by Game of Review Team · published 2026-10-02 · updated 2026-10-02
After years of teasers and a very long wait since the last mainline entry, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is finally out, and it is not messing around. This is Bandai Namco Aces going all in on the arcade-flight-sim formula that made the series a cult favorite, just rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5 with a much bigger multiplayer push than any Ace Combat before it.
What you actually do
You fly as an ace pilot for the Wings of Theve squadron, defending the Federation of Central Usea against an invasion from the Republic of Sotoa. It is set in the series' fictional world of Strangereal, which lets the story lean hard into dogfighting spectacle without worrying about real-world politics. Bandai Namco is pitching the campaign as its most cinematic yet, built around themes of identity and duty, with squadmates who actually matter to the story instead of just filling out your wing.
- Single-player campaign with persistent squadmates and branching mission stakes
- The series' biggest online multiplayer mode yet, with customizable pilot avatars and online lobbies
- Co-op missions alongside the usual dogfight chaos
- A seasonal Ace Pass system, which is a first for the franchise and a sign Bandai Namco wants this one to stick around
How it is landing
Critics have been kind to it. The PS5 version is sitting around an 88 on Metacritic, and most reviews are clustering in the 8 to 9 out of 10 range, with praise going to the fast, readable aerial combat, the scale of the big set-piece missions, and the presentation and music. The complaints that do come up are pretty minor in the grand scheme: a few reviewers think the cutscenes slow the pace down and lean a bit too melodramatic, and some mission designs mess with target-lock flow in ways that can get annoying mid-fight.
On Steam specifically it launched straight onto the global top sellers chart, and pre-orders came with a bonus most longtime fans will actually care about: a Steam port of the beloved Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, which was not otherwise sold separately.
Who it is for
If you want a campaign-driven flight combat game with real spectacle and a story that takes itself seriously without being a flight sim homework assignment, this is exactly that, and it is the most ambitious entry the series has put out in years.
Our take
This matters because Ace Combat has always been a bit of a niche series outside Japan, and seeing it launch with a genuine marketing push, a seasonal content model, and reviews this strong suggests Bandai Namco thinks arcade flight combat still has a mainstream audience. The Ace Combat Zero pre-order bonus is a smart move too, since it gets a cult classic back in front of people who might skip it otherwise. The seasonal Ace Pass is the part worth watching long-term, since it is new territory for the series and will decide whether this stays a one-off hit or becomes an ongoing live-ish game.
