Updated daily · 20 Oct 2026
Player reception, side by side
Ace Combat 8 vs Ace Combat 7
Ace Combat 8 arrived seven years after Ace Combat 7. Players who reach its ending rank it above 7, while crashes and multiplayer hold its figure back.
In short
As of 20 October, 84% of 16,759 player reviews recommend Ace Combat 8, and 88% of 46,730 recommend Ace Combat 7. Players who finish Ace Combat 8 mostly prefer it, for the story, the cast and the weightier jets. Ace Combat 7 is the safer pick for players with older PCs or flight sticks, and its music still gets the most praise.
Ace Combat 8: recommend it
84%of 16,759 reviews, as of 20 October30
Ace Combat 7: recommend it
88%of 46,730 reviews, as of 20 October162
Side by side
The two games at a glance.
- Game
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
- Price at launch
- $69.99
- $59.99
- Developer
- Bandai Namco Aces
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Publisher
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Players recommend it
- 84% of 16,759 reviews
- 88% of 46,730 reviews
- Our reading
- 50 most recent reviews, read 10 October
- 80 most helpful and 40 latest reviews, read 20 October
What players praise
What players like most.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Players who finish it call it the series’ best.
The story, the cast and the music carry most reviews from players with 15 hours or more, and the closing missions win the most praise.
The heavier planes win veterans over.
Most players who mention the new flight model now prefer it to Ace Combat 7’s and praise the weight and sound of the jets.
The boss fights stand out.
Players describe varied boss fights and a cast they grow attached to over the campaign.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
The flying is fun and easy to pick up.
It plays as an arcade flight game, with fast dogfights that newcomers learn quickly.
The soundtrack is the standout.
The score lifts the dogfights, and players say the tracks stay with them long after they stop playing.
Missions keep changing.
Escorts, valley runs, tunnel flights and shifting weather give each mission its own setting and mood.
What players criticise
What players complain about.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Crashes stop some players before they start.
Most negative reviews come from players stuck on a black screen, a loading screen or a crash in the opening cutscenes. Others report stutter in the late missions, even on high-end PCs.
Multiplayer is the weak spot.
Dropped connections and teams in upgraded jets taking every kill lead players to tell each other to buy it for the campaign.
Flight sticks and keyboards are poorly served.
Only a few sticks are supported, the controls can’t be freely remapped, and players without a controller find it hard to play.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
The story is cheesy and hard to follow.
Players point to plot holes, melodrama and cutscenes that interrupt play.
Some missions drag.
Timed point-grinding and gimmick-heavy stages weigh on parts of the campaign, the last missions included.
PC controls fall short.
Remapping is limited, some flight stick brands don’t work, and keyboard play is weaker than a controller.
Online play is thin.
Matches are versus only, with few players left and no co-op.
Which to pick
Which one is for you.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Pick Ace Combat 8 if you want the newest campaign, heavier jets and the series’ strongest story by most players’ account, and you play on a controller.
More on Ace Combat 8Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Pick Ace Combat 7 if you want a proven arcade flight game with lighter planes and a famous soundtrack, and you don’t need much online play.
Questions
Ace Combat 8 vs Ace Combat 7, in short.
Is Ace Combat 8 better than Ace Combat 7?
Players who finish Ace Combat 8 mostly say yes, for its story, cast and heavier planes. As of 20 October, 84% of Ace Combat 8’s 16,759 reviews recommend it, against 88% of Ace Combat 7’s 46,730, and Ace Combat 8’s negative reviews come mostly from players whose game crashed before they could play.30162
Do Ace Combat 7 and Ace Combat 8 support flight sticks?
Which has better multiplayer, Ace Combat 7 or 8?
How long is Ace Combat 7?
Players describe a 20-mission campaign that takes around 11 to 13 hours on a first run, and more than 30 with replays and extra content.162
Each game’s figure is the share of all its player reviews that recommend it, counted daily. Praise and complaints come from our own reading of its reviews, each judged from what the player wrote.
Sources
- 30Steam: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, user reviews and review history (opens in a new tab) Accessed 29 Sept 2026
- 31Bandai Namco Entertainment: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve takes flight today (early access, launch date and the Deluxe Edition) (opens in a new tab) Accessed 29 Sept 2026
- 162Steam: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, store page and user reviews (opens in a new tab) Accessed 20 Oct 2026