ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is the first new main entry in the air combat series in seven years. The story is set in July 2029: the Republic of Sotoa has occupied large parts of the Federation of Central Usea. On the aging aircraft carrier Endurance, the player takes on the name “Wings of Theve” and becomes the hope of a defeated nation.

Project Aces combines arcade air battles with a cinematic campaign, in which mission briefings, daily life aboard the carrier and relationships with your squadron are more closely intertwined.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE has been available worldwide since Oct 2, 2026 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The three-day early access for the Digital Deluxe Edition began on Sep 29 and ended with the regular launch.

Pre-orderers received ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR as a bonus. The main game has since launched normally on all three announced native platforms.

The new main entry launches natively on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. PS4 and Xbox One are not part of the confirmed platform lineup. The online mode supports crossplay between all three versions.

At its core, ACE COMBAT 8 remains an accessible arcade air combat shooter with fast dogfights, ground attacks, special weapons and spectacular large targets. The latest developer interview mentions more than 30 playable aircraft. Before missions, your aircraft and weapons are adjusted to the mission objectives.

Unreal Engine 5 works with Bandai Namco's own Cloudly technology for multi-layered clouds and dynamic weather. For the first time in the series, the story between missions is told more from a first-person perspective. ACE COMBAT ONLINE also brings the largest multiplayer mode in the series so far, including a walkable online base, co-op and PvP.

On PC, ACE COMBAT 8 requires Windows 11, DirectX 12, hardware ray tracing and Shader Model 6.6. Steam lists the minimum as a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 5 3600X, 16 GB RAM, and a GeForce RTX 2060 with 6 GB or Radeon RX 6600 XT with 8 GB. You will need 150 GB of free SSD storage.

For the recommended 1080p/60 FPS target, the listed specs are Core i7-12700K or Ryzen 5 5600X, 32 GB RAM, and GeForce RTX 3070 with 8 GB or Radeon RX 6800 with 16 GB.

ACE COMBAT ONLINE is built as a permanent multiplayer area of its own. Instead of a classic menu, players first enter a walkable Air Base that serves as the online lobby. There you can customize a pilot avatar and interact with other players.

At launch there are two core online modes, each for two teams of four pilots. In Co-Op Assault, both four-player teams fight computer-controlled enemies in PvE missions and compete for the higher score. Co-Op Warfare, by contrast, combines direct 4-vs-4 battles with additional NPC units and is designed as a PvPvE mode.

The online mode supports crossplay between PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Unlocked rewards and cosmetic customization let you further personalize your pilot and online aircraft.