Earth Defense Force 5

What works

With Nucleus Co-op, up to 4 players can play Earth Defense Force 5 together on one PC, each in their own part of the screen, with controllers or keyboard and mouse. The free community handler “EDF-5” by Talos91 does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 4, updated 27 Jul 2021. Earth Defense Force 5 is a shooter and strategy game from 2017.

• Players4
• ControllersSupported
• Keyboard and mouseSupported
• Several keyboards and miceNot supported
• Hub moderatorsVerified

How to play Earth Defense Force 5 split screen on PC

1. Get Nucleus Co-op

   Download Nucleus Co-op, free for Windows 10 and 11, and unzip it into its own folder, for example C:\NucleusCo-op. There is no installer.

   Keep it out of Program Files, your user folder and OneDrive.

   Download Nucleus Co-op

2. Install the Earth Defense Force 5 handler

   In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Earth Defense Force 5 and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Earth Defense Force 5 is installed.

   Download the handler file (.nc)

3. Take a seat

   Each player presses a button on their own controller to join and takes a spot on the screen. Pick a layout that fits your players.

4. Launch and connect

   Press Launch: Nucleus opens one copy of Earth Defense Force 5 per player and lays the windows out on your screen. Then link them in game, usually one player hosts a LAN or online session and the others join it. The handler notes say how.

What you need

• A Windows 10 or 11 PC

  Nucleus Co-op runs on Windows only. System requirements

• Earth Defense Force 5 for Windows

  Installed on that PC. Nucleus starts every player's window from that one install.

• Nucleus Co-op, free

  With .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and the Visual C++ 2015–2022 runtimes (x86 and x64). Download

• Something to play with

  One controller per player; one player can use the keyboard and mouse. Controllers

• A PC that can run 4 copies

  Each player runs their own copy of Earth Defense Force 5, so the PC carries several times the usual load. Lower the graphics settings if it struggles. Performance tips

• A multiplayer mode

  Nucleus links the windows through the game's own LAN or online mode; the handler takes care of it.

Handler notes

Earth Defense Force 5 screenshots