A flash of contrails, a battered carrier pulling survivors from the sea, and a name stitched into hope: "Wings of Theve." Bandai Namco dropped that image at The Game Awards and with it the first full confirmation that Ace Combat will be back in 2026 with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.
The reveal trailer is short on gameplay specifics but long on tone. This is very much Ace Combat — high-speed arcade dogfights, big skies and melodramatic stakes — but built with a new generation's ambitions in mind. Bandai Namco Aces, the freshly formed studio dedicated to the series, is developing the game on Unreal Engine 5 and promising a campaign that leans into cinematic storytelling and character, plus multiplayer to send pilots head-to-head.
What the announcement showed (and what it didn’t)
You play an ace pilot in Strangereal — the series' fictional world — carrying the legendary title "Wings of Theve" as your country, the Federation of Central Usea, fights to reclaim itself from the invading Republic of Sotoa. Bandai Namco's description, amplified by a profile in Variety, even pins the opening clock to July 2029: you start adrift until the aircraft carrier Endurance takes you aboard and thrusts you into a guerrilla-style air war.
Visually, the team is leaning hard into the sky. Bandai Namco's CEO Nao Udagawa told Variety she kept getting development updates and was stunned by how the clouds and weather are being rendered — the studio wants the sky itself to feel like a protagonist. Expect ultra-realistic clouds, dynamic weather, and first-person cinematic POVs woven into the campaign.
What the trailer didn't give us: concrete multiplayer modes, playable demo windows, or a full list of playable jets and loadouts. Bandai Namco says more details will arrive throughout the coming year.
Why this matters to fans (and to Bandai Namco)
It’s the first mainline Ace Combat in seven years since Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (originally 2019), a gap that reflects the broader, slower cadence of AAA development but also the studio's intent to firm up the franchise’s future. To that end Bandai Namco created Bandai Namco Aces so ace-combat work can operate with dedicated focus and, the company says, faster output cycles without sacrificing quality.
That strategic pivot matters because the franchise is visual theatre — and the company is investing where the spectacle lives. Udagawa framed Ace Combat 8 as a game that preserves the series' core while adding narrative heft and next-gen visual expression that should play well on current consoles and high-end PCs.
The platforms confirmed are PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam. With players increasingly mixing console and PC ecosystems, the conversation around cross-buy and how publishers link console/PC editions is lively; related leaks and platform features have already sparked speculation in the PlayStation space (PS5–PC cross‑buy hints). And if you like streaming PS5 games from other hardware, recent updates to PlayStation’s streaming options are relevant when thinking about how you might play Ace Combat 8 away from the living room (PlayStation Portal cloud streaming update).
If you’re already planning ahead for a new-generation air war, a higher-end console like the PlayStation 5 Pro could be something to consider — particularly if you care about visual fidelity and frame-rate consistency.
First impressions and what to watch for next
From the trailer and statements so far the shape of Ace Combat 8 looks familiar but polished: big skies, cinematic presentation, and an emotional campaign built around a propaganda-born legend. The creation of Bandai Namco Aces signals the company wants to treat Ace Combat like a marquee IP with its own roadmap, not just another project on a shared dev slate.
Over the next year expect a slow drip of specifics: concrete multiplayer modes, details on aircraft and customization, a release window beyond "2026," and—if the studio follows contemporary practice—closed betas or technical tests. For now, the reveal plays to nostalgia while promising a visual leap; whether it matches the series' best mission design and memorable set pieces will be the real test once pilots get into the cockpit.
The sky is open again. We just have to wait for the controls and the readouts.