Ace Combat 8 Online and Ace Pass Explained: Modes, Seasons and Prices

Ace Combat Online is Ace Combat 8's multiplayer mode: a cross-play hub for up to 100 players, 4v4 co-op and PvP missions, and progression and save data entirely separate from the campaign. Its Ace Pass has a free track for everyone and two paid tiers, Premium and Premium Plus; Season 1 runs for two months, until the end of November, and its headline reward is the ADFX-02 Morgan-PIXY.

This guide is built on Bandai Namco's official Ace Combat 8 FAQ, its Season One announcement of 1 October 2026, the PlayStation Store and Steam listings and Bandai Namco's Steam notices, all checked on 5 October 2026. We have not played the online mode; where a figure comes only from players, we say so.

What is Ace Combat Online?

Bandai Namco describes Ace Combat Online as the online endgame of Ace Combat 8: a multiplayer-only mode in which you fly as a mercenary pilot, team up with players from around the world and build a reputation. It is included in the base game, so there is no separate purchase to get in. For how critics and Steam players rate the game as a whole, see our evidence-based Ace Combat 8 review.

Between sorties you wait in the Air Base, a social hub that holds up to 100 players at a time. Bandai Namco calls the mode the largest cross-play multiplayer mode in the series' history, with players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC able to squad up together. The aircraft roster is the same as in the campaign, but online planes have to be earned inside the online mode.

Which modes and missions are in Ace Combat Online?

There are two core modes, both four players against four. Two special PvE missions can appear at random for a limited time while you play either one, and limited-time PvP events run on top.

How does the Threat Level work in Co-Op Warfare?

Threat Level is shown as stars and only exists in Co-Op Warfare. You earn stars by destroying enemy targets and scoring without being shot down. More stars mean more points for each enemy you defeat, but also more points for the other team if they shoot you down. Reach three stars and you get the title of "Ace".

The rule rewards streaks and punishes overreach in equal measure: the longer you survive, the more each kill pays, and the bigger the prize you become. Bandai Namco has not published the exact point values, so any multiplier you see quoted elsewhere is a player estimate.

What do the Free, Premium and Premium Plus Ace Pass tiers include?

The Ace Pass is a 100-level seasonal track. You level it up with Ace Pass XP from online missions, on whichever tier you own. The free track is open to everyone; Premium adds extra rewards at each level plus the season's premium content; Premium Plus is Premium with an instant skip of the first 30 levels, including every free and premium reward up to that point.

Both tracks also hand out blueprints, boost tickets and aircraft banners. The premium track adds credits, more blueprints and supply tickets that you exchange for item packs at the Supply Shop, plus rare titles. Not every free level gives a reward. Pilots who finish all 100 levels of the free and premium tracks before the season ends unlock 500 Ace Coins in total, according to Bandai Namco.

How much does the Premium Ace Pass cost?

Bandai Namco's pages do not give a cash price for either paid tier. The passes are bought in-game with Ace Coins, the premium currency, which the US PlayStation Store sells in five packs.

Players in an r/acecombat thread on 29 September reported in-game prices of 1,000 Ace Coins for the Premium Ace Pass and 2,500 for Premium Plus. We could not find those numbers in any Bandai Namco source, so treat them as player reports. If they are right, Premium fits inside the 1,100-coin pack, while Premium Plus needs more than the 2,300-coin pack: the cheapest route on that store is 2,300 plus 500 coins, or $24.98.

What does the Deluxe Edition voucher do?

The Deluxe Edition ($89.99 on Steam, against $69.99 for the Standard Edition) includes a Premium Ace Pass Plus voucher. It is not tied to a season: you can redeem it now or keep it for a future pass. The edition also includes a Tasha costume set and Scarlet missile smoke for online, plus F-4E Mobius Squadron and F/A-18C Team Zvezda skins that work online and, after you finish every mission, in the campaign.

The three days of early access were a digital pre-order bonus and ended with the launch on 2 October. Bandai Namco says the Deluxe Edition stays on sale, voucher included, without that bonus.

Is Ace Combat 8 online pay-to-win?

On paper, mostly not. Bandai Namco's FAQ says there are no paid loot boxes or randomised paid rewards, that you can see every item before you buy it, and that there are no plans for consumables. The Season One post adds that the aircraft upgrades unlocked with premium-track credits, blueprints and supply tickets are also available through normal play.

The exception is the plane. The Morgan is the Level 1 reward of the Season 1 Premium pass, and Bandai Namco says its airframe can carry two of three special weapon types at once, including high-output lasers. Pass aircraft are planned for separate sale after their season ends, with no price or date yet. Whether the Morgan has an edge in PvP is a balance question that nobody has documented properly yet.

Most of what you pay for is cosmetic. Of the premium track's listed extras in Season 1, 33 are skins, emblems or costumes and one is an emote, against one playable aircraft.

Do online unlocks carry over to the campaign?

No. Ace Combat Online has its own progression and save data, and Bandai Namco calls it a standalone experience separate from Campaign Mode. Planes you own in the campaign still have to be earned again online. The Morgan goes the other way only partly: it becomes usable in the campaign once you have completed all campaign missions.

What does error ST-3100001 mean?

According to a Bandai Namco notice on Steam from 30 September, ST-3100001 appears in Ace Combat Online when the connection to the game server is lost. The only fix it suggests is to check that Windows' clock is synchronised, then try again. For the wider state of the PC version, including crashes and the Ace Combat Zero row, see our report on Ace Combat 8's Steam reviews.

Should you buy the Premium Ace Pass?

• Campaign-only players: skip it. Nothing on the pass touches the campaign until you have finished every mission, and even then only the Morgan and a few skins cross over.
• Regular online players who want the Morgan now: Premium is the cheaper tier, and Premium Plus only saves you the first 30 levels of grinding.
• Players who only want the plane: Bandai Namco plans to sell pass aircraft separately after each season, so waiting for Season 1 to end is an option, at a price nobody knows yet.
• Deluxe Edition owners: you already have Premium Plus. Redeem it before the end of November if you want the Morgan.

For everything else we have on the game, start at our Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve hub. If you are comparing how this autumn's big multiplayer launches handle cross-platform play, our Gears of War: E-Day crossplay explainer covers the other one.