Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

As with its predecessor, Ace Combat 8 is a combat flight simulation game in which the player pilots a fighter jet to complete various objectives, ranging from dogfighting hostile aircraft and eliminating large superweapons to destroying ground and naval targets. At launch, the game features more than 30 aircraft for players to use. They are further divided into four categories, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.^[2] Players can select an aircraft and its loadout before each sortie. Unlike previous games in the franchise, players can now damage hostile planes by hitting them anywhere, without needing to target specific weak points.^[3] Destroyed aircraft may also damage other targets in the area.^[4] Similar to Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, players can also order squadron wingmen to attack enemies and use special weapons.

The player's combat performance, along with minor narrative decisions, affects the survival of non-player characters and their roles in specific story beats, though the overarching plot remains largely unchanged.^[5] In between missions, the player character is stationed on an aircraft carrier named the Endurance.^[6] For the first time in the franchise, the story of the game is told from a first-person perspective.^[7]

According to Bandai Namco, Ace Combat 8 will have the franchise's "largest online mode".^[8]

In 2021, producer Kazutoki Kono announced that Bandai Namco Entertainment and ILCA, one of the co-developers of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, had commenced the development of a new Ace Combat game.^[9] In 2022, a new studio named Bandai Namco Aces was formed with the sole objective of working on the next Ace Combat games, with Bandai Namco owning 51% of the new studio and ILCA owning the remaining 49%.^[10] After Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown introduced the franchise to a new audience, the team decided for Ace Combat 8 to remain accessible, with a comprehensive tutorial and various training modes for new players to learn its mechanics and systems.^[11] With Ace Combat 8 marking the 30th anniversary of the franchise, the game will also incorporate elements from previous Ace Combat games.^[12]

The game's development focused on three pillars: photorealistic sky rendering, aerial combat gameplay, and a heroic narrative theme.^[3] The team also visited air force bases and interviewed pilots to ensure the game's depiction of both fictional and real-life weapons was grounded and convincing.^[13] According to director Kazutoki Kono, the team aimed to capture the "exhilaration of flying freely through the sky" by introducing significantly bigger maps. It also no longer scaled down the size of real-world objects, utilizing a true 1:1 scale for all real-world assets.^[14] The team also introduces a new technology known as "Cloudly", which renders more reactive weather environments, allowing players to track visual signals such as contrails and enemy engine smoke to make tactical decisions.^[15] Story scenes are told through a first-person perspective, as the team learnt from their experience creating the virtual reality mode of Ace Combat 7 and felt that this perspective provided a more immersive and emotional experience.^[5]

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve was announced in December 2025 at The Game Awards.^[16] The game is set to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on October 2, 2026. Players who pre-ordered the game will receive an additional aircraft and a copy of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (2006).^[17] Players who purchased the Deluxe Edition of the game will receive the same benefits, as well as early access to the game starting from September 29.^[18]