# Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown: what players say

As of 28 October 2026, 87% of 46,873 player reviews of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown recommend it.

> Players love Ace Combat 7’s arcade dogfights, soundtrack and skies, and find its story cheesy and its PC controls limited.

Developer: Bandai Namco Studios. Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment. Released 31 January.

## In short

Players praise fast arcade flying that newcomers pick up quickly, a soundtrack that stays with them, and missions whose settings and weather keep changing. The complaints are a cheesy story with plot holes, some missions that drag, locked controls and patchy flight stick support on PC, and an online mode with few players left. Players who want an arcade plane game on a controller get the most from it, often on sale.

## What players say

Players praise the flying, the soundtrack, the visuals and the mission variety. The story, some missions, the PC controls and the online mode draw the complaints.

We read these reviews in full on 20 October.

- 80 most helpful reviews: 62 positive, 7 mixed, 5 negative, 6 off-topic.
- 40 latest reviews: 25 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative, 11 off-topic.

- **The arcade flying is 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 hypes up dogfights and missions, and the tracks stick with people after they stop playing.
- **Visuals and weather make the skies come alive.** Planes, cockpit glass, clouds and rain look impressive, and changing weather gives each mission its own mood.
- **Missions vary a lot in setting and goals.** Each mission changes setting, weather and objectives, with escorts, valley runs and tunnel flights keeping the campaign fresh.
- **Some missions drag or feel repetitive.** The last missions land flat for some. Timed point-grinding, similar-feeling stages and gimmick-heavy designs drag parts of the campaign down.
- **The story is cheesy and hard to follow.** Plot holes, melodrama and cutscenes that interrupt play weigh on the story. Some missions bury the plot under their objectives.
- **PC controls and flight stick support fall short.** Remapping is locked, some flight stick brands do not work, and widescreen is missing. Keyboard play is weaker than controller play.
- **Online play is thin.** Matches are versus only, with few players left, no co-op and no anti-cheat.

## Questions

### Is Ace Combat 7 worth it?

Most players say yes. As of 28 October 2026, 87% of 46,873 reviews recommend it. Many suggest buying it on sale, since the campaign is short and the DLC is mixed.

### How long is Ace Combat 7?

Its 20-mission campaign takes around 11 to 13 hours on a first run, and replays and DLC push it past 30.

### Do you need to play the earlier Ace Combat games first?

No. Players new to the series find the story easy to follow, though a few cutscenes make more sense with the earlier games.

### How does Ace Combat 7 run on PC?

Smoothly, by most players’ accounts, at high frame rates with no crashes. Players do miss more settings and control remapping.

### What PC do you need for Ace Combat 7?

The minimum is a Core i3-7100, 4 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 750 Ti. The recommended setup is a Core i5-7500, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 1060. It needs 50 GB of storage.

## Sources

162. Steam: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/502500/

Page: https://creativecult.digital/games/ace-combat-7