Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has received broadly positive reviews, with critics praising its thrilling aerial combat, mission variety, visuals, soundtrack, and expanded multiplayer. PC reviews are slightly more critical of performance, while PS5 reviews highlight smooth Performance mode and strong DualSense support, with some complaints about image clarity on the standard console.
8.6
Average Score (adjusted)
Confidence: High
Some disagreement
Reviews: 13
Top Review: pcgamer (9.2)
Spread: 1.2
⭐ 8 / 10
GameSpot's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is an excellent continuation of the series that is well and truly back to its best. The pros are that it embraces Ace Combat's penchant for absurdity, its soundtrack is diverse and consistently excellent, new cloud technology and varied mission objectives add to thrilling dogfights, an extensive Aircraft Tree and pre-flight customization provide meaningful options, and it offers varied multiplayer modes covering both PvP and PvE. The cons are that the story uses interesting themes as mere window dressing, and some missions feel like filler and disrupt the game's pacing.
⭐ 8 / 10
Push Square's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the series' most confident and sure-footed entry yet, making a textbook landing, scoring 8/10. Pros: super polished classic Ace Combat action, fantastic sound and visuals, a player more involved in the story, a fun and varied campaign, smooth performance in Performance mode, excellent DualSense usage, and another great soundtrack. Cons: some story elements are a touch confusing, it can look a touch fuzzy on standard PS5, occasional blurry textures, and the Aircraft Tree is fiddly to use.
⭐ 9 / 10
GamingBolt's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is an amazing game that shows the jet-fighting franchise at its best, with a fantastic story expanding on Strangereal and a variety of fun multiplayer modes. Pros: a phenomenal story about war and how it affects the world, tight gameplay, fantastic mission design, fun multiplayer modes, gorgeous visuals, and an excellent soundtrack. Cons: minor pacing issues with the campaign, and sluggish menus in the multiplayer mode.
⭐ 92 / 100
PC Gamer's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is arcade flight action and anime melodrama refined to the highest possible level, and a must play for aviation fans. Pros: the dynamic weather engine and weightier handling elevate the aerial gameplay, dogfights replace High-G Turn spam with hair-raising chases, it has the series' strongest writing, free-form mission design keeps air-to-ground craft viable, and the narrative, music, and dialogue build to a superb two hour climax. Cons: some superweapon encounters feel rigid on replays, minor hitching and framerate dips under 60, no FOV slider, and light input ghosting after framerate dips.
⭐ 9 / 10
Destructoid's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a hallmark of excellence, doing everything well and standing as a direct upgrade over its predecessor. Pros: an exceptional cast of characters, a larger-than-life story, an amazing soundtrack, great gameplay, and outstanding Unreal graphics and visual fidelity. Cons: uneven difficulty between missions, and the game can sometimes feel too overwhelming.
⭐ 4.5 / 5
Hardcore Gamer's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is everything fans could have hoped for and the best air combat game available, refining and polishing the formula rather than being the return to form Ace Combat 7 was. Pros: some of the best aerial combat to date, a lengthy 20-hour campaign with well designed and varied missions, a large array of fighter jets at your disposal, and a cooperative multiplayer component that will keep players invested for years. Cons: radio chatter can be a bit much at times with multiple overlapping conversations, some odd storytelling choices including unnecessary QTEs and dialogue-heavy mission exposition, and an uneven difficulty curve in some missions.
⭐ 8.5 / 10
PC Games' verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a mandatory purchase for air combat enthusiasts and also recommendable to anyone wanting a rounded, honest action spectacle, scoring 8.5/10. Pros: accessible arcade gameplay with a satisfying simple-but-rewarding loop, the two control schemes with Expert mode recommended, squad commands adding a tactical note, excellent audiovisual presentation including reference-class clouds and sky, the three-dimensional cloud tech that doubles as level architecture and tactical cover, varied mission design with boss machines, and a stellar soundtrack. Cons: sluggish story pacing with lengthy briefings and drawn-out dialogue, and shaky performance with frame drops even on strong hardware, especially in cutscenes and during huge explosions.
⭐ 80 / 100
COGconnected's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve captures the intensity of aerial warfare better than any other title and is a perfect choice for newcomers and veterans alike. Pros: freedom during missions, stunning visuals, and thrilling dogfights. Cons: the narrative gets lost, some difficulty spikes, and players can easily lose track of objectives.
⭐ 8 / 10
CGMagazine's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a great action game and one of the best entries in the series, though it doesn't quite achieve everything it sets out to do. Pros: varied campaign missions, over 30 aircraft with meaningful loadout choices, the Aircraft Tree and visual customisation, exhilarating and accessible gameplay, returning wingman commands with competent friendly AI, excellent presentation, solid PC performance, and promising multiplayer. Cons: a narrative that fails to be gripping or coherent, with cumbersome dialogue and forgettable characters, and mission objectives that grow repetitive as the campaign goes on.
⭐ 4.5 / 5
GamesRadar's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a fantastic new entry and one of the best in the series, soaring thanks to thrilling dogfights and a genuinely gripping Metal Gear-like story. Pros: exhilarating flight combat, excellent mission variety, a great cast of wingmen, the best rival since Zero, a strong metanarrative about manufactured legends and misinformation, an incredible soundtrack, and bombastic final missions. Cons: a cutscene-heavy opening that makes the start slow, moments that feel overwhelming, and a thin multiplayer component with few modes and a lobby that locks you out while waiting.
⭐ 8.8 / 10
Meristation's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a very good, practically impeccable superproduction, scoring 8.8/10, and the most ambitious, longest entry in the saga at roughly 30 hours. Pros: the most ambitious Ace Combat to date, double the length of Ace Combat 7, intense and varied missions with mid-mission twists, a tremendous epic soundtrack, gorgeous photorealistic visuals, and a major multiplayer leap with a 100-player lobby and varied modes. Cons: the lack of gameplay evolution may disappoint those wanting a renewed formula, the heavier narrative brings some decisions that didn't land, and reading subtitles for radio conversations is a problem during the most intense moments.
⭐ 8.5 / 10
Vandal's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a very recommendable, practically unique experience full of content and spectacle, scoring 8.5/10, and the most extensive campaign and complete multiplayer in the saga. Pros: gameplay as fun as ever with easy-to-learn, hard-to-master controls, a long campaign of roughly 18 hours with great mission variety and mid-mission twists, the best multiplayer in the series with crossplay and multiple co-op and competitive modes, and a breathtaking audiovisual presentation with Unreal Engine 5, ray-tracing, and strong sound design. Cons: it needs Spanish dubbing to be fully enjoyed since radio dialogue carries story and objective changes, and a few missions dip below the general high quality, such as the low-flying radar-avoidance one and an overuse of ground targets.
⭐ 8.5 / 10
Multiplayer.it's verdict is that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the same old Ace Combat, but what works works so well that it's one of the best incarnations of the series, scoring 8.5/10. Pros: the familiar beloved Ace Combat formula, a very high average mission quality with notable peaks late in the campaign, a long-lived campaign with around 30 missions and 30 aircraft over roughly 20 hours, excellent graphics and soundtrack, and active clouds that play a tactical role. Cons: practically zero real innovations, a not particularly successful story with a silent protagonist and fragmented pacing, and an online mode still to be judged that currently has too few modes.
