Earth Defense Force 6

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Earth Defense Force 6 is a single player and multiplayer shooter game. It was developed by SANDLOT and was released on July 25, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 6" is the sequel to "EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 5," where players assume the role of an EDF soldier fighting against alien life forms threatening humanity. The game is a third-person shooter with a primary focus on destroying numerous giant enemies. The story takes place in 2024 AD, where mankind has recently won a long battle against unknown invaders, and peace has been restored .

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70%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,914 reviews

story451 positive mentions

optimization51 negative mentions

EDF 6 builds upon the fun gameplay of EDF 5 with new weapons, enemies, and quality of life improvements.
The story is surprisingly engaging and adds depth to the overall experience, making it more than just a mindless shooter.
The game offers a massive amount of content with over 140 missions, providing plenty of replayability.

The requirement to link an Epic Games account for online play was not disclosed prior to release, leading to significant backlash.
Frequent crashes, especially on AMD systems, have made the game frustrating for many players.
Some missions feel repetitive, with many assets and levels recycled from EDF 5, which detracts from the overall experience.

story
3,093 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
79%
6%
The story in "Earth Defense Force 6" is a direct continuation from "EDF 5," featuring a time travel plot that allows players to revisit missions from the previous game, albeit with some twists and new enemy types. While many players appreciate the ambitious and often absurd narrative, they also note that the heavy reliance on recycled missions can lead to a sense of repetition and fatigue, particularly in the early stages of the game. Overall, the story is seen as a fun and engaging aspect, especially for those familiar with the series, but it may feel disjointed for newcomers who haven't played "EDF 5."
- “The story is the best in the series (in my opinion).”
- “The best story in an EDF game to date.”
- “The story is actually great this time around and retroactively makes the entire series better and more interesting.”
- “The first 10-20 missions have the most tedious introduction I have played in a while.”
- “There is zero sense of progression until around 100-110 missions in, out of 140-odd missions.”
- “The story is all over the place and if you happen to pick air raider good luck playing 20% of the missions which are underground or in a bad timeline, even though the bulked up the amount of options air raider has it actually did not do much as most of it is unusable the moment you pick it up or mechanically unusable which is insane to me.”
gameplay
704 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
63%
3%
The gameplay in Earth Defense Force 6 largely retains the chaotic, arcade-style action familiar to fans of the series, with several quality-of-life improvements and new mechanics that enhance class diversity and combat options. While many players appreciate the refined gameplay and the introduction of new enemies, some express frustration over persistent bugs, crashes, and the reliance on an Epic Games account for online play, which detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game is seen as a solid continuation of EDF 5, offering enjoyable gameplay for both newcomers and veterans, despite some criticisms regarding its stability and repetitive elements.
- “Edf 6 delivers on the same great arcade-style gameplay as its predecessors with several quality-of-life improvements to each of the 4 playable classes.”
- “The gameplay is easily the best in the series.”
- “Gameplay is great, and exactly what you expect from edf.”
- “There are so many gameplay issues that still exist since 4.1.”
- “Instead, they sign an anti-consumer deal, create pay-to-play DLCs on top of the already expensive game, while doing little to improve the gameplay other than pasting in new enemies and weapons in a malfunctioning game engine.”
- “I was hoping for some new guns and mechanics, but it's mostly more of the same.”
graphics
542 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
82%
9%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated, resembling early PS3 or even PS2 visuals. While some appreciate the charm of the low-fidelity graphics and argue that gameplay takes precedence, others criticize the lack of significant improvements and the limited graphical options available. Additionally, there are notable performance issues, particularly for users with AMD graphics cards, which further detracts from the overall experience.
- “The graphics and visuals have steadily improved with each game.”
- “They made some great improvements to the overall gameplay and graphics, and it is a brand new story.”
- “Just as campy and lovable as the past ones, and the new graphics slap like crazy.”
- “The graphics are not good!”
- “The graphics need to be improved and the price is too high for such a game with very old graphics.”
- “The graphics look like shit.”
optimization
185 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
57%
28%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent crashes, frame rate drops, and poor load times, particularly on certain maps. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay without issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game is poorly optimized, especially compared to its predecessors, leading to frustration among players. Developers have yet to acknowledge these performance concerns, leaving many to hope for future patches to address the problems.
- “Haven't had any bugs or performance issues.”
- “Performance seems great (5700 xt gpu) with only one or two missions causing frame drops down to the 40s or lower, like ones with a lot of webs.”
- “I have also had no performance issues and enjoy the small graphic increases.”
- “Right now the performance is really bad and needs some major work.”
- “The optimization is truly worse than ever in this title, but I can't help but admire that they are willing to go down with the sinking ship that is whatever engine these games have run in all these years.”
- “Update 8/11/24: game is still an extremely broken, poorly optimized mess.”
humor
121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in Earth Defense Force (EDF) games is consistently described as campy, reminiscent of B-movies, and filled with hilarious NPC dialogue and absurd storylines. Players appreciate the over-the-top antics, awkward voice lines, and the comedic chaos of battling giant bugs with ridiculous weapons, making it a fun co-op experience despite some technical issues. While some critiques mention repetitive elements and a decline in voice acting quality, the overall consensus is that the humor remains a significant draw, providing plenty of laughs throughout gameplay.
- “If you enjoy humorous NPCs and a hilariously questionable storyline, EDF is the game for you.”
- “The EDF franchise is best described as every old B-movie blended together into a video game; it's cheesy, it's over the top, and it's downright hilarious at times.”
- “You're here for the same B to C-tier movie writing and dialogue, hilarious physics, and a fun co-op time-waster - and this game has all that in spades.”
- “Think Groundhog Day, but not funny or fun.”
- “Was it supposed to be funny or meta or something?”
music
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
70%
12%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the new marching song, which they feel is a downgrade from previous entries in the series, particularly EDF 4.1 and EDF 5. While some tracks are praised for being enjoyable and fitting the chaotic gameplay, others criticize the overall quality and originality, suggesting that the game relies too heavily on recycled content from earlier titles. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant letdown compared to its predecessors, with calls for a return to the more memorable songs of the past.
- “The soundtrack is the best in the series so far, in my opinion.”
- “Music has actually been quite surprisingly good as well.”
- “Things like the style of the menu and even the menu music changing based on where you are in the story is such a nice touch and makes me love it more.”
- “The only negative I can report is that the song the soldiers sing for this game is... really bad.”
- “I would have been happier if they just reused songs from 4.1 and 5 instead of wasting their time giving us these abominations we currently have in the game.”
- “Even the music and menus are the same as EDF 5 as soon as you're finished with the 'prologue'... this is extremely lazy.”
stability
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and glitches, particularly in multiplayer modes and on certain platforms like the Steam Deck. While some users have experienced minimal issues and found the game to run smoothly, the overall consensus highlights significant instability and a frustrating troubleshooting experience, especially given the game's high price point.
- “The game is great, runs great and believe me when I tell you that it keeps things fresh for the entire duration, hell of a feat for a game with about 160 missions.”
- “The required Epic account is something unexpected, but once the integration is set up it works seamlessly, is bug-free and I already had an account anyway, so it does not bother me that much.”
- “Runs great on PC, lack of graphics options is a bit sad as usual but it works fine, which is all I'm asking for.”
- “But it crashes for no reason regardless of all the troubleshooting, and it's just more aggravating than it is enjoyable.”
- “This is really a fun game, but I ended up with a buggy mess and software I never wanted on my PC.”
- “I would easily put the number of freezes I experienced before the end of the campaign at above 300.”
grinding
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
99%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unnecessarily prolonged, particularly during the early missions and when attempting to unlock higher-level weapons and upgrades. While some enjoy the challenge and the potential for extended playtime through grinding, many express frustration with the repetitive nature of missions and the lengthy time required to progress, which detracts from overall enjoyment. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant downside, with calls for improvements to make it less burdensome.
- “You can get it on sale for around $10 and just play the story without any grinding, then come back to enjoy the full experience!”
- “Grinding in this game is rewarding and keeps you engaged with the progression system.”
- “The grind is satisfying, as it allows you to unlock new abilities and gear that enhance your gameplay.”
- “The first 10-20 missions have the most tedious introduction I have played in a while.”
- “Early game grind is still unnecessarily tedious.”
- “There's literally no other way to play the end-game material without tens if not hundreds of hours of repetitive lower-level farming just to get your health up so you can somehow survive the hordes later on to get the final gear.”
monetization
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
13%
81%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many reviewers labeling it a "cash grab" due to deceptive advertising regarding crossplay and the requirement for a third-party account that was not clearly communicated. Additionally, the presence of microtransactions and locked content that appears to have been part of the base game has left players feeling frustrated and misled, especially given the game's high price point and lack of updates. Overall, the monetization practices have overshadowed the gameplay experience, leading to disappointment among fans.
- “Enjoy this series, and reward quality video games that aren't rife with monetization.”
- “Instead we get this EDF 5.5 for $60 plus whatever they will charge for the mission packs, which aren't even out yet, plus tons of microtransactions.”
- “It could've been so much more, and it should've been so much more at such a price point, and this is ignoring the Epic Games account mess. This game is a clown fiesta and a cash grab.”
- “Yes, there was an article in April on Epic advertising that the game would be using this software, but it was never mentioned on Steam, nor put under the 'requirements' section to let gamers make an informed decision before purchasing.”
- “And then on top of that, they have microtransactions and DLC drops ready to go by launch and still have no fixed crashing issues.”
emotional
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players found moments of genuine impact, such as crying over a character's death, others criticized the voice acting for lacking emotion and sounding disinterested. Additionally, the game's humor and detailed environments provide a wholesome experience, but external controversies may hinder players' willingness to engage with it. Overall, the emotional resonance varies significantly among players.
- “I cried at Sergeant's death.”
- “This game has amazing detail with the cities, landscape, etc., and if you know a little Japanese, there is subtle wholesome humor everywhere, along with the translated semi-serious vibes of the game.”
- “Wholesome co-op play.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The atmosphere in the game has received high praise, with notable improvements in art style, sound, and music that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the engaging and sometimes morbid ambiance created by the massive battlegrounds and the variety of missions, which contribute to a fun and immersive environment. The game's ability to shift atmospheres, particularly after the initial missions, adds a refreshing dynamic that keeps players invested.
- “The atmosphere is great too.”
- “A game with better atmosphere than expected, massive battlegrounds of sometimes thousands of enemies at once, and 147 levels (the DLC missions haven't even released in this version yet!).”
- “Personally, I didn't mind; it created a sort of morbid atmosphere because you, the player, know what will eventually happen.”
- “[spoiler] 13 missions in, the atmosphere changes to not post-apocalyptic and is refreshing from the beginning of the game. [/spoiler]”
- “And after trying to rebeat EDF5 in just the 4 days before launch, this game feels like a great sequel. I'm loving the changes to the classes, I'm loving the missions so far, and I'm loving the atmosphere.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The game offers exceptional replayability with over 130 missions, five difficulty levels, and a vast array of weapons, making it enjoyable both solo and with friends. While some players note a repetitive feel in missions and a reliance on increasingly powerful enemy combinations, the overall chaotic fun and depth keep players engaged for hundreds of hours. Suggestions for additional modes, like survival or endless play, could further enhance its replay value.
- “I love the EDF series; it's a lot of fun to play with friends and has a lot of replayability, as evidenced by my hundreds of hours in previous titles on Steam alone.”
- “And the amount of missions is the most in the series so far and is fantastic for replayability. This is by far my favorite EDF, and I will always love this series.”
- “Has the same flaw as all the other EDF games, where the only replay value is just increasingly more ridiculously powerful combinations of enemies, until at some point you simply give up in utter disgust.”
- “Hence less replayability.”
- “Pure arcade-y fun that packs a surprising amount of depth and replayability.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is enhanced through the introduction of new character designs, expanded roles for existing classes like the ranger, wing diver, and air raider, and a variety of new weapons and enemies, contributing to a richer gameplay experience.

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70%Critics’ scoreBased on 16 critic reviews

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33h Median play time

69h Average play time

7-80h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 53 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Earth Defense Force 6 is a shooter game.

Earth Defense Force 6 is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 69 hours playing Earth Defense Force 6.

Earth Defense Force 6 was released on July 25, 2024.

Earth Defense Force 6 was developed by SANDLOT.

Earth Defense Force 6 has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its optimization.

Earth Defense Force 6 is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Dead Island 2, Borderlands 3, Gears 5, PAYDAY 3, EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: IRON RAIN and others.

Earth Defense Force 6

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