Hero image: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve opening cinematic trailer. Image: Bandai Namco Entertainment, via PlayStation on YouTube
Project Aces’ New Flight Game Lands Next Week
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has an opening cinematic trailer, one week before launch. PlayStation released it overnight, with a description telling players to “be ready to jump straight into the action on launch day”.
The trailer’s description sets the game in the world of Strangereal, where the player takes on “the mantle of the Wings of Theve – the legendary ace pilot”.
The release date given with the trailer is 2 October 2026. The Australian Steam store lists the PC version for 1 October.
Deluxe Edition owners start earlier. According to Steam, its three days of Early Access are scheduled to begin at 3pm PDT on 28 September, which is 8am AEST on Tuesday 29 September.
On the Australian Steam store, the standard edition is A$109.95 and the Deluxe Edition is A$139.95. The Deluxe Edition adds a customisable cosmetic set and a Premium Ace Pass Plus voucher on top of the Early Access.
Pre-orders come with the F-14A as a playable aircraft and a copy of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. On Steam, that bonus game is a standalone application separate from the new release.
Bandai Namco describes the campaign as “fast-paced arcade-style gameplay” with first-person cinematic scenes that tell the pilot’s story between missions.
Multiplayer is also bigger than before. Ace Combat Online is described as “the most expansive multiplayer experience in franchise history”, with the series’ first online lobby, co-op and cross-platform play.
PC players should check their hardware first. The minimum specification on Steam asks for Windows 11, an SSD, a graphics card with hardware ray tracing and 150 GB of storage.
Source: PlayStation on YouTube – Opening Cinematic Trailer, Steam – Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, PlayStation – Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve