ACE COMBAT 8 PC System Requirements and DRM (150 GB, Denuvo)

At a glance

Two details in the published requirements are easy to skim past. Windows 11 is the only operating system listed in either tier — there is no Windows 10 line — and the SSD is required rather than recommended, appearing in the additional notes for the minimum profile as well as the recommended one. Both frame-rate targets are stated at 1080p with upscaling, and the listing adds its own caveat that the frame rate may drop in graphics-intensive scenes.

The resolution figures above are reproduced as the store page writes them, including the two different spellings it uses between the tiers. Frame-rate estimates carry the listing's own qualifier, "Framerate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes".

Minimum

The minimum tier names a Core i7-10700K or Ryzen 5 3600X alongside an RTX 2060 with 6 GB or an RX 6600 XT with 8 GB, and 16 GB of system memory. This is not a token floor written to be ignored: those are 2020-era parts, and the tier is attached to a stated result of 30 fps at 1080p with upscaling on the Low preset. A machine below this list sits outside the configuration the publisher describes.

Two entries in the minimum tier are not hardware performance figures at all. The SSD requirement and the hardware ray tracing requirement are listed as things the game requires, in the additional notes, rather than as settings you can trade performance against.

Recommended

Recommended moves the processor up one generation, doubles the memory to 32 GB, and raises the graphics card: a Core i7-12700K or Ryzen 5 5600X with an RTX 3070 (8 GB) or RX 6800 (16 GB), for 60 fps at 1080p with upscaling on Medium.

The memory figure is the largest single jump between the two lists, from 16 GB to 32 GB. That is worth reading literally: a machine that clears the recommended processor and graphics card but is still on 16 GB matches one row of the recommended tier and misses another.

Storage and SSD

Storage is a single figure repeated in both tiers — 150 GB of available space — and the drive type is stated separately.

• SSD is required, not recommended. The additional notes attach it to the minimum profile as well as the recommended one. A mechanical drive of any capacity falls outside the published specification.
• 150 GB is the installed size, not the download. A store figure describes the space the game needs once installed, so leave headroom for the download, patching and temporary working files rather than filling a drive to exactly 150 GB.
• The publisher's own guidance points at the same drive. An update notice dated October 9, 2026 asks players to install the game on an SSD and attributes part of the difficulty some players have finding online matches to machines connecting from environments that do not meet the listed requirements.

DRM and anti-cheat

The Steam listing carries a DRM notice in a field of its own, and it is short:

That is the store page's wording reproduced rather than interpreted. The notice does not set out how the limit is counted, and this page does not add a rule that is not in it. What it tells you plainly is that the game carries Denuvo Anti-Tamper and that activations are capped across machines within a single day.

Anti-cheat is a different question, and the listing does not answer it. Steam's category list for the game does not name an anti-cheat product. The third-party PCGamingWiki entry lists Easy Anti-Cheat, and that is where the claim comes from. Because the game has online play and a documented network error code, the distinction matters: treat anti-cheat as reported by a third-party wiki, not as a statement from the publisher. Any advice that involves loading third-party files into a game protected by anti-cheat carries a risk that this page does not test and does not recommend.

What the publisher asks you to check

Two official notices overlap with these requirements, which makes them the most useful place to start if the game starts badly rather than well.

Both notices exist because of specific player reports rather than as general advice, and neither claims to resolve every problem. The October 9 notice also says an update is in preparation covering reported issues and gameplay adjustments, without giving a date.

What the listing does not list

• Windows 10. Neither tier mentions it. That is different from the publisher stating the game will not run on it — the listing simply describes Windows 11 only, and this page does not turn an omission into a guarantee in either direction.
• macOS and Linux. The Steam platform fields mark Mac and Linux as unsupported; Windows is the only platform flagged true.
• A named anti-cheat product. As covered above, that claim rests on a third-party wiki.
• A minimum frame rate for the minimum tier. The 30 fps figure is an "estimated performance" note under an upscaling assumption, not a guarantee, and the listing adds that it may drop.

The question of which flight sticks and HOTAS setups work is a separate topic from whether your PC meets these requirements, and it is covered on the controls and difficulty page only as far as input modes go — the hardware situation itself is not settled by the publisher.