Quick answer
Ace Combat 8 keeps Ace Combat 7's arcade flying. Creative Bloq's Ian Dean lists "You played it before in AC7" as a minus.[1] What changed is mostly around that core:
- Bigger campaign: 30 missions against Ace Combat 7's 20.[2][3] TechRadar's reviewer calls it "significantly longer than Ace Combat 7".[2]
- More planes: 32 base-game aircraft (34 with two bonus jets), against 28 for Ace Combat 7 at launch.[4][5]
- Online co-op: Ace Combat 7 launched with Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch.[5] Ace Combat 8 adds co-op PvE modes and a lobby that holds 100 players.[6]
- Squad commands and first-person story scenes are new selling points in Bandai Namco's material.[7][8]
- No VR: Ace Combat 7 had a separate PS VR mode on PS4. The team decided not to make a VR mode for Ace Combat 8.[9][10]
Ace Combat 7 vs 8, feature by feature
Not covered means none of the sources we checked give a figure for that game.
| Feature | Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown | Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign missions | 20[3] | 30 numbered missions[2] (31 sorties with the Prologue; see the missions list) | Our calculation: 30 − 20 = +10, or 30 ÷ 20 = 1.5× |
| Campaign length | Not covered | About 18 hours for one reviewer's run of all 30 missions[2] | TechRadar says Ace Combat 8 is significantly longer.[2] Our calculation: 18 h × 60 ÷ 30 = about 36 minutes per mission in that run. |
| Playable aircraft at launch | 28, plus one in the Deluxe Edition and one as a pre-order bonus[5] | 32 base-game aircraft. The F-14A (pre-order) and ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- (Season 1 Premium Ace Pass) make 34.[4] | Our calculation: base game 32 − 28 = +4 (4 ÷ 28 = 14% more). With bonus planes, 28 + 2 = 30 vs 34. |
| Aircraft roles | Not covered | Fighter 11, Multirole 12, Attacker 6, Electronic Warfare 3 (KeenGamer)[4] | Our calculation: 11 + 12 + 6 + 3 = 32, which matches the base-game total |
| Wingman orders | Not covered | Your squad can focus on one target, split up, cover you, or use its special weapons[7] | Creative Bloq says the squadron commands lack depth.[1] |
| Story presentation | Not covered | First-person cinematic sequences[8]. TheSixthAxis calls the first-person viewpoint new.[11] | — |
| Engine and sky tech | Not covered | Unreal Engine 5, plus Project Aces' in-house cloud technology, Cloudly[10] | — |
| VR | PS4 only: a separate single-player PS VR mode, apart from the main campaign,[9] with three missions[3] | No VR mode. Brand director Kazutoki Kono says the team considered one but "decided not to pursue it".[10] | VR removed |
| Online modes at launch | Deathmatch (free-for-all) and Team Deathmatch, up to 8 players[5] | Co-Op Assault (PvE), Co-Op Warfare (PvP with AI units), Scramble and Emergency Sortie special missions, limited-time 4v4 and 8-player deathmatch events, and a 100-player Air Base lobby[6] | Largest match: 8 players in both games.[5][6] |
| Paid post-launch content | Season Pass: playable aircraft and extra special missions[12] | Premium Ace Pass: playable aircraft, cosmetic items and aircraft upgrade items[12] | Bandai Namco's own comparison[12] |
| Metacritic | 86 (cited by GamesRadar+)[13] | PS5: 87 on Sep 25, 2026[13] and 88 as of Oct 2, 2026[14] | Our calculation: +1 to +2 points |
GamesRadar+ notes that Ace Combat 8's score puts it tied for second in the series. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is still higher at 89.[13] Scores by platform, and Steam user reviews, are on our review roundup.
What actually feels different
- Same core flying. Creative Bloq's verdict is that Ace Combat 8 does not reinvent the series. It polishes the formula in Unreal Engine 5 instead.[1]
- The skies do more. Kono told GamesRadar+ that Cloudly builds multi-layered clouds that help you judge your altitude. Contrails also have a job in play: you can follow one to find an enemy pilot.[10]
- Story told from the cockpit. Bandai Namco says first-person cinematic sequences bring players "closer to the action".[8] TheSixthAxis found the story clearer and better told than earlier entries.[11] Critics split on whether the longer story works. TechRadar says it drags, and GamesRadar+ calls it surprisingly good.[2][15]
- Online is the biggest change. The multiplayer guide covers every mode, team sizes and crossplay.
- More planes. The full list with unlock costs is on the aircraft tree.
Ace Combat 8 vs War Thunder and DCS
Ace Combat 8 is not a simulator. TheSixthAxis's Dom Leighton put it this way in his June 2026 preview: "Ace Combat is an arcade experience." He describes War Thunder and Microsoft Flight Simulator as serving more serious parts of the flight-game market, with Ace Combat as the Top Gun-style, thrill-driven option.[11] This is a reviewer's comparison of feel. It does not compare flight models or weapon data.
DCS: we found no bylined English article that we could check directly comparing Ace Combat 8 with DCS World, so we make no claim about it.
If you fly with a stick, see HOTAS and flight stick support for what Ace Combat 8 supports.
Not confirmed yet
- Ace Combat 7's total aircraft count with all its DLC (we only use the 28 at launch)
- A source-backed Ace Combat 7 campaign length to set against Ace Combat 8's
- Whether Ace Combat 7 had the same wingman command options. None of our sources compare the two directly.
Sources & References
- Creative Bloq: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review – bigger skies, more drama, same old rhythm (Ian Dean, Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- TechRadar: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review (Joe Chivers, Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- CGMagazine: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4) Review (Preston Dozsa, Jan 18, 2019) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- KeenGamer: All Aircraft in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE and How to Unlock Them (Rafly Wibowo, Oct 2, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- Bandai Namco Europe: ACE COMBAT 7: Skies Unknown multiplayer details unveiled in new trailer (Jan 10, 2019) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Bandai Namco Europe: ACE COMBAT ONLINE Multiplayer Mode FAQ (PvP, Co-op, and More) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- Bandai Namco Entertainment America: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Game Overview (Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2
- Bandai Namco Entertainment America: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Takes Flight Today (Sep 29, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- PlayStation Blog: A closer look at Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's PS VR modes (Dmitryi Khlynin, Jan 15, 2019) ↩ 1, 2
- GamesRadar+: Ace Combat 8 won't support virtual reality (Josh West, interview with Kazutoki Kono, Jan 5, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4
- TheSixthAxis: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Preview – Will it take your breath away? (Dom Leighton, Jun 4, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- Bandai Namco Europe: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE official page (FAQ for Premium Ace Pass) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- GamesRadar+: Ace Combat 8 is one of the best-rated games of the year and a close second within the series (Scott McCrae, Sep 25, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3
- Metacritic: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (read Oct 2, 2026) ↩
- GamesRadar+: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve review (Scott McCrae, Sep 25, 2026) ↩