The game was released simultaneously in the United States, Europe, China, and South Korea on December 11, 2018, as a digital exclusive for the PlayStation 4.

The single player campaign features 110 missions, the highest number of any EDF game to date (not counting downloadable content).

Earth Defense Force 5 has an available season pass in Japan, which guarantees players access to all downloadable content as it is released.

D3 Publisher confirmed that DLC would include both mission packs and aesthetic modifications such as skins for weapons and armor.

[12] Eric Switzer, writing in The Gamer, stated, "Mitch Hedberg had a joke about how great rice is when you’re really hungry and you want to eat 2000 of something, and I think the appeal of EDF is similar.