Ace Combat has always been a single-player series first, so its new online side is the surprise of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, developed by Bandai Namco Aces and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Once you are actually in the air, the multiplayer mode, Ace Combat Online, is excellent. Getting there, and paying for everything around it, is another story. Polygon’s Giovanni Colantonio spent time with the mode after it went live for early-access players and published his impressions on September 30, 2026.
The basics first. Wings of Theve launches worldwide on October 2, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. Buyers of the Deluxe Edition and the Joker Flight Pack got early access from September 29, 2026. Polygon calls the game one of the best of the year and says its 25-hour campaign, with 30 missions, is worth the price of admission on its own. That price is $70.
A hub with too many doors
Ace Combat Online keeps its own progression and save data, separate from the campaign. You start in an Air Base lobby that holds up to 100 players, and Polygon compares it to Destiny’s social spaces. Mission select, challenges, plane editing, the gear shop and squad management are each handled by a different NPC. The menus are the bigger problem. Putting an emblem on a plane takes you from Hangar to Online Aircraft Set to a loadout, then through two separate eight-option menus. Challenges are split into four categories with no way to claim all rewards at once. Even starting a match takes one more step than it should. Bandai Namco seems to know this, because holding a button takes you straight back to the lobby.
Where it shines
The flying makes up for most of it. These are the standout modes:
- Co-Op Assault drops your squad into a mission-style map against the clock. You destroy as many enemy targets as you can, fend off invaders and chase a high final ranking.
- Co-Op Warfare adds a rival squad to the battlefield, which makes it more intense.
- Deathmatch rounds are the weak spot. They last only a few minutes, so much of each round is spent just flying toward the enemy team.
The live-service bill
Ace Combat Online’s monetization is borrowed straight from Fortnite. A free Ace Pass hands out rewards over 100 levels, and each season runs for roughly two months. The premium pass costs 1,000 Ace Coins, which is $10. A Premium Pass Plus costs 2,500 Ace Coins, and you can’t buy exactly that amount. The $20 bundle gives you 2,300 coins, and the next tier is $30 for 3,500. Ace Coins also buy decals, pilot outfits and plane skins. Free currency earned in matches covers planes and many customization items, but the flashiest cosmetics appear to be paid. Fortnite is free to play. Ace Combat 8 costs $70, which Polygon likens to paying to get into an amusement park and then being charged for every ride.
The verdict is mixed but hopeful. The dogfighting is tense, the soundtrack is great and the matches are short enough to play casually. If Bandai Namco cleans up the menus and lengthens the deathmatches, Ace Combat Online could keep players flying for years, as long as they keep their wallets out of it.
