Quick answer
There is no single S-rank score for ACE COMBAT 8. PowerPyx says "The exact score requirement varies by mission". Each mission grades you on four things: completion time, enemy destruction, bonus targets and mission-specific objectives.[1]
We found no official or bylined per-mission S-rank threshold table as of October 1, 2026, so we do not list scores.
The best confirmed sources of bonus points are:
- Enemy Aces, at "around 2000 points each"
- A no-damage bonus of 5,000 points[1]
Getting an S rank on all 30 missions on Ace difficulty unlocks the Gold trophy Ace of Aces.[2]
What feeds your score
| Factor | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Completion time | Graded. Timed missions "will almost always give you a time bonus for swift completion".[1] |
| Enemy destruction | Graded. In Destruction missions you must reach a set score, so build a buffer on high-value targets (mostly aircraft) before you finish the mission targets.[1] |
| Bonus targets (enemy Aces) | About 2,000 points per Ace kill[1] |
| No damage taken | Damage Taken Bonus of 5,000 points[1] |
| Dying and restarting a checkpoint | Costs points in the evaluation. It does not always rule out an S rank, but makes one much harder.[1] |
| Mission-specific objectives | Graded, but the details vary by mission[1] |
PowerPyx's advice: if a run is already below S-rank pace after a big mistake, restart the mission rather than the checkpoint.[1]
Bonus Aces by mission (Veteran difficulty or higher)
Conditional enemy Aces only spawn on Veteran or higher. A kill only counts if you finish the mission afterward.[3] On Ace difficulty, every Ace below can appear.
| No. | Mission | Bonus Ace (aircraft) | How to make it appear | Time-limited trigger? | Mission medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Jokers Wild | Gigas (Mirage 2000-5) | Destroy all non-TGT enemy aircraft | No | None |
| 02 | Nomad | Crematio (A-6E Intruder) | 4+ enemy aircraft down | Yes: first 3 min | None |
| 03 | Purple Magic Takes Flight | Raia (F/A-18C Hornet) | Destroy all bombers before they get near White Valley Base | No | None |
| 04 | The Fall of the Numbered Fleets | Auster (Gripen E) | Fly into the tunnel | No | Tunnel Specter |
| 05 | Retaking of Theve | Not yet listed | All LCACs survive | No | Proud Shoulders |
| 06 | Attack on the Drinwich Airfield | Flamma (MiG-31B Foxhound) | 5+ TGTs destroyed | Yes: first 3 min | None |
| 07 | A Lifeline in the Desert | Orcus (EA-6B Prowler) | Destroy the Land Aegis by chain reaction | No | None |
| 08 | Retaking of Theve II | Tessera (MiG-21bis Fishbed) | Destroy all non-TGT surface weapons | No | None |
| 09 | The Land Battleship Blockade | Judex (MiG-29A Fulcrum) | Break the secondary tread armor before the second slowdown line | No | Aegis Penetrator |
| 10 | Over the Rainband | Vorago (F-15C Eagle) | Destroy an airship soon after laser targeting starts | Yes: 70 s | None |
| 11 | Maximum Payload | Larus (F-14D Super Tomcat) | Eliminate all Shadows before the Podarge | No | None |
| 12 | An Island in Darkness | Imber (F/A-18F Super Hornet) | Destroy all LCACs | Yes: 3 min from takeoff | Rapid Dragon Slayer |
| 13 | The People of the Lost Country | Sicarius (Su-47 Berkut) | 5+ radar towers down before the transport lands | No | None |
| 14 | Two on the Run | None listed | — | — | Avoid all radar detection |
| 15 | Wings of Wax | Not yet listed | Destroy 1 Ladon, kill the Ace before the 2nd Ladon | No | None |
| 16 | Singer | Currus (F-16C Fighting Falcon) | UAVs are launched | No | None |
| 17 | Land Battleship No. 3 | Not yet listed | All TGTs down before the B-1B reaches halfway | No | Joker Flight only |
| 18 | Moonlight and Shadows | Curis (F-15J Eagle) | Destroy Shadow 24 | No | None |
| 19 | Clearing the Lighthouse | Aleator (F/A-18E Super Hornet) | Destroy all Su-47s | No | None |
| 20 | Escort Orbiter | Periodus (Su-35S Flanker-E) | Destroy at least 1 B-2 | No | None |
| 21 | The Star-Bound Bird | Alienus (EA-18G Growler) | Sink all enemy ships | No | No damage to escort |
| 22 | Pursuing the HSCA | Caligo (Rafale M) | Get close to the Celaeno unspotted | No | None |
| 23 | The Destruction of Expo City | Milvus (A-10C) and Cantrix (FA-36) | Destroy all Lux Lunae ace units | Yes: 3 min from their arrival | Land Piscivore |
| 24 | The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1 | Not yet listed | All LCACs reach land | No | None |
| 25 | The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Cinis (F-15E) and Silacrum (EA-36) | Cinis: destroy the land destroyers and Land Aegis. Silacrum: fly between the floating Podarges and the sea | No | Specific enemy forces |
| 26 | Crossing Fleets | Lucidius (F-2A) | Destroy all enemy surface units on Cima Island | No | None |
| 27 | Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress | Stiria (Typhoon) | Fly through gaps in the Megafloat spokes | No | Chain reaction |
| 28 | A Thousand Points of Light | Harmonius (F-35C) | 5 bombers destroyed | Yes: first 5 min | None |
| 29 | Selene | Prudens (Su-57 Felon) | Fly under an urban highway bridge | No | None |
| 30 | Song of Wings | Tegimen (F-22A Raptor) | 3+ swarm missile dispensers destroyed before release | No | Escort threats |
The Ace, aircraft and trigger columns are summarized from PowerPyx's Assault Records list, checked mission by mission.[4] The medal column comes from KeenGamer's mission list.[3] Names marked "Not yet listed" show as "?" on PowerPyx as of October 1, 2026.[4]
Our count:
- The table has 31 bonus Aces, matching the 31 conditional Aces both sources describe.[3][4]
- 29 of the 30 numbered missions have at least one. Mission 14 has none listed.
- Missions 23 and 25 each have two. At ~2,000 points per kill, that is about 4,000 bonus points on the table.
- Six missions have a time-limited trigger: 02, 06, 10, 12, 23 and 28. Plan your opening route around it.
Our calculation: on a single mission, the confirmed extras add up to roughly 7,000 points: one Ace (~2,000) plus the no-damage bonus (5,000). Missions 23 and 25 can reach about 9,000. These are bonus points only. Without the per-mission threshold, we cannot say how much of an S rank they cover.
Route to Ace of Aces
- Clear the campaign on Elite. This unlocks Ace difficulty, and the first clear unlocks Free Mission.[3][5] See Ace difficulty unlock.
- Earn the S ranks on Ace. PowerPyx says you can do this in a full campaign replay or one mission at a time in Free Mission. Finishing a whole campaign on Ace also earns the separate trophy The Ace.[5]
- Clean up in Free Mission. Replay any mission below S. Free Mission lets you pick any owned aircraft, parts and special weapon per sortie. The exception is Mission 14, which is always the unarmed A-6.[3][5]
- Pick the plane per mission. PowerPyx's default is the X-40 with UAVT. For clustered ground targets, it says to switch to area-effect air-to-ground weapons.[1] See X-40 Nightmare and best planes.
S-ranking every mission also earns medals. There are separate medals for S-ranking all missions on Pilot, Veteran and Elite "or higher", plus one for Ace. So one Ace S-rank sweep counts for all four.[5]
Sources & References
- PowerPyx: Ace Combat 8 All Ace S-Ranks Walkthrough (Oct 1, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- KeenGamer: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE – All Trophies List and Platinum Roadmap ↩
- KeenGamer: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE – All Missions List (Rafly Wibowo, Sep 29, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- PowerPyx: Ace Combat 8 All Assault Records & Enemy Aces (Sep 29, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- PowerPyx: Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve Trophy Guide & Roadmap ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4
