Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Reviews
Review key provided by the publisher.
If you are in the mood to be an ace pilot and want to see what Bandai Namco does best, Ace Combat is where you need to look. When it comes to the series, Wings of Theve is one of the best entries yet, showing that the Aces team isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Instead, it is continuing to push the limits that the series has to offer to new heights.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve delivers thrilling, accessible aerial combat with an interesting story, near-photorealistic visuals at its best and around 30 missions, a great new chapter despite minor stutters and weak ground textures.
Review in German | Read full review
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a remarkable achievement for Project Aces, with an excellent story and some of the best aerial combat the series has ever had.
One or two dud missions and an uneven story do little to dull the shine of 2026's most breathless, invigorating action game
Arcade flight action and anime melodrama refined to the highest possible level-a must play for aviation fans.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is both one of the strongest entry points for newcomers, and still a treat for longtime fans.
Whether that story is successful will likely depend on your tolerance for bright-eyed optimism. Rather than wallowing in darkness, Wings of Theve wants to imagine a hopeful future.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve picks up where Ace Combat 7 left off, underlining that the series is well and truly back to its best
Overall, Ace Combat 8 is still the immaculately crafted flight combat game we have all come to enjoy, but there is a more visceral aspect to the game now. From how you feel massive explosions to repeatedly breaking, as well as surpassing, the sound barrier. So I raise a humble hand of hope that this game will find its audience and that they will have a modicum of sympathy for the nomadic Sotoans even after all the carnage they have caused.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is everything we could have hoped for. It features a much longer, compelling story, a ton of different fighter jets at your disposal and some of the best combat in any air combat game.
Ace Combat 8 is a love letter to combat aviation in its entirety.
Ace Combat 8 manages to stand out as a highly recommended game for any type of player .
Review in Spanish | Read full review
This is a fantastic flight combat experience and I’m going to be shooting for high scores and multiplayer sorties well after this review.
Taking another step forward for this classic series, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve brings a truly cinematic outlook to its special brand of arcade-infused dogfighting.
Ace Combat 8 marks another pleasant surprise for 2026, and is one of the most thrilling, sharply designed action games in years.
If the other games in this series are even half as good as AC8, then Ace Combat is unquestionably the best game franchise.
Ace Combat is back with Wings of Theve, and although the campaign doesn't hit all the right notes, it's still a classic Ace Combat experience.
When it's all said and done there remains little better than turning on a dime right into the sights of an onrushing enemy pilot and tapping for the release of a locked-on missile before sailing through the resulting debris. Smart additions, including the debris and chain reaction systems, coupled with the more realistic weather effects and sense of scale make it so that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is one such outing that resoundingly sticks its landing.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the most sure-footed the series has ever been, confidently refining its punchy aerial gameplay and doubling down on a more cinematic story. While there are some wobbles here and there, the much improved presentation, charming character performances, varied campaign, and deeper multiplayer experience offer up a sequel that makes a textbook landing.