ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE runs a linear campaign with no branching routes and no missable content, which is exactly the kind of structure that rewards players who know what to expect before they fly. The full campaign spans a Prologue and 30 numbered missions, putting total sorties at 31. A first playthrough takes roughly 15 to 20 hours, making it one of the longest campaigns in the series. Everything from medals to enemy Aces can be cleaned up after the credits roll, so there is no pressure to play perfectly on your first run.
How many missions are in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE?
Here's the short answer: 31 total sorties. The campaign opens with the Prologue, "Wings of Theve," set over the Straits of Adea on October 31, 2029, then runs through 30 numbered missions ending with Mission 30, "Song of Wings" (Operation Showdown) on April 1, 2030. There are no chapter breaks or route splits between the Prologue and the finale.
The campaign saves via autosave only. There are no manual save slots, so if you want to return to an earlier mission state, you will need to replay it through Free Mission after clearing the story.
Free Mission sortie select
All ACE COMBAT 8 missions in order
The table below covers every sortie in campaign sequence, with each mission's operation name and its medal condition. Eleven missions carry a unique medal tied to a specific in-mission objective. The remaining sorties show no medal requirement.
ace combat 8 mission medal screen completion overlay
What makes the campaign missions stand out?
The 30 numbered missions cover a wide range of objective types rather than running the same dogfight formula from start to finish. Escort operations, naval strikes, stealth sections, and large-scale superweapon encounters all appear across the campaign. The locations shift from San Salvacion's North Coast in Mission 01 to the Comona Space Base for Missions 18 and 21, with the Spring Sea, Selatapura, and the massive Megafloat Fatsia appearing in the second half.
Mission 14, "Two on the Run," deserves a separate mention. You fly an unarmed A-6 Intruder for the entire sortie and must navigate the map without triggering radar detection. There is no combat option here. The medal for this mission rewards completing the route without any radar contact, so plan your path around coverage zones rather than trying to rush through.
The campaign also tracks 83 enemy pilots across all sorties, 31 of whom are named Aces with specific spawn conditions. Named Aces only appear on Veteran difficulty or higher, and the kill only registers if you finish the mission after shooting them down.
How does Free Mission work after the campaign?
Free Mission unlocks once you clear the campaign on any difficulty. It removes most aircraft restrictions from the campaign, lets you set your own parts and SP weapon for each sortie, and allows you to replay any mission on any difficulty you have unlocked, including Ace difficulty once you finish the campaign on Elite.
The only exception remains Mission 14. The unarmed A-6 Intruder is locked in for that sortie in both the campaign and Free Mission, no matter what is in your hangar.
All aircraft, SP weapons, and parts purchased in the Aircraft Tree carry over into Free Mission and any subsequent campaign runs. Most story cinematics and briefings skip automatically on replay, though mid-mission cutscenes still require a manual skip.
Free Mission is where the bulk of post-campaign cleanup happens:
- Mission medals: 11 sorties have unique medals tied to specific objectives.
- Assault Records: 83 total enemy pilots tracked across all missions.
- Enemy Aces: 31 named pilots with Veteran-or-higher spawn requirements.
- S Ranks on Ace: Replay any mission you did not S-rank during your Ace difficulty run.
Nothing in the campaign is permanently missable. Every medal, Ace kill, and S Rank can be earned in Free Mission after the credits.
For a full breakdown of editions, Early Access timing, and pre-order bonuses before you start, check the ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE release date and start times guide.
What is the best mission to farm MRP?
Mission 28, "A Thousand Points of Light" (Operation Locust Purge), is the top pick for MRP farming. The sortie spawns a dense concentration of enemy aircraft over Cima Island, and the Cima Island airstrip lets you land, rearm, and return to the fight without ending the mission.
MRP funds every plane, SP weapon, and part in the Aircraft Tree, so efficient farming here accelerates your entire hangar progression. A full campaign run pays out 3 to 4 million MRP depending on performance, but targeted farming on Mission 28 pushes that total much faster.
How to farm MRP on Mission 28
The payout scales with difficulty:
- Casual: x0.8 multiplier (lowest payout)
- Standard through Veteran: Increasing multipliers
- Ace: x1.5 multiplier (highest payout, requires finishing campaign on Elite first)
The multiplier applies to both your destruction score and your time bonus.
To get the most out of each run:
- Start Mission 28 in Free Mission on the highest difficulty you have unlocked.
- Equip a multi-lock SP weapon such as the 4AAM or 6AAM to clear groups of aircraft efficiently.
- Target the slow bombers with gun kills to progress Marksman medals alongside MRP.
- Land at the Cima Island airstrip whenever missiles or SP weapons run dry, then take off and continue.
- Always finish the mission before exiting. MRP is only awarded on completion.
For more tips across every sortie, browse the full ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE strategy guides collection. If you enjoy this style of aerial combat, there is plenty more waiting in the broader shooter games genre.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to finish the ACE COMBAT 8 campaign? A first playthrough runs approximately 15 to 20 hours, depending on difficulty and how often you retry sorties.
Are there any missable missions or medals? No. Every medal, Assault Record, and S Rank can be earned or retried in Free Mission after the campaign ends.
Can you manually save progress? No. The game uses autosave only, with no manual save slots. Free Mission is the only way to return to a specific sortie after the campaign.
When do named Aces appear? Named Aces spawn on Veteran difficulty or higher. You must finish the mission after the kill for the Assault Record to register.
What aircraft is locked in Mission 14? The unarmed A-6 Intruder is always assigned for Mission 14, "Two on the Run," in both the campaign and Free Mission.