Earth Defense Force 6: Everything We Know

The battle to save Earth from alien invasions continues. Sure. Humanity triumphed over the Primers in the previous entry. However, some Primer aliens survived and are now fighting to annihilate humanity. Despite victory in Earth Defense Force 5, Earth's remnants find themselves in a sea of despair. The surviving humans and aliens all want a piece of Earth’s pie, however frail. Or at least a seat at the Earthly realm table. 

The question is, can you restore natural order as the lawfully crowned soldier of the Earth Defense Force (EDF)? The fate of the human race hangs in the balance. Yet there is no better savior than you, so to speak. In the meantime, tag along as we explore everything we know thus far about Earth Defense Force 6, including some exciting news for Westerners.

What is Earth Defense Force 6?

Earth Defense Force 6 is an action game previously released in Japan in August 2022. However, Clouded Leopard Entertainment and D3Publisher have announced that the game will soon be hitting the shelves of Western stores as early as next spring. 

The previous entry, Earth Defense Force 5, left off with humans victorious over an alien invasion. However, Earth Defense Force 6 will pick up two years later, depicting a ravaged world whose survival lies in the ongoing conflict between Primers and humanity. 

Story

After the alien invasion and consequent extraterrestrial war of Earth Defense Force 5, the earthly realm is left shattered of its vibrant life and prosperity. Survivors, both human and alien, have each lost many of their soldiers. Earth’s population has shrunk to 10%. Its remnants scramble amid an all-out war, scrambling for what’s left of a devastated world. 

Players, as always, take on the role of an EDF soldier. Once again, they will have to master courage and wisdom to save Earth from impending doom.

The game’s official story reads (via Steam):

The year is 2024 AD. Mankind has won the long battle against the unknown invaders. The enemy Primers are now gone, and peace has returned to Mother Earth. However, the population has shrunk to 10%, and the world is on the verge of collapse. 

The survivors fought against the remaining threats while trying their best to continue their recovery. Three years passed in the year 2027. In a new world without hope, the time has come to once again resist the fate of the Earth.

Gameplay

Players will assume the role of an EDF soldier. Their role will be to fight to protect Earth from impending doom, mastering courage and wisdom to beat all odds set against victory. With Earth Defense Force 6 being the largest volume in the series so far, players will enjoy the most missions – in the hundreds – as well as new weapons and skills to date. 

Every mission will support online co-op play, allowing you to team up with up to four players. It’ll also include offline couch play in split-screen mode for players within the same locale. With four EDF classes to choose from, namely Air Raider, Ranger, Fencer, and Wing Diver, players will fight side by side, either as friends and family or as strangers joining in the fun worldwide.

Development

You may already have an idea of Earth Defense Force 6’s story and gameplay, as it originally launched in Japan in August 2022. Since then, the game has amassed a mostly positive outlook, so much so that Clouded Leopard Entertainment is preparing to re-release the game in the West. 

Earth Defense Force is a long-running series that recently celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2023. It’s been largely successful, with over 5 million copies sold across all major platforms. 

It’s certainly pleasant news to see the West finally get the chance to join the fun. With Clouded Leopard Entertainment’s prowess in bringing Japanese games to a global audience, Earth Defense Force 6 seems to be shaping up to rock the world. So, keep a lookout for the upcoming Spring 2024 Earth Defense Force 6 release, with English language support to boot.

Trailer

Clouded Leopard Entertainment and D3Publisher have released an announcement trailer revealing Earth Defense Force 6’s snippets of the story and gameplay. It seems that the story will be similar to the Japanese version, despite rumors of a fresh storyline. Humanity will be going up against the invaders for a round two all-out battle, if you will. 

With the alien invasion of the previous entry, Earth swims in a sea of despair two years later. The population sits at a depressing 10%, with both Primers and humans fighting to control the remaining scarce resources on Earth. Who will win? Humanity or the invaders?

The trailer confirms an upcoming Western release with an English voice-over and subtitle version, “coming in 2024.” Additionally, it confirms that the game will be dropping on PlayStation and PC platforms next spring.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

While Earth Defense Force 6 was originally released in Japan in August 2022, Clouded Leopard Entertainment and D3Publisher have announced that the game will make its way to the West as early as spring 2024. At the moment, we don’t have an exact release date. But we do know that it’ll launch on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms via Steam. 

Feel free to add the game to your Steam wishlist here to get a notification as soon as the game drops. An Epic Games Store version will be released “shortly after” launch day, so keep an eye out.

As for editions, we don’t know if any will be available post-launch. However, we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as the developing and publishing team confirms, among other details still unclear. In the meantime, you can always follow the official social handle here so you can get updates on new information straight from the source. 

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Earth Defense Force 6 when it drops in the West? Let us know over on our socials here.