BODY: The giant insects are coming to Nintendo's newest console. D3 Publisher has announced that Earth Defense Force 6 will launch for Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027. The date came out during Tokyo Game Show 2026.
Sandlot developed the game, which is the latest entry in the long-running series of over-the-top alien invasion shooters. Players fight off huge waves of bugs, robots and alien forces while a whole city falls apart around them. Earth Defense Force 6 is already out on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam and the Epic Games Store, so the Switch 2 version brings the full war to a handheld for the first time.
The Switch 2 release will support English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. D3 Publisher hasn't announced a price, special editions or any features made just for the Switch 2 version yet.
The game isn't arriving alone. Earth Defense Force 5 comes to Switch 2 first, on October 8, 2026. That gives new players about four months to play the previous game before the sequel's story picks up.
The insider take
In Japan, Earth Defense Force has never been about polish. Players love it for its B-movie charm, and its fans are among the most loyal in Japanese gaming. Releasing EDF5 and EDF6 on Switch 2 only months apart is a smart move by D3 Publisher. The series has always worked well for co-op, and playing it on a handheld opens that up to commuters on the train and to friends playing together in the same room. Tokyo Game Show is a natural place for this announcement, since the series has built its following on word of mouth, fan events and memes. With the Switch 2 player base still growing, a budget-friendly and completely unserious shooter could stand out among the console's bigger releases. It helps that there's little else like it in the lineup.
Originally reported by Gematsu (English).