Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Review

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the first new Ace Combat since 2019, made by Bandai Namco Aces in Unreal Engine 5 with music by Keiki Kobayashi and his team. It is set in 2029 in the series' invented world of Strangereal, during a war between the Federation of Central Usea and the Republic of Sotoa, and follows Rex, a Usean pilot made to step into the role of the Wings of Theve, a legendary ace whose exploits were invented as propaganda. It came out on October 2, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and sold more than a million copies in its first week, faster than any game in the series.

It is the best reviewed Ace Combat since the PlayStation 2 era: 88 on Metacritic on PS5 and Xbox and 86 on PC, with 99 percent of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. IGN called it the best aerial combat the series has ever had alongside some of its best mission design, the Guardian gave it five stars for fulfilling the Top Gun fantasy, Destructoid praised a surprisingly deep and philosophical story, and GamesRadar compared its plot to Metal Gear. The criticism was mild and specific: the handling of cutscenes, and parts of the online mode.

The flying and the missions built around it earn gameplay an S. The story about a manufactured hero is the most interesting the series has told in years, the skies and the aircraft look superb, and it is an A.