ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

What is ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE?

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is the latest entry in Bandai Namco's long-running arcade flight combat series, developed by PROJECT ACES (credited on Steam as Bandai Namco Aces Inc.). Players fly real and fictional aircraft through story missions full of dogfights, large-scale air battles and cinematic cutscenes between squadmates, continuing the semi-realistic, accessible dogfighting the series is known for rather than a hardcore flight sim.

Alongside the single-player campaign, WINGS OF THEVE adds the series' most expansive online component yet: a shared Air Base hub for up to 100 players, plus Co-Op Assault and Co-Op Warfare multiplayer modes with cross-platform play between PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It launched on October 1, 2026 to mostly positive reviews and quickly became one of Steam's most-played new releases.

Genre

Action, Flight combat, Arcade

Platform

PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

Price

$69.99 (Deluxe Edition $89.99)

Developer

Bandai Namco Aces Inc. (PROJECT ACES)

Released

1 Oct 2026

Official link

Steam page

Why it's blowing up

• Launch week release (October 1, 2026) with strong critical reception — an 88 Metacritic score on PS5, among the better-reviewed games of 2026.
• First Ace Combat game with a persistent online hub and cross-platform multiplayer, giving it staying power beyond a single-player campaign.
• A long campaign by series standards (reports put it around 20-25 hours), which keeps new players logging in through launch week.
• Entered Steam's top most-played games chart within days, peaking at roughly 48,863 concurrent players on October 4, 2026.

How to play ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

1. Buy and install on Steam

   Get ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE on Steam (Windows only on PC) or on PlayStation 5 / Xbox Series X|S. The Steam page lists a recommended spec of an RTX 3070-class GPU and 32GB RAM for 1080p/60fps at Medium settings, so check your rig against the minimum requirements first.

2. Fly the campaign missions in order

   Start the story campaign rather than jumping into multiplayer. Missions ramp up gradually and introduce new weapons, aircraft and squad members as you go.

3. Learn the basics of dogfighting

   Use your radar to find the nearest threat, keep enemies in your target reticle to lock on, and fire missiles once locked. Machine guns are for close range or finishing off a damaged target.

4. Manage your loadout before each mission

   Each mission lets you pick an aircraft and weapons loadout suited to the objective — air superiority fighters for dogfights, multirole or ground-attack loadouts for missions with ground targets.

5. Unlock and buy new planes

   Earn in-mission currency and unlock points by completing missions and challenges, then spend them on new aircraft and upgrades between missions.

6. Try the online Air Base once you're comfortable

   After the campaign (or alongside it), visit the Air Base hub with your own avatar to queue into Co-Op Assault (PvE score attack) or Co-Op Warfare (team-based PvPvE) with crossplay against players on other platforms.

Beginner tips

• Keep moving — in arcade flight combat, speed and altitude management matter more than realism, and sitting still or over-extending the throttle often gets you shot down.
• Watch your missile lock timer and don't fire too early; a locked shot that's released a moment too soon misses and wastes ammo you can't resupply mid-mission.
• Switch weapons for the objective: standard missiles for enemy fighters, specialized ordnance for ground targets or large special weapons, which some missions require.
• If a mission's pacing feels harsh, check your aircraft and weapon load — many mission difficulty complaints trace back to using a loadout better suited to a different objective type.
• In online Co-Op Warfare, stick with your team of four; it's a PvPvE mode and lone pilots get overwhelmed quickly by both the enemy team and NPC units.

Timeline

• 1 Oct 2026 ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE releases on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. source
• 4 Oct 2026 Enters Steam's most-played chart, peaking at roughly 48,863 concurrent players in a day. source
• 1 Oct 2026 Early reviews put the game among 2026's highest-rated releases, citing an 88 Metacritic average on PS5. source

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE FAQ

Official & community links

• Official site
• Steam page

If you like it, players also mention: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, War Thunder, IL-2 Sturmovik, Project Wingman.