Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. today announced ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, the first mainline entry in the franchise in seven years, has reached 1 million units worldwide at the fastest pace in the franchise. The game released via early access on September 29, 2026, and launched worldwide on October 2, and it has since set franchise milestones including becoming the second highest rated ACE COMBAT game based on critical consensus by review aggregate sites. Developed by Bandai Namco Aces Inc., ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE elevates the flight shooting series to new heights as an ultra-realistic aerial thrill ride with an engaging story-driven Campaign Mode as well as the series’ biggest ever multiplayer experience.
The ACE COMBAT series has continued to expand worldwide by leveraging the strength of its long running IP, which celebrated its 30th Anniversary in June 2025. Bandai Namco Entertainment’s campaign for ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE was built around global reach needed to both deliver its appeal to longtime fans and reach broader audiences. Continuing the franchise’s legacy, the sequel pushes the boundaries of visuals and gameplay in an arcade-inspired aerial action game. Players jump in the cockpit of a wide range of real-world fighter planes to experience single and multiplayer jet combat in breathtaking visual fidelity, entering intense battle theaters across expansive environments featuring realistic cloudscapes and finely rendered terrain.
In addition to setting a sales record, ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is now one of the best entries in the ACE COMBAT franchise, ranking second based on critics’ scores listed by game review aggregate sites. It sits right on the six of series best ACE COMBAT™ 04: Shattered Skies, which released in 2001 for PlayStation®2. Players and critics are drawn to the new sequel’s Campaign Mode, a cinematic experience that puts players in the role of an ace pilot in a fictitious world at war.
ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE also delivers an online multiplayer experience that is the most expansive in the series, with cross-play bringing pilots together across platforms and from around the world. Online multiplayer delivers a thrilling range of PvE and PvP modes and features a virtual Air Base lobby hosting up to 100 players, where they can customize and progress their online character, train and track rewards, engage with fun activities such as playing classic Bandai Namco arcade games, and pair up to sortie.