Almost two years after its initial Japan release, in April 2015, Gaijinworks announced that they would publish the game in English in North America and Europe sometime in 2015.

The game was considered a success in English regions, with its sales being enough to warrant Gaijinworks to translate its sequel, Summon Night 6, which was released in 2017.

[3][4][5] The game involves the player moving characters in a turn based fashion across a large grid from an adjustable isometric perspective.

[6] At the beginning of the game, the player can choose to play as either a male or female protagonist, and chose from 4 separate "Cross" (partner) characters.

Which combinations are selected affect both the dialogue and story progression, leading to eight separate paths to take through the game.

[10] The player may also choose one of four "Cross characters" to partner their selected protagonist with, with different combinations leading to different weapons and abilities becoming available.

[15] Summon Night 5 itself was first announced in an issue of V Jump magazine, with more details being revealed later in the month.

[15][17] Additionally, it was announced that Ufotable, creators of the anime videos for Tales of Xillia and Tales of Xillia 2, will be making the game's anime cutscenes, and Emiko Bleu would perform the game's opening theme song, which would be produced by Sing Like Talking band member Chiaki Fujita.