Quick answer
The minimum PC for Ace Combat 8 is Windows 11, an Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 (6 GB) or RX 6600 XT (8 GB). The game also requires an SSD, a graphics card with hardware ray tracing, and DirectX 12 with Shader Model 6.6 or higher.[1] That minimum targets 1080p with upscaling at 30 fps on Low settings.[1]
Storage is the one number official sources disagree on. Steam asks for 150 GB, while Bandai Namco's own US site and European store list 125 GB.[1][2][3]
Minimum and recommended specs (Windows)
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 11 (64-bit) | Windows 11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X | Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| RAM | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 2060 (6 GB) / Radeon RX 6600 XT (8 GB) | GeForce RTX 3070 (8 GB) / Radeon RX 6800 (16 GB) |
| DirectX | 12 | 12 |
| Storage (Steam) | 150 GB | 150 GB |
| Official target | 1920×1080 upscaled, 30 fps, "Low" | 1920×1080 upscaled, 60 fps, "MEDIUM" |
Both tiers carry the same note: an SSD, a hardware ray tracing GPU and DirectX 12 with Shader Model 6.6 are required. Steam also warns that the "Framerate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes."[1] The Steam store lists Windows only, with no Mac or Linux version.[1]
Storage: 150 GB or 125 GB?
| Source | Storage line |
|---|---|
| Steam store page | "150 GB available space" (minimum and recommended)[1] |
| Bandai Namco US official game page | "125 GB of free space" (recommended specs)[2] |
| Bandai Namco Europe store, PC Standard Edition | "125 GB available space" (minimum)[3] |
Neither page explains the difference, and we found no official figure for the actual download or install size. Separately, the developer's crash notice recommends keeping 16 GB or more free on the SSD where the game is installed.[4]
Our calculation: to cover the listed figure plus that 16 GB of headroom, you need 150 + 16 = 166 GB free under the Steam figure, or 125 + 16 = 141 GB under the Bandai Namco figure.
What real tests show: GPU tier for 60 fps
GameGPU (Maxim Boldson, Sep 26) benchmarked graphics cards from the RTX 3060 to the RTX 5090. All tests used maximum settings at native resolution, with no upscaling.[5] That is much heavier than the official Low and Medium targets with upscaling, so read the two columns as different conditions.
| Resolution | Official target (upscaled) | GameGPU: lowest tier for a 60 fps average (native, max settings) |
|---|---|---|
| 1920×1080 | RTX 3070 / RX 6800 for 60 fps on Medium[1] | GeForce RTX 4070 or Radeon RX 6900 XT[5] |
| 2560×1440 | Not given | GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or Radeon RX 7900 XTX[5] |
| 3840×2160 | Not given | GeForce RTX 5090[5] |
GameGPU also measured 7 to 12 GB of video memory in use, depending on resolution and card, and 28 to 30 GB of total system RAM in use.[5] That is close to the official 32 GB recommendation. In GameGPU's 1080p processor test, even the AMD Ryzen 3 5300 and Intel Core i3-10100 appear in the list of processors for at least 60 fps.[5]
PC Gamer's reviewer (Nova Wright, Sep 25) played on a Radeon RX 6600, Ryzen 7 7700X and 32 GB of DDR5. The reviewer reports "mostly stable performance at 1440p", with occasional hitching in first-person cutscenes and frame rates sometimes dipping under 60.[6]
Graphics options and best settings
Respec (Sep 25) lists the PC options. You can set resolution from 720p up to 4K, plus v-sync, a frame rate limit (with 144 fps support), bloom, motion blur and HDR.[7] The advanced menu has presets plus these individual settings:[7]
- upscaling type (such as DLSS and TSR) and upscaling quality
- model quality, shadows, textures and effects
- cloud quality, post-processing, reflection quality and global illumination quality
Respec also notes that the game compiles shaders on first boot.[7]
Starting points we can source:
| Your PC | Start with | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Near the minimum spec | Low preset, 1080p, upscaling on (official 30 fps target) | Steam requirements[1] |
| Near the recommended spec | Medium preset, 1080p, upscaling on (official 60 fps target) | Steam requirements[1] |
| MSI Claw 7 AI+ class handheld | All Low, 1080p, TSR Ultra Performance (about 30 fps in Respec's test) | Respec[7] |
We found no sourced test that measures how much each setting costs in fps, so we do not rank them.
FOV: PC Gamer's review mentions "the lack of an FOV slider".[6]
Frame generation, "DLSS 5" and a ray tracing toggle: unconfirmed. The sourced menu list includes DLSS and TSR upscaling but no frame generation option and no ray tracing on/off setting.[7] Hardware ray tracing support is required to run the game at all.[1]
Steam Deck, Steam Machine and Linux
- Steam Deck: on October 1, 2026, Valve's own compatibility report for the game returned the result code "SteamOSDoesNotSupport" for Steam Deck, and the same result for SteamOS and Steam Machine.[8] In Respec's test on a Steam Deck OLED, the game started and let you change settings, but crashed in the campaign and the tutorial on SteamOS 3.8.28, across several Proton versions.[7]
- Linux: there is no native Linux version.[1] Respec says the game's anti-cheat did not block it from starting on Linux, but it could not test online play before launch.[7]
- Engine: Unreal Engine 5, per Bandai Namco.[9]
If the game crashes on a PC that meets the specs, see Error 01 and crash fixes. Flight stick users should also read HOTAS and flight stick support.
Sources & References
- ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE on Steam (system requirements section) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
- Bandai Namco Entertainment America: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE official site (System Requirements) ↩ 1, 2
- Bandai Namco Store (Europe): ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Standard Edition, PC Download ↩ 1, 2
- ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE on Steam: "Product Notice" (Sep 29, 2026) ↩
- Maxim Boldson, GameGPU: "Ace Combat 8: Benchmarks of Graphics Cards and Processors" (Sep 26, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Nova Wright, PC Gamer: "Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review" (Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2
- Mikhail Madnani and James Galizio, Respec: "Ace Combat 8 is too heavy for Steam Deck and ROG Ally, but there is hope for OneXPlayer3 and MSI Claw" (Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- Valve: Steam Deck compatibility report for app 2288340 (Steam store data, checked Oct 1, 2026) ↩
- Bandai Namco Entertainment America: "ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Takes Flight Today" ↩