Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is Bandai Namco's arcade flight shooter and the first mainline Ace Combat in seven years, following Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown in 2019. It is developed by Bandai Namco Aces on Unreal Engine 5 and launches worldwide on 2 October 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, with three days of early access for Deluxe Edition pre-orders from 29 September.
The campaign is set in the series' fictional Strangereal universe and mixes real-world licensed aircraft with invented ones and super weapons. Bandai Namco's Cloudly weather system renders the clouds and storms, and weather can change how a mission plays. Players choose between Standard and Expert flight controls and four difficulty settings, from Rookie to Elite, which can be changed at any time.
Ace Combat Online, the multiplayer mode, is the largest in the series according to Bandai Namco and supports cross-play. It comes with a free seasonal progression track, the Ace Pass, plus paid Premium tiers. Pre-orders placed before 2 October also include Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, a port of the 2006 PlayStation 2 game.
This hub collects AFK Journal's coverage of Ace Combat 8: launch news, Steam player reception and, once enough reviews are in, our evidence-based review that weighs critics against players.
Ace Combat 8 went from a 50/50 first day to 71% positive on Steam. We counted what negative reviews complain about: crashes and performance lead; the Belkan War DLC comes fourth.
What Ace Combat 8 needs on PC, why the Steam Deck is unsupported, and every official crash fix from Bandai Namco so far, plus player workarounds, clearly labelled.
How Ace Combat 8's online mode works, what the Free, Premium and Premium Plus Ace Pass tiers include in Season 1, and what the passes cost in Ace Coins.
