ACE COMBAT 8 Trophy Guide: All 56 Trophies and Platinum Roadmap

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE has 56 trophies, every single one of them offline. The Platinum, named Wings of Theve, demands two full campaign runs and a 25,000,000 MRP grind that will push your total time past 150 hours. Here's the short answer: beat the campaign on Elite to unlock Ace difficulty, S-Rank all 30 missions on Ace, collect every Assault Record, and spend your lifetime MRP buying out the entire Aircraft Tree.

How many trophies are in ACE COMBAT 8?

The full list breaks down to 1 Platinum, 2 Gold, 5 Silver, and 48 Bronze across PS5. Steam shares the same 55 achievements minus the Platinum. No online trophies are attached to Ace Combat Online, which means the Platinum stays earnable even if the servers go dark.

The most important numbers to keep in mind:

• 56 trophies total
• 0 missable trophies (Free Mission lets you replay everything after the campaign)
• 0 glitched trophies (though a few have hidden conditions that make them look broken)
• Minimum 2 playthroughs required
• 150+ hours to Platinum, driven almost entirely by the MRP grind
• Ace difficulty is locked until you finish one full campaign on Elite

Ace combat 8 mission debrief S-rank screen

Related guide·ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Complete Guide: S-Ranks, Loadouts & More

Master ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE with S-Rank strategies, best aircraft loadouts, boss fight tips, and everything you need before launch.

Full ACE COMBAT 8 trophy list

Challenge trophies

These five trophies decide how many campaign runs the Platinum actually takes. The two Gold trophies are the real time investment.

Story trophies

All 31 story trophies are Bronze and pop automatically when you clear each mission on any difficulty. The table below lists every mission name. Late entries contain story spoilers, so skip ahead if you want to stay fresh.

MRP and Aircraft Tree trophies

These seven trophies all unlock as a byproduct of spending your 25,000,000 MRP. Buy everything in the Aircraft Tree and they all pop along the way.

Combat trophies

Wingman trophies

Menu trophies

Four trophies that each take under two minutes. None require any skill, just knowing where to look.

Aircraft Tree purchase screen

What is the fastest Platinum roadmap?

The optimal route stacks trophies across the two required runs and saves the MRP grind for last. Every MRP you earn across every playthrough counts toward the lifetime total, so no run is ever wasted.

Step 1: Campaign on Elite, never skip a sequence

Finish all 30 missions plus the Prologue on Elite difficulty. This pops all 31 story Bronze trophies and the Silver Promised Land. More importantly, it unlocks Ace difficulty for your second run.

The mistake most players make here is holding the skip button out of habit during takeoffs, landings, and aerial refueling. By the Book tracks every single one of those sequences across the full campaign. Skip even one and you lose the trophy for that run. Let every sequence play out, and the Bronze pops automatically as you take off for Mission 30.

If Elite is genuinely too punishing early on, a lower-difficulty run first is not wasted time. You build MRP, unlock endgame planes, and still progress toward the 25 million total.

Step 2: Hunt Assault Records on Veteran or higher

Before your Ace run, go back through missions in Free Mission on Veteran or higher to trigger and shoot down named Aces. There are 31 of them across the 83 total Assault Records. The other 52 are Lux Lunae units that appear automatically during any normal campaign run.

Two rules apply here that catch a lot of players off guard:

• Named Aces never spawn below Veteran difficulty.
• You must complete the mission after shooting an Ace down. Quitting, failing, or restarting after the kill erases it from your records.

Spend MRP from this step on endgame aircraft, special weapons, and wingman planes so you go into the Ace run properly equipped.

Step 3: Campaign on Ace, S-Rank every mission

This step earns both The Ace (Silver) and Ace of Aces (Gold). Ace difficulty carries a x1.5 score multiplier versus x0.8 on Casual, so every mission you complete here also does double duty as MRP farming.

Free Mission is the better tool for chasing S-Ranks than replaying the full campaign. In Campaign Mode, some missions restrict you to carrier-capable aircraft or lock you into the same plane across a set of back-to-back sorties. Free Mission removes both restrictions: you pick any owned aircraft and configure your loadout fresh at the start of each mission. The only exception is Mission 14, which always puts you in the unarmed A-6 Intruder regardless of what you own.

Step 4: Farm Mission 28 and buy out the Aircraft Tree

After two full runs you will probably sit somewhere between 6 and 8 million MRP, leaving a significant gap to 25 million. The top farming mission is Mission 28, "A Thousand Points of Light." It has a high density of aircraft targets, and the Cima Island airstrip lets you rearm without limit. The slow bombers in this mission also make it the best spot to build machine-gun kill counts if you are chasing the Marksman medals.

Grind on Ace difficulty for the x1.5 multiplier. Once you hit 25 million lifetime, spend everything on the Aircraft Tree to pop Patron of the Parts and every purchase Bronze along the way.

How do you unlock Ace of Aces?

Ace of Aces requires an S-Rank in all 30 campaign missions on Ace difficulty. The grade is based on your score, which factors in targets destroyed, time bonus, and the difficulty multiplier. Prioritize high-value aircraft targets over ground units since aircraft consistently score more points. Leave mission objective targets (marked TGT) for last so you can keep racking up bonus kills before the mission ends.

Free Mission lets you retry individual missions without replaying the full campaign. After finishing your Ace run, check which missions fell short of S-Rank and replay only those.

How do you get the Like the Wind trophy?

This Bronze needs a post-stall maneuver performed in Campaign Mode, not in Free Flight. The aircraft must support post-stall capability. Verified planes include the F-22A, F-35C, MiG-29A, Su-33, Su-47, FA-36, and X-40.

The easiest method is the Kulbit:

1. Drop your speed below 500kph.
2. Release the throttle and let speed begin to recover.
3. Before you climb back above 500kph, hold L2 and R2 together and pull back hard on the left stick.
4. Once the nose starts lifting, release L2 and R2, then hold R2 to throttle up through the loop.
5. Keep the stick back until you return to level flight.

The same input in any aircraft without post-stall capability just produces a high-G turn and the trophy will not pop.

How do you get the Yes, Sir! and All Weapons Free trophies?

Both wingman trophies can pop in the same engagement. Target an easy enemy with Triangle, then issue three D-pad commands in sequence: Cover (down), Dispersed Atk (left), Forward Atk (up). Also press right to authorize special weapons use. When your wingman kills the target with a special weapon, both Yes, Sir! and All Weapons Free unlock at the same time.

Why are some trophies not unlocking?

No trophy in ACE COMBAT 8 is actually glitched, but four have hidden conditions that make them look broken.

Ace difficulty not appearing: Ace only unlocks after clearing every campaign mission on Elite. A Rookie, Pilot, or Veteran clear does not count, regardless of how well you performed.

By the Book not popping: One skipped takeoff, landing, or refueling sequence anywhere in the run voids the trophy. You need a completely clean campaign with no skipped sequences.

Assault Record not registering: Killing a named Ace does not save unless you complete the mission afterward. A restart, quit, or mission failure after the kill wipes it. Also confirm you are playing on Veteran or higher before replaying the mission.

Like the Wind not triggering: The maneuver must happen in Campaign Mode. Free Flight does not count. The aircraft must also be one that supports post-stall maneuvers.

Medals worth targeting for Meritorious Service

You only need 10 of the 29 medals, and several stack naturally during a normal two-playthrough run. The ones most likely to unlock without deliberate effort:

• Bronze Ace, Silver Ace, Gold Ace (destroy 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 enemy hostiles)
• Ship of Liberty (sink 100 enemy ships)
• Aegis Penetrator (destroy all ten Land Aegis ships in Mission 09)
• Rapid Dragon Slayer (destroy the Rapid Dragon before cruise missiles launch in Mission 12)
• Land Piscivore (destroy all land ships in Mission 23)
• Proud Shoulders (evacuate four or more LCACs in Mission 05)

Four difficulty S-Rank medals also pop automatically once you finish Ace of Aces, since each lower-difficulty medal specifies completion "or higher."

For more on what to expect before you start, check the ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE release date and editions guide to confirm which version you own and what Early Access content applies.

Quick reference: Platinum checklist

• Clear campaign on Elite (unlocks Ace difficulty, pops all 31 story trophies, Promised Land, By the Book if no sequences skipped)
• Complete all 83 Assault Records on Veteran or higher, finishing each mission after the kill
• Clear campaign on Ace with S-Rank on all 30 missions (The Ace, Ace of Aces)
• Farm Mission 28 on Ace until lifetime MRP reaches 25,000,000
• Buy every aircraft, weapon, and part in the Aircraft Tree (Patron of the Parts and all purchase Bronzes)
• Earn any 10 medals (Meritorious Service)
• Perform a post-stall maneuver in Campaign Mode in a capable aircraft (Like the Wind)
• Issue all three wingman commands and authorize special weapons in one engagement (Yes, Sir!, All Weapons Free)
• Visit Aircraft Viewer, Replay Viewer, Aircraft Sets skin menu, and complete one Training mission

For a broader look at everything the game offers, the full ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE strategy guides collection covers aircraft unlocks, mission walkthroughs, and more to support every step of the Platinum run. ACE COMBAT 8 sits among the more demanding entries in the shooter games genre for trophy hunters, but with zero missables and a clear farming path, the Platinum is entirely a matter of putting in the hours.