Ace Combat 8 Takes Off: One Million Copies and the Fastest Start in the Series' History

Bandai Namco has announced that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has surpassed one million units shipped worldwide, and it did so in less time than any previous title in the series. According to the report published by Gamereactor Spain, the game kicked off with an early access period on September 29, 2026 and launched in all regions on October 2, so we are talking about a commercial start that no other entry has achieved in the franchise's three decades of existence.

The news matters because Ace Combat is not a mainstream giant. It is a niche series of fighter jets wrapped in a war-novel storyline, and it had gone seven years without a mainline entry. For a comeback like this to sell at such a pace says a lot about the appetite for the genre and, along the way, opens a door the competitive community had been waiting on for a long time: a multiplayer mode with real ambition.

What you need to know

• Bandai Namco confirms more than one million copies sold worldwide.
• It is the fastest-starting launch in the series' 30-year history.
• Early access from September 29, 2026 and a global release on October 2.
• Second highest-rated entry in the franchise: between 86 and 88 on Metacritic, behind only Ace Combat 4's 89.
• First mainline title in seven years, with cross-play, PvE and PvP modes and a social lobby for up to 100 players.

A comeback the critics are backing too

The sales do not come alone. As Gamereactor Spain reports, citing the publisher and Eurogamer, Wings of Theve has positioned itself as the second highest-scoring game in the entire series on review aggregators. Its Metacritic score sits between 86 and 88, and the only one still above it is Ace Combat 4, a classic that holds the top spot with an 89. For a franchise with so many entries behind it, landing one point shy of the best-rated game in its history is no small feat.

Context also helps explain the impact. The series celebrated its 30th anniversary in June, and the studio marketed this launch as the big return after a long hiatus. Combining nostalgia, a milestone anniversary and strong reviews is a recipe that rarely fails, but it is not one you can improvise either.

Multiplayer, the big bet

What really interests us at Underworld Lordz is what lies beyond the campaign. The official announcement boasts the broadest multiplayer offering the series has ever had: cross-platform play, PvE and PvP modes, and a virtual lobby set on an air base where up to 100 players can gather. From that social hub, according to details shared by Eurogamer, pilots can interact with each other and jump into cooperative PvE modes and PvPvE matches.

It is a notable shift in philosophy. Historically, Ace Combat's online component was an add-on, something you tried for a couple of evenings and then set aside. Turning the air base into a persistent hub, with people wandering between hangars and organizing sorties, brings the series closer to the logic of live-service games and to the way communities are built today.

Our take

Here at the editorial desk we celebrate the million copies, but what really makes us raise an eyebrow with interest is the cross-play. For a team like ours, with members spread across the Americas and Europe and on different platforms, being able to assemble squadrons without asking who plays on which console is the difference between organizing something serious and never getting off the ground. Aerial combat PvP is a discipline with enormous competitive potential that remains largely untapped, and Bandai Namco now has the player base needed to make a go of it.

That said, let's be critical. A 100-player lobby and PvPvE modes sound fantastic in a press release, but the usual question is how long the support will last. Series coming off seven years of silence have no recent track record of seasons, balance patches or competitive tools, and without those, multiplayer empties out within months. We would also like to know why the score swings between 86 and 88 depending on the version: in a game with cross-play, any performance gap between platforms turns into a competitive debate.

For content creators, on the other hand, the opportunity is immediate. A social air base with dozens of players is the perfect setting for community events, races, cooperative challenges and livestreams with a packed crowd. If Bandai Namco adds a spectator mode and decent replays, Ace Combat 8 could be one of the surprises of the season on Twitch and YouTube. If it does not, it will be another big launch that sold a lot and competed little.

What do you think?

The million copies are already in Bandai Namco's pocket, but the game's competitive future will be decided by the pilots. Do you think Ace Combat 8 has what it takes to become a tournament title, or will it remain a great game to enjoy solo? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord.