Ace Combat 8: Wings Of Theve review – highway to the danger zone

Gaming’s longest running combat flight simulator series is better than ever, in this highly accessible and excitingly unique new action game.

Video games have seen a general decrease in velocity, over the last generation or two, that is very difficult to understand. We’re not talking about Sonic going fast (making bad games is a very easy to explain reason) but the fact that vehicle-based games, or really anything that is relentlessly fast-paced, has become an increasingly niche affair in terms of casual gamer preferences.

Perhaps it’s the worry that such games require more skill to play, that is putting people off, but where once driving games were one of the most ubiquitous genres, they’ve now become a rarity. Flight sims were always uncommon, though, so it’s been easy for Ace Combat to dominate the field, on consoles at least, since the days of the original PlayStation.

2019’s Ace Combat 7 sold around 8 million copies, so it is a very popular series. While the simulation description (which publisher Bandai Namco is careful never to use) may be intimidating to some, controlling the game is perfectly straightforward and certainly no more complicated than, say, Gran Turismo. And it’s definitely easier to pilot its jets than the ones in Battlefield or Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Rather than the controls, the biggest barrier to entry is the franchise’s bizarre mythology, set in a world named Strangereal, so the developers avoid having to use real-world locations and countries. Much of the aircraft and equipment is real, from F-16s to MiGs, but because it’s not set in our world there’s also the freedom to invent various sci-fi weaponry. Although things never get too outrageous until near the end of each game.

The story this time revolves around an invasion of your homeland, as the aircraft carrier you’re stationed on becomes the centre of the resistance. Except you get talked into pretending you’re a legendary fighter ace, who gets killed at the beginning of the game. It gets a lot weirder than that as the plot continues (the previous owner of the name ends up as a ghost that’s constantly talking to you in your head) but the game does dabble with interesting subjects, most obviously the use of propaganda and white lies, even if it never explores them in any real depth.

Whatever issues you might have with the story and its anime sensibilities, the game’s action is sublime. The fighter jets are all very easy to control, with plenty of what are essentially driving aids to turn on or off, depending on how confident you feel. As fans of the genre, we usually opted for the first person view but you can play the whole thing from third person, which looks amazing. And while a real jet can only carry a few missiles, even the normal difficulty gives you an implausible, but satisfying, number to play with.

Air-to-air missiles use a lock-on which takes a few seconds to achieve, but it’s not a guaranteed hit and enemies will often avoid anything aimed straight at them, via countermeasures and emergency manoeuvres. You can do the same though, with the game making it relatively easy to avoid normal missiles, as long as you don’t leave it to the last second.

You can approach Ace Combat 8 like a straight arcade game or increase the realism in terms of both the controls and the physical limitations of a real aircraft. If you’re opting for the former, all you have to do is avoid the ground and you can treat it almost like a straight shooter. Just one in which you have the freedom to take on objectives in whatever order, and using whatever weapons, make most sense to you.

This has always been one of our favourite elements of the genre, with each mission turning into a sandbox where you formulate your own plan and order about wingmen to your advantage. Some missions are more regulated than others, such as the complex, multi-step plan to take down a massive land battleship, but plenty of others have you roaming about at will – the game unconcerned with how and when you achieve the various objectives.

The best missions are often those at high altitude, where you get to take full advantage of the amazing cloud graphics. As we learnt when we interviewed the developers, they created a dedicated graphics engine called Cloudy, to use on top of Unreal Engine. The effect doesn’t just look good but adds greatly to the gameplay, as you search desperately for enemy bombers in the clouds or play cat and mouse with enemy fighters, ideally tricking them into flying through a deadly storm cloud.

Not only are the graphics great, with no need for Microsoft Fight Simulator’s reliance on streaming, but the music is fantastic too. It may seem surprising, but this is something Ace Combat is renowned for, with a fantastic mix of orchestral themes and Top Gun-esque rock music. This time, the game leans into its unexpected forte, with a friendly squadron that are also a famous rock band and a team of arch enemies that have their own intro music.

Although primarily a single-player game, Ace Combat 8 features the most extensive set of multiplayer options the series has ever seen. We couldn’t test these against ordinary players pre-launch, but we’re very interested to see if they become popular. There’s every chance, as the variety of planes and all the different loadouts, weapons, and cockpit art does lend itself well to multiplayer rewards.

There’re both competitive and co-operative matches available, involving teams of up to four players, with the latter setting out different objectives for you to try and complete together. There’s also time limited modes planned, some of which involve boss battles from previous Ace Combat titles.

Ace Combat 8 isn’t a major departure from the previous game but while the improvements might be small, the end result is superior in every way, from the variety of missions to the increased accessibility, the astounding graphics, and the equally amazing soundtrack. The story does take up too much time but that’s a fleeting problem for what is undoubtedly the best combat flight sim ever made for consoles.

Formats: PlayStation5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £64.99
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Bandai Namco Aces
Release Date: 2nd October 2026
Age Rating: 16

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