Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is set to release on October 2, 2026. Early access will begin on September 28 at 3 pm PDT. The new trailer shown during today’s State of Play showcases the game’s story and variety of combat scenarios that players will encounter.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve will immerse players in the Strangereal world, a shared fictional world across the Ace Combat series (3, 4, 5, ZERO, X, 6, 7, and 8). Strangeral is a realm that resembles our own but still fundamentally different. Players will earn their wings as an Ace pilot and lead the war against the Sotoans to its resolution.

Players will lead the Joker Squadron on a mission to recapture Theve, the capital of the Federation of Central Usea – also known as the FCU. The Joker Squardron consists of:

Ellington Baxter, he calm hand that holds the rest of squadron together. Highly knowledgeable and considerate, Baxter once served as a university lecturer. Tasha calls him “Teach” despite him never revealing his field and the two of them can often be found studying together in the mess.

Tasha Seversky, originally a star pilot in Yuktobania’s acrobatic team, Zvezda, Tasha was on the Endurance to shoot publicity footage when war broke out and ended up staying on the ship.

William Coster, a skilled  wingman capable of keeping up with Tasha’s extreme maneuvers and providing effective cover. A diehard rock music fan, Coster brings a compact music player into the cockpit to listen to during missions.

Kate Evans, cool and collected, she does everything in her power to protect the lives of pilots in both flights as she is an excellent pilot. The bandages that she constantly cover her battle scars, but she never lets the strain show; instead, she buries her own fears and presents a positive attitude to those under her command.

Players will engage in a wide variety of combat scenarios including “air-to-air combat,” where players will soar freely through the skies, engaging in dogfights with enemy aircrafts. Ace Combat 8 will also introduce techniques like “ground attack” and anti-ship” missions where players will destroy ground and naval targets from above. There will also be “giant weapon battles,” which highlight weapons that can only be encountered in Strangereal. Players can look forward to battles against unique weapons, such as massive continental transport aircraft and land-based ships capable of bringing an entire country within “main gun range.”

There will be over 30 different aircraft for players to fly, spanning real-world fighters from across the globe and original fictional models. The aircraft categorized into four roles:  fighters, attack aircraft, multi-role aircraft, and electronic warfare aircraft. Players will need to carefully select the most optimal aircraft for each mission to gain the upper hand in battle.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is available to pre-order now. The Deluxe Edition features content such as three days of early access and aircraft skins. Players will also receive Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (PS5 ported version), which was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006, and the playable aircraft F-14A Tomcat.