# Ace Combat 8 missions: all 30, and how many players finish each

> Ace Combat 8 has a prologue and 30 missions, and 58% of PC players have finished the campaign. Every mission in order with the share who have cleared it, the two players find hardest, Wings of Wax and A Thousand Points of Light, and how they beat them.

By Mercer. Published 4 November 2026, updated 6 November 2026.

> **How many missions in Ace Combat 8: A prologue and 30.**
>
> 58% of PC players have finished the campaign. The story takes about 19 hours, and 25 with side content.

**How long players take**

|  | Hours |
| --- | --- |
| The campaign | About 19 hours |
| Campaign and side content | About 25 hours |
| Everything | About 44 hours |

Averages of the runs players have logged: 104 campaign runs, 34 with side content and 5 completed.[^5]

*Spoilers: Mission titles below name story moments.*

## Every mission, and how many players clear it

**Ace Combat 8 missions, in order**

|  | Share of PC players |
| --- | --- |
| Prologue: Wings of Theve | 95% |
| 01 Jokers Wild | 93% |
| 02 Nomad | 89% |
| 03 Purple Magic Takes Flight | 85% |
| 04 The Fall of the Numbered Fleets | 83% |
| 05 Retaking of Theve | 80% |
| 06 Attack on the Drinwich Airfield | 78% |
| 07 A Lifeline in the Desert | 77% |
| 08 Retaking of Theve II | 75% |
| 09 The Land Battleship Blockade | 73% |
| 10 Over the Rainband | 72% |
| 11 Maximum Payload | 71% |
| 12 An Island in Darkness | 71% |
| 13 The People of the Lost Country | 70% |
| 14 Two on the Run | 69% |
| 15 Wings of Wax (A big difficulty spike) | 68% |
| 16 Singer | 68% |
| 17 Land Battleship No. 3 | 67% |
| 18 Moonlight and Shadows | 66% |
| 19 Clearing the Lighthouse | 66% |
| 20 Escort Orbiter | 65% |
| 21 The Star-Bound Bird | 64% |
| 22 Pursuing the HSCA | 64% |
| 23 The Destruction of Expo City | 63% |
| 24 The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1 | 62% |
| 25 The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | 61% |
| 26 Crossing Fleets | 60% |
| 27 Fatsia, the Ocean Fortress | 59% |
| 28 A Thousand Points of Light (The hardest S rank) | 59% |
| 29 Selene | 58% |
| 30 Song of Wings | 58% |

The share of everyone who owns the game on PC who has unlocked the matching achievement, read on 6 November 2026. It counts people who have barely played, so the first bar is never 100%. Mission titles as players list them.[^1][^2]

Players drop off steadily rather than at one wall: about 10 points between the prologue and Mission 03, then about a point a mission from there to the end.[^1] 5.4% have finished the campaign on Ace, the hardest difficulty.[^1]

## Mission 15: Wings of Wax

Two fast bombers jam your lock-ons, hide in cloud, fire swarms of missiles and drones, and bomb the fleet you’re defending.[^3]

1. **Hit only the engines.** Ignore the rest of each bomber.
2. **Damage both bombers evenly.** Take an engine off each before finishing either, so the second goes down seconds after the first and you skip the harder second phase.
3. **Fly where they’re going.** Cut them off on an intercept course instead of chasing, and use the gun as well as missiles.
4. **Bring something fast.** Players beat it with the MiG-31, the F-15, the Growler and the F-18E, with QAAMs, HPAA or SASMs.[^3]

## Mission 28: A Thousand Points of Light

Players call it the hardest S rank in the game: dozens of bombers to stop, then the Shadow squadron at the end.[^4]

1. **Start on the bombers.** Clear the Tu-95s first. A direct hit on the leading bomber often makes the ones behind it collide.
2. **Rearm often.** Players land three or four times, and always before the Shadows arrive.
3. **Save your best weapons for the Shadows.** The F/A-36 with upgraded SASMs is the usual pick, with electronic-warfare wingmen. Shooting the Shadows down fast earns a big time bonus.[^4]

## More Ace Combat 8 guides

See [the mods players use](https://creativecult.digital/research/ace-combat-8-mods), [what players say about the game](https://creativecult.digital/games/ace-combat-8) and how players weigh it against [Ace Combat 7](https://creativecult.digital/compare/ace-combat-8-vs-ace-combat-7).

## Sources

[^1]: Steam Community: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve achievements, with the share of players who have each. https://steamcommunity.com/stats/2288340/achievements/
[^2]: Reddit, r/acecombat: All 30 Ace Combat 8 missions ranked, 12 October 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/1x3yem2/all_30_ace_combat_8_missions_ranked/
[^3]: Reddit, r/acecombat: About Mission 15..., 1 October 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/1wvehpq/about_mission_15/
[^4]: Reddit, r/acecombat: Mission 28 ACE difficulty S-rank made easy(-ish), 17 October 2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/1x8k25z/mission_28_ace_difficulty_srank_made_easyish/
[^5]: HowLongToBeat: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, player-submitted times. https://howlongtobeat.com/game/178943

Page: https://creativecult.digital/research/ace-combat-8-missions