Featured image: Official screenshot via Steam / Bandai Namco Aces
Seven years after Skies Unknown, Ace Combat is back, and the reviews say the wait paid off. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launched on October 2 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it landed with scores that put it among the best the series has ever earned. Only one game in the franchise, 2001’s Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, still sits above it.
That is a big claim for a series that spent years being the last mainstream flight game standing. So here is what critics actually liked, where they pushed back, what it costs, and whether your PC can handle the clouds.
The short version
- Launch: October 2, 2026 on PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
- Metacritic: 86 on PC, 87 on PS5, 90 on Xbox (the Xbox score rests on only four reviews)
- OpenCritic: 88 to 89 average, with nearly every critic recommending it
- Best parts: dogfighting, the soundtrack, a surprisingly strong story
- Weak spots: a slow start, cutscene-heavy pacing and online play that critics want more from
- Price: $69.99 Standard, $89.99 Deluxe
What the reviews say
Early critic scores cluster tightly in the high 80s. According to The PC Enthusiast, the game holds an 86 Metascore on PC and 87 on PS5, with an 89 average on OpenCritic. KitGuru notes that this makes it the second highest rated Ace Combat of all time, trailing only Shattered Skies at 89.
How critics scored Ace Combat 8
Scores as reported at launch week. Aggregates will move as more outlets publish.
The most enthusiastic voice so far is DualShockers at 95, which calls the game a love letter to combat aviation and says its dogfights are among the most exciting of the current console generation, as summarized by Gagadget. Push Square is cooler at 80. It still calls Wings of Theve the most accomplished game in the series, but flags muddled story beats, modest visuals on a base PS5 and an aircraft upgrade system that could be cleaner.
The story: a hero who never existed
You play Rex of Joker Squadron, a silent pilot who steps into the role of the “Wings of Theve,” a legendary ace whose fame is spread across the continent of Usea to inspire hope during an invasion by neighboring Sotoa. The twist is that the legend is a fabrication. The real Wings, a pilot named Cope, died before Rex ever took the stage.
That setup gives the campaign its backbone. GamesRadar+’s review compares the themes of manufactured legends, misinformation campaigns and war profiteering to Metal Gear Solid, and says the story gets its hooks in once the opening hours pass. The Bandai Namco team also leaned into cinematic storytelling, with first-person scenes between missions and a far bigger jump in quality than Ace Combat 7’s slideshow-style cutscenes.
The flying is still the star
The basics will feel familiar if you played Ace Combat 7: a 30-mission campaign, a hangar of aircraft, weapons and parts, and arcade-style controls that are easy to grasp. What sets this entry apart, according to GamesRadar+, is mission variety. One mission has you escorting ground troops through a city, another has you fleeing in an underpowered plane, and others hand you a time limit to wreck enemy bases. The feeling of being stretched too thin across a busy battlefield is meant to make Usea feel like it is down to its last legs, and the reviewer found it exhilarating rather than frustrating.
Then there is the music. Ace Combat soundtracks are famous, and this one reportedly delivers orchestral numbers for tense dogfights, plus guitars and in-universe tracks for variety. If you have ever kept a game soundtrack on a playlist, this is the kind of game that makes you do it again.
Where critics pushed back
The complaints are real but small compared with the praise. The most common one is pacing. GamesRadar+ clocked 45 minutes from boot to finishing the first mission, and warns that the game takes a while to get going. Other reviewers found some mission structure repetitive, or felt the story pushed its dramatic moments too hard. Online play also drew some criticism, even though Bandai Namco calls it the largest multiplayer mode in series history.
| Praised | Criticized |
|---|---|
| Responsive arcade dogfighting | Slow opening hours with long cutscenes |
| Soundtrack, possibly the series best | Some repetitive mission structure |
| Cloudscapes and cinematic presentation | Modest visuals on a base PS5 |
| Strong squadmates and a memorable rival | Online mode and upgrade menus could be better |
Ace Combat Online: 100 players in one lobby
Multiplayer has been rebuilt. The new Air Base acts as a virtual lobby for up to 100 players, online play has its own progression and save data, and cross-play connects PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Steam lists PvP, co-op and cross-platform multiplayer, along with full controller support and DualSense compatibility. The Deluxe Edition also includes a Premium Ace Pass Plus voucher, so expect a seasonal progression layer on top of the base game.
PC requirements: ray tracing is not optional
The Steam page is blunt about the hardware. The game requires an SSD, a graphics card with hardware ray tracing, and DirectX 12 with Shader Model 6.6 or higher. Even the recommended spec only targets upscaled 1080p at 60 fps on Medium, and Bandai Namco warns that frame rates can dip in busy scenes. There are no official 1440p or 4K targets yet.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Upscaled 1080p, Low, 30 fps | Upscaled 1080p, Medium, 60 fps |
| OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| CPU | Core i7-10700K / Ryzen 5 3600X | Core i7-12700K / Ryzen 5 5600X |
| GPU | RTX 2060 (6 GB) / RX 6600 XT (8 GB) | RTX 3070 (8 GB) / RX 6800 (16 GB) |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Storage | 150 GB SSD | 150 GB SSD |
Two things stand out. First, 32 GB of RAM at the recommended level is higher than most games ask for. Second, 150 GB is a hefty install, so clear space before launch day. If you are also planning to play another ray tracing heavy release this month, our rundown of Gears of War: E-Day reviews and PC requirements shows how common the hardware ray tracing requirement is becoming.
Editions, price and the Ace Combat Zero bonus
| Edition | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $69.99 | The full game |
| Deluxe | $89.99 | Three days of early access, a customizable cosmetic set and a Premium Ace Pass Plus voucher |
The part that annoyed even fans of the game: pre-orders came with a ported copy of the 2006 classic Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War and the playable F-14A, and the pre-order window closed when the game launched. GamesRadar+ called locking Zero behind a pre-order “terrible” and still recommends playing it if you can get your hands on it. It is a reminder that a pre-order bonus can age badly the moment a game ships.
Should you buy it?
If you have ever liked flying games, yes. The consensus is that this is a confident, polished return, and the strongest reviews go out of their way to say the story finally matches the flying. If you want a fast start, be prepared for a slow first mission. If you are on PC, check the ray tracing and SSD requirements first, because the game will not run without them.
It also lands in a very busy stretch for premium releases. If you are weighing it against other critic favorites, our roundups of the Silent Hill: Townfall reviews and the Onimusha: Way of the Sword scores are worth a look before you spend $70.
The next few weeks will show how the online mode holds up under real traffic and whether Bandai Namco patches the performance dips it has already warned about. For now, the sky looks clear.
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