ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE
The first mainline ACE COMBAT in years, developed by Bandai Namco Aces and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released October 2, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with an online lobby for the first time in the series. These pages keep the publisher's own statements separate from third-party reporting.
About ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVERead more
The first mainline ACE COMBAT in years, developed by Bandai Namco Aces and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released October 2, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with an online lobby for the first time in the series. These pages keep the publisher's own statements separate from third-party reporting.
Official websiteSteamArtwork: Official ACE COMBAT 8 store artwork · © Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
The sky over Theve,
thirty missions deep.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is the first mainline entry in the series in years, developed by Bandai Namco Aces and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on the publisher's stated date of October 2, 2026 — the Steam listing itself displays October 1, and these pages keep both figures visible rather than picking one quietly. This hub keeps the publisher's own statements separate from third-party reporting, and marks anything that comes from a wiki or a player post as exactly that.
Independent guide collection. No game download, mod hosting or account sign-in takes place here. Sources checked October 15, 2026.
Choose a starting point
Will it run on my PC?
Both requirement tiers in full, the 150 GB SSD rule, the Windows 11 line, and the Denuvo notice.
02 / CONTROLS & DIFFICULTYStandard or Expert?
The two control schemes, the four difficulty levels, and the ACE name that only the achievements explain.
03 / CHARACTERSWho flies Joker Flight?
Tasha, Baxter, Coster and the commander — the roster the publisher has actually named.
All ACE COMBAT 8 pages
Every page was checked on October 15, 2026. Where the publisher has not stated something, the page says so instead of filling the gap.
Buying and platform
Settings and controls
Campaign and progression
Story, reception and characters
The publisher's own site is acecombat.com; it is the place to check for announcements these pages cannot settle.
Game, platform and requirement statements were checked on October 15, 2026 against the Steam store listing, the Steam Web API app-details and achievements endpoints, and the publisher's own Steam announcements. Requirement figures, the DRM notice and the difficulty descriptions are quoted from those sources rather than paraphrased, and anything a wiki or a player post supplies instead is labelled as third-party. No hands-on testing is claimed, no control input is published that could not be traced to an official source, and live details such as achievement percentages should be rechecked before you rely on them.
Featured Guides
Guides & Walkthroughs
19 guidesPlatform & buying
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 PC System Requirements and DRM (150 GB, Denuvo)
Official ACE COMBAT 8 PC requirements in full, why Windows 11 is the only operating system listed, the 150 GB SSD requirement, and the Denuvo notice on the Steam page.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Release Date and Unlock Times: Three Dates Explained
Steam lists ACE COMBAT 8 as released on Oct 1, 2026; the publisher announced October 2. Here is what each date means, plus the Deluxe early access date.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Editions and Prices: Standard, Deluxe, Two Physical Packs
ACE COMBAT 8 prices on Steam, the Deluxe contents, the two physical packs (Collector's Edition and Joker Flight Pack), the ACE PASS tiers and the voucher conflict.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Flight Stick and HOTAS Support: Current Status
What the publisher has and has not said about flight sticks in ACE COMBAT 8, and why licensed hardware is a different question from in-game support.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Platforms: PS5, Xbox, PC and the Switch 2 Question
ACE COMBAT 8 is on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Switch 2 has no announcement, and Steam's own Deck report says Unsupported while players ask for Linux.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT ZERO Standalone Steam Release: Current Status
ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR is a pre-order bonus played through ACE COMBAT 8. The publisher now says a standalone Steam application is coming.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEIs ACE COMBAT 8 VR Supported? Current Status and Why Not
ACE COMBAT 8 has no VR mode. The Steam VR tag is a community label, and the brand director explained why the team chose flat screens for this entry.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Reviews and Sales: Metacritic Scores by Platform
ACE COMBAT 8's publisher-reported million sales and Metacritic scores for PS5, PC and Xbox, checked October 15, 2026, with what each figure excludes.
Settings & play
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Controls and Difficulty: Standard vs Expert, Four Official Levels
How Standard and Expert flight controls differ in ACE COMBAT 8, the four documented difficulty levels and what each changes, and the fifth name that appears only in the achievement list.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 PC Graphics Options: DLSS, XeSS and FOV Status
What the store listing does not say about DLSS, FSR, XeSS and frame generation, plus player reports on FOV, ultrawide HUD and shader compilation.
Missions
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEHow Many Missions in ACE COMBAT 8? 30, and Where It Comes From
ACE COMBAT 8's campaign has 30 numbered missions, a count drawn from the game's achievement data. Length estimates are third-party, not publisher figures.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Mission 25: What the Two Branches Are
Mission 25 in ACE COMBAT 8 has two separate clear achievements, the strongest evidence of a branch. What is confirmed, and what only guides claim.
Progression
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Aircraft Tree: What Is Confirmed and What Is Not
ACE COMBAT 8's aircraft tree: what the publisher's own data confirms, the reported 34-aircraft structure, and why four sites agreeing is not proof.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 MRP: How to Earn It and What Is Unverified
MRP in ACE COMBAT 8: the two cumulative totals the game's own achievements set, how the currency is earned, and why no farming rate here is verified.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Endgame Guide: Aces and Post-Campaign Content
What ACE COMBAT 8 keeps tracking after the campaign: ACE difficulty, MRP milestones, the Aircraft Tree, and which endgame claims are only guide-reported.
Online
Reference
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Crash and Error Codes: Error 01 and ST-3100001
The publisher's own crash checks, what ST-3100001 means, what remains unexplained about Error 01, and unverified player-reported workarounds.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Story and Setting: Do You Need Ace Combat 7 First?
Where and when ACE COMBAT 8 is set, what the Wings of Theve legend really is, who Joker Flight are, and what the publisher has not published.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVEACE COMBAT 8 Achievements: 55 Entries and Completion Rates
ACE COMBAT 8's published achievement list: 55 entries with global completion rates checked October 15, 2026, the rarest ones, and what they reveal.