peak (2017 / 2019)
Earth Defense Force 5 is the series at its best. More polished than
its predecessors, more ambitious in scope, and more willing to push its premise into
genuinely surprising places, EDF 5 is the game that rewards long-term players while
also being the most accessible entry for newcomers willing to look past the surface.
New enemy factions: EDF 5 introduces two new alien species alongside
the familiar giant insects. The Cosmonauts — alien soldiers in environmental suits
— and the Primers, enormous beings who communicate with humans before unleashing
increasingly devastating assaults. The tonal shift from pure B-movie chaos to something
closer to genuine science fiction horror is handled with a straight face that makes
it funnier and more unsettling simultaneously.
Masafumi Takada's score is a departure from Jun Fukuda's heroic
orchestral style. Takada — known for Danganronpa and
No More Heroes — brings tension and unease to EDF's music for the first
time. The resulting soundtrack feels fresh without abandoning the series' identity.
Four-player online co-op: EDF 5 supports four-player online co-op
(in addition to two-player local co-op), and at its peak the online component was
a genuine community hub. Players co-ordinating class compositions, sharing weapon drops,
and running high-difficulty missions together is EDF at its most rewarding.
Critical reception: IGN awarded EDF 5 its best-ever series score —
8.5/10 — describing it as "the series at its most polished and funniest."
GameSpot gave 8/10. Eurogamer: Recommended. Metacritic PS4: approximately 78/100.
Legacy: EDF 5 is the game that convinced a broader gaming audience that
EDF was worth serious attention. Its Steam reception cemented the PC fanbase.
It remains the standard recommendation for players who want the definitive modern EDF.
Full entry: games catalogue — EDF 5.
Available today: how to play EDF 5.
Critical scores: reviews — EDF 5.
Soundtrack listing: VGMdb — EDF 5 OST.