PCGame

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair

Third-person co-op shooter against swarms of giant alien insects

SANDLOT · Published by D3PUBLISHER · Released Jul 18, 2016

Action

Reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
95% of 8,149
Recent reviews
Very Positive
90% of 21 in 30 days
Players
141
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
10 years ago
Aug 10, 2016
Minimum PC
HD 7870
4 GB RAM · 8 GB disk
Full requirements

Metacritic: 79/100 (critic reviews)

What is EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair?

A third-person action shooter in which Earth Defense Force soldiers fight the invading Ravagers, including giant alien insects and machines. Choose from four classes and use hundreds of weapons across more than 80 missions, playable solo, online cooperatively, or in shared split-screen co-op.

For you if...

  • +you want local or online co-op shooting
  • +you enjoy campy science-fiction battles with giant monsters
  • +you like collecting weapons through a long mission campaign

Not for you if...

  • −you dislike repeating missions to unlock stronger gear
  • −you expect smooth controls and mouse-driven menus
  • −you dislike uneven difficulty when playing alone

What players say

95% of 8,149 reviews are positive · 90% of 21 in the last 30 days

Players praise the chaotic co-op combat, large enemy swarms, and deliberately campy tone. Common complaints include repetitive missions, weapon grinding, clunky controls and menus, weak allied AI, and frustrating solo balance.

Players over time

▼ -14% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 156 players on Oct 4, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 2026141
Nov 6, 202677
Nov 5, 202684
Nov 4, 202689
Nov 3, 2026123
Nov 2, 202675
Nov 1, 202697
Oct 31, 202697
Oct 30, 202686
Oct 29, 202655
Oct 28, 202675
Oct 27, 202669
Oct 26, 202685
Oct 25, 2026119
Oct 24, 202680
Oct 23, 202673
Oct 22, 202680
Oct 21, 202677
Oct 20, 202677
Oct 19, 202697
Oct 18, 2026139
Oct 17, 2026101
Oct 16, 202689
Oct 15, 202676
Oct 14, 2026113
Oct 13, 202684
Oct 12, 2026114
Oct 11, 2026130
Oct 10, 2026115
Oct 9, 202690
Oct 8, 202688
Oct 7, 2026103
Oct 6, 202692
Oct 5, 2026151
Oct 4, 2026156
Oct 3, 2026106
Oct 2, 202681
Oct 1, 202688
Sep 30, 2026119
Sep 29, 2026110
Sep 28, 2026118
Sep 27, 2026151
Sep 26, 2026143
Sep 25, 2026105
Sep 24, 2026109
Sep 23, 2026127
Sep 23, 2026106
Sep 22, 202681
Sep 21, 202674

How many players finish EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair?

3.2% of Steam players have unlocked «A Walk in the Park», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair screenshot 1

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair system requirements

Minimum: HD 7870, 4 GB RAM, 8 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

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Minimum

OS
Windows 7 64bit, Windows 8.1 64bit Windows 10 64bit
Processor
3 GHz 2 Core
Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 7870 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660　（2GB Model or higher）
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
8 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11
Notes
XInput Controller

Recommended

OS
Windows 7 64bit, Windows 8.1 64bit Windows 10 64bit
Processor
3.2GHz 4Core
Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 7970 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760　（3GB Model or higher）
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
8 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11
Notes
XInput Controller

Does EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: co-op (mode not specified). It also has a single-player mode. With Remote Play Together, one copy is enough to play the local modes online with friends.

Does EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Default controller config not fully functional
  • Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
  • Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
  • External controllers not supported local multiplayer

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
51
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English, Japanese.

Does EARTH DEFENSE FORCE 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 7, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

18 DLC available.

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