Bandai Namco has released a five-minute overview trailer for arcade flight simulator Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. The film reveals details about the story campaign, squadron composition and online activities.
The events of Part 8 will revolve around the Federation of Central Usia, which lost its capital Teif after the Sotoa Republic’s lightning offensive. At a difficult moment for the country, a hero appears and he and his squadron must return to occupied territory. The unit’s main base will be the aircraft carrier USS Endurance, where pilots will be sent to perform various combat missions.
During the campaign, players must engage in air combat, support ground forces, and attack naval targets. Before each flight, you need to select an aircraft and special weapons based on the conditions of the specific operation. Sotoa is preparing a major superweapon, so Federation pilots will have to fight against superior enemy forces.
The player will have several companions at his disposal. Ellington Baxter will be a seasoned veteran and the commander’s right-hand man, Tasha Severskaya is a former star of the aerobatic team, and William Koster will cover her in combat. Commanders will be able to issue a variety of orders to their squadrons, including concentrating fire on a target, spreading forces, covering wingmen and using special weapons.
Online operations are not directly related to the main campaign, but are conducted as mercenaries at separate air bases. The game will have four modes to choose from:
- cooperative assault (Competitive PvE) – Two teams of four pilots work together to complete missions, destroy targets and compete for the highest score.
- cooperative operations (PvPvE) – Two squads of four fight each other, while ground, air, and sea forces act as a third enemy.
- fight for (PvE) – Four pilots face off against a group of opponents.
- emergency attack (PvE) – A massive co-op mission for eight pilots who must fight against a superweapon-level threat.
By participating in online combat, players will be able to acquire new skills, aircraft and equipment, and create their own squads with other pilots. The developers also showed off the functionality of an air base and a rank promotion system.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Tef will be released on October 2, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
