ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is out now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and it's the most ambitious entry the series has produced. You play as REX, an unknown pilot forced to assume the identity of a fallen legend, leading Joker Flight through a desperate war across the fictional world of Strangereal. The campaign spans 30 missions, the multiplayer supports 100-player lobbies with full cross-play, and the S-Rank grind is genuinely punishing if you go in blind. Here's everything you need to know.
What editions are available and which should you buy?
Edition contents at a glance
There are four editions to choose from, and the differences matter depending on your platform and how deep you want to go.
The Standard Edition gets you the full game. Pre-ordering before October 2 adds the playable F-14A aircraft and a ported copy of ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR (the 2006 original, not a remaster).
The Deluxe Edition stacks on the Customizable Cosmetic Set (Tasha Costume Set for the lobby, F-4E "MOBIUS SQUADRON" Skin, F/A-18 C "TEAM ZVEZDA" Skin, and Scarlet missile smoke) plus a Premium ACE Pass Plus voucher that unlocks the premium rewards track and instantly grants 30 levels. It also unlocks the 3-day early access period starting September 29, 2026.
The Joker Flight Pack and Premium Joker Flight Pack are PC-exclusive and only available through the Bandai Namco Official Store. The Joker Flight Pack adds a two-disc vinyl LP set in a gatefold sleeve, and the 208-page hardbound artbook "ACES at WAR A History 2029." The Premium version goes further with an exclusive 7 cm woven military patch and a 300 x 900 mm XXL CV-15 Aircraft Carrier Endurance Schematic LED Gaming Mousepad with RGB backlighting.
For a full breakdown of start times and early access details, check the ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE release date guide.
Who are the characters in Joker Flight?
The story kicks off with the death of Jan Cope, the original Wings of Theve, during a routine patrol that turns into an ambush. You were his navigator. You survive. He doesn't. Because Cope was a symbol of hope for the FCU military and civilian population, you're handed his flight identity and call sign.
As Joker 1 "Rex", you lead a tight four-pilot squadron:
- Joker 2 "Professor" (Ellington Baxter) — calm, methodical, the teacher of the group.
- Joker 3 "Tasha" (Tasha Severskaya) — a Yuktobanian aerobatic star who was on a photo shoot aboard the carrier Endurance when the war broke out and chose to stay and fight.
- Joker 4 "Noise" (William Coster) — hard rock enthusiast, capable wingman, the squad's reliable backup.
Wingman commands return from ACE COMBAT 5: SQUADRON LEADER, letting you direct Joker Flight mid-mission with quick D-Pad inputs. These aren't cosmetic. Coordinating your squad properly is the difference between clean mission clears and chaotic last-minute saves.
How do you get S-Rank on campaign missions?
Here's the short answer: hit the minimum score threshold while finishing under roughly 60% of the mission's allotted time. Both conditions have to be met simultaneously. A perfect score that runs over time still drops you to a B.
The scoring algorithm applies difficulty multipliers directly to your point totals. Hard mode runs a 1.2x multiplier; Ace difficulty pushes that to 1.5x. This is why grinding S-Ranks on Ace difficulty is the most efficient path, even though it's the hardest.
Target priority for maximum points
The mistake most players make is treating every target equally. They're not. Radar installations, SAM sites, and high-value drone escorts are worth far more than clusters of anti-air guns or stationary ground vehicles. Spending 90 seconds hunting down every tank on the map is a guaranteed B-Rank because the time penalty destroys your bonus before you even tally the score.
Named aces are the biggest point injections in the game, but they only spawn under specific hidden conditions. In many mid-to-late missions, destroying all radar installations within the first three minutes of a sortie is what triggers their appearance. Taking one down offsets almost any minor time penalty you've accumulated during the dogfight.
The campaign has 30 missions total. Completing all 30 with S-Ranks on Ace difficulty earns the gold trophy Ace of Aces, which requires you to first complete the campaign on Elite difficulty to unlock Ace difficulty. Free Mission mode unlocks after your first campaign clear, letting you replay any mission individually at any unlocked difficulty.
Understanding the MRP grind
Military Results Points (MRP) are the campaign's currency for unlocking aircraft, special weapons, and parts from the Aircraft Tree. Earning 25,000,000 MRP total is required to unlock everything and is the single biggest time investment in the game (estimated at 150+ hours for platinum). A full campaign playthrough on Ace difficulty yields roughly 3 to 4 million MRP depending on performance. Mission 28 "A Thousand Points of Light" is the highest-yield individual mission for grinding, thanks to its density of aircraft targets and the ability to reload at the Cima Island airstrip repeatedly.
What are the best aircraft loadouts for the campaign?
Multi-role fighters outperform pure interceptors for the majority of the campaign. Missions frequently shift objectives mid-sortie, dropping you from a high-altitude dogfight directly into a dense ground-attack phase. A pure air-superiority fighter has no answer for a fortified naval fleet.
For players going in without mission foreknowledge, the F-35C Lightning II or Rafale M are strong choices. Their ability to equip Long-Range Air-to-Ground Missiles (LAGM) lets you neutralize anti-air emplacements from outside their engagement range, keeping your hull clean for boss encounters.
The F-16C Fighting Falcon is widely considered the best starting aircraft. Its balance of speed and maneuverability, combined with a versatile 4AAM loadout, handles early drone swarms and basic ground targets without forcing you to specialize too early.
How do you manage special weapon ammunition?
SP ammo management is the most important logistical skill in the game. Standard heat-seekers handle basic drones and helicopters. Save your high-damage SP weapons for named aces, dreadnought subsystems, and heavily armored cruisers. Running dry on SP mid-mission when a surprise dreadnought phase triggers is how players get stuck.
Standard missiles track noticeably better when fired from directly above the target's flight vector, which lets you secure kills on softer targets without burning through multi-lock munitions. Check your hardpoint configuration before every sortie and match your SP weapon to the mission's primary threat type.
During extended sorties, flying past the dotted return line on your tactical radar initiates a mid-air refueling or landing sequence that fully restocks your ammunition and repairs hull damage. Don't ignore this option on longer missions.
How do flight controls work in ACE COMBAT 8?
The game runs on a hybrid arcade-simulation model. Managing your aircraft's kinetic energy matters as much as aiming. The expert control scheme is recommended for S-Rank runs because it allows independent roll and pitch inputs that the standard scheme doesn't support.
How do you execute High-G turns?
Cut engine throttle and pitch hard into the turn simultaneously. This tightens your turning radius enough to outmaneuver incoming missiles or flip your nose onto an aggressive ace. The tradeoff is rapid airspeed bleed, so you need to secure the kill quickly or you become a slow target.
Specific aircraft support post-stall maneuvers, including the F-22A, F-35C, MiG-29A, Su-33, Su-47, FA-36, and X-40. The Kulbit and Cobra maneuvers are both executable at speeds below 500 kph. These aren't just trophy fodder; they're legitimate tools for breaking a missile lock in a tight dogfight.
Reading the HUD and radar
The Target Designator (TD) shapes tell you everything at a glance. Square TDs mark air targets; hexagonal TDs mark ground targets. When a TD turns dotted, you've lost line of sight. When the missile diamond turns dotted, your missiles are still reloading.
On the radar, target color indicates value. White blips are low-value. The deeper red a target reads, the more points it's worth. Named aces always appear as deep red. Aircraft are arrowhead-shaped on radar; land targets are squares; incoming missiles appear as long curving lines.
Leave mission-critical TGT objectives for last. Destroying the final TGT often ends the scoring window immediately, so you want every other high-value target cleared before you pull that trigger.
How does ACE COMBAT ONLINE work?
ACE COMBAT ONLINE is a fully separate system from Campaign Mode, with its own save data and progression. It supports 100-player lobbies with complete cross-platform play across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, making it the largest multiplayer mode in the series' history.
The two core modes are Co-Op Assault (teams of 2-4 in PvE missions scored on collective performance) and Co-Op Warfare (two teams of four in a PvPvE conflict where NPC units add to the stakes). Limited-time modes include Scrambles (4 players vs. a powerful NPC squad) and Emergency Sorties (8 players taking on iconic superweapons from previous ACE COMBAT games). Special PvP events like 4v4 deathmatch and 8-player free-for-alls rotate in periodically with aircraft restrictions to keep the format varied.
The lobby itself functions as a persistent social space with a Bandai Namco arcade museum, jukebox, and training mode built in. Every two months, a new ACE PASS season adds two reward tracks: a free track and the Premium ACE PASS track. The Premium ACE Pass Plus voucher included with Deluxe and Joker Flight Pack editions unlocks the premium track and instantly grants 30 levels when redeemed.
Common mistakes that kill your S-Rank runs
The two biggest killers are poor target prioritization and SP ammo starvation, and they're usually connected. Players who chase every low-value target on the map burn time and SP simultaneously, then hit a boss phase with nothing left.
Escort missions punish distraction harder than anything else. If you spend too long chasing a single fighter at the edge of the map, a secondary bomber wave slips through to your VIP. Stay within range of your escort, intercept anything that approaches it, and treat the mission objective as the center of your operational zone rather than a destination you'll reach eventually.
For boss encounters with aerial dreadnoughts, strip the CIWS defenses and anti-air artillery before targeting the main hull. Flying directly behind a dreadnought's main engine exhaust causes severe hull damage and can stall your aircraft. Attack subsystems during brief vulnerability windows using Pulse Lasers (PLSL) for sustained damage without relying on missile lock-on times, then break off before the retaliatory swarm arrives.
For more strategies, builds, and tips across the full game, browse the ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE strategy guides collection.
FAQ
How many missions are in the campaign? The campaign has 30 mainline missions. Completing the game on Elite difficulty unlocks Ace difficulty, and Free Mission mode opens after your first clear.
Can you play the campaign in co-op? No. The campaign is strictly single-player. Co-op content lives entirely within ACE COMBAT ONLINE as separate raid and assault missions.
Is ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR a remaster? No. The version included as a pre-order bonus is a ported version of the 2006 original that runs on current hardware. No visual or gameplay updates.
What's the best mission for grinding MRP? Mission 28 "A Thousand Points of Light" is the highest-yield option. High aircraft density, access to slow bomber targets for machine gun kills, and a reloadable airstrip at Cima Island make it the go-to for late-game MRP grinding.
Do named aces appear on every difficulty? Named aces only spawn on Veteran difficulty and above. Completing the mission after shooting one down is required for the kill to count toward your Assault Records.
If you're exploring more shooter games with deep progression systems and ranked campaign modes, ACE COMBAT 8 sits at the top of the genre right now.