Ace Combat 8 Faces Backlash on Steam Despite Strong Reviews

A major new release can receive glowing reviews and still run into trouble once players get their hands on it. That is exactly what is happening with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, which has earned praise for its aerial combat and ambitious storytelling while facing criticism from PC players.

The latest entry arrives seven years after Ace Combat 7 and is already attracting attention among the top latest game releases. Yet its early reception shows how quickly gaming trends can shift when expectations around bonuses and PC performance are not met.

Dogfights reach new heights

Professional reviews have largely celebrated the core gaming experience, particularly the dogfighting. Push Square praised how smooth the action feels, with the 30-mission campaign keeping battles varied despite primarily revolving around aerial combat and bombing runs.

Around 30 aircraft are available, with different roles encouraging players to choose their jets based on each mission. Detailed cockpits, changing weather and varied environments also help give battles a stronger sense of scale.

Clouds play a surprisingly important role as well. Bandai Namco Aces developed its own Cloudly engine, allowing pilots to use cloud cover to escape missiles while enemies hiding inside can reduce or completely break a player’s lock-on.

Storytelling takes a bigger role

Narrative design represents another major change in the series. First-person sequences put players closer to Joker Flight, allowing them to spend more time with characters including Tasha, Coster and Daxter before, during and after missions.

Several critics found that approach surprisingly effective. Cinematography, motion capture, voice acting and music received particular praise, giving Wings of Theve a stronger entertainment element beyond simply flying fighter jets.

The new approach does come with some criticism. Several reviewers felt the additional cutscenes slowed the campaign, while the interactive QTEs could feel unnecessary. Others found the story less effective toward the end, despite enjoying the combat throughout.

Pre-order bonus sparks backlash

Early PC reception tells a different story. Players who pre-ordered Wings of Theve receive Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War, a port of the acclaimed PlayStation 2 title, but its Steam implementation has become a major complaint.

Earlier Steam wording described The Belkan War as a standalone application. Players discovered it instead functions as DLC requiring Ace Combat 8 to be installed, meaning the roughly 4GB classic also needs access to a base game exceeding 100GB.

Steam Deck owners face a particular inconvenience, while The Belkan War also misses out on its own Steam achievements and activity tracking. The store description has since been changed to explain that Ace Combat 8 must be installed to use the DLC.

Technical issues

Complaints extend beyond the pre-order bonus. Steam users have reported crashes, memory-related performance problems and limited support for third-party flight sticks, contributing to a noticeably weaker user reception than the critical reviews suggest. Such a split makes Ace Combat 8 an interesting example of modern game development, where strong design can coexist with platform-specific frustrations.

For gaming fans, the dogfighting remains the biggest attraction, while the expanded story pushes the series further into cinematic entertainment. How quickly Bandai Namco addresses the PC concerns could now shape the conversation surrounding the game after its full release.