Ace Combat 8 Soars to One of 2026's Best Review Scores

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has landed with a powerful critical reception, giving the aerial combat series one of its strongest review-score showings in decades. More than seven years after the previous mainline entry, the new game currently holds an 87 Metacritic score for its PlayStation 5 version, based on 52 reviews. That result puts it among the most acclaimed releases of 2026 and makes it the tied second-highest-rated game in Ace Combat history.

The score is particularly notable for a franchise that has always attracted an intensely devoted following but has had an uneven relationship with broad critical consensus over its long history. Ace Combat 8 clears the 86 earned by Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the 2019 installment that brought the series back after a lengthy break. It does not, however, surpass the 89 achieved by the PlayStation 2 favorite Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, which remains the highest-rated game bearing the Ace Combat name.

For Bandai Namco's arcade flight-combat series, that is still a remarkable place to be. The new installment is not simply benefitting from the enthusiasm around a returning property. Its reception suggests that Wings of Theve has made a convincing case for itself as one of the defining games in a crowded 2026 release slate.

An 87 places Wings of Theve in elite company

Metacritic's 87 average for the PS5 edition positions Ace Combat 8 alongside other high-profile 2026 releases, including 007 First Light and Saros. Once re-releases and ports such as Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake are set aside, the game sits within the year's top 20 rated titles.

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That standing matters because 2026 has been packed with major games competing for attention. A score in the high 80s is not a guarantee of long-term popularity, awards recognition, or sales success, but it is a clear indication that critics have found much to admire. In Ace Combat 8's case, the praise has been unusually consistent across its reviews.

Across the versions currently tracked, only two reviews have fallen into Metacritic's Mixed category, and both awarded the game a 7 out of 10. At the other end of the scale, six reviewers have given Wings of Theve full marks. Such a spread points to a game that has connected strongly even where reviewers have reservations, rather than one lifted by a handful of extreme scores.

It also gives Ace Combat a major moment at a time when games centered on piloting fighter aircraft remain comparatively rare among blockbuster releases. The series has long occupied a distinctive space between simulation-minded military aviation games and pure action shooters. Its fictionalized geopolitics, radio chatter, huge airborne battles, dramatic missions, and accessible controls have helped establish a formula that few other franchises directly attempt.

A strong return after Ace Combat 7

The gap between mainline releases makes the response especially meaningful. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown arrived in 2019, meaning fans waited more than seven years for a direct numbered successor. While Ace Combat 7 was well received and remains an important revival for the series, Wings of Theve has now edged past it on the review aggregate.

That one-point difference should not be treated as a vast quality gulf. Aggregates can shift as more reviews are added, and a single number cannot fully capture what individual players value in a series with such a specific identity. Still, the comparison offers a useful snapshot: early critical opinion regards Ace Combat 8 as at least the equal of the franchise's recent comeback, and potentially a more complete realization of its strengths.

The elements earning attention are familiar to anyone who has spent time in Strangereal, Ace Combat's alternate-world setting, but their execution appears to have resonated. Reviewers have highlighted the intensity of the game's encounters, its exhilarating aerial combat, and the strength of its music. The story has also received especially positive notice, an important point for a franchise whose melodramatic campaigns and larger-than-life military conflicts are as central to its personality as missile locks and cannon fire.

"Even when cutscenes slow it down, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a thrilling flight through intense encounters that rarely gives you a moment of calm. With exhilarating combat, incredible music, and a shockingly good story you shouldn't miss boarding one of the best entries in this beloved series yet."

That appraisal captures the balance Ace Combat 8 appears to strike. The game is not being celebrated merely as a technical showcase for aircraft combat or as a nostalgia exercise. Its strongest notices emphasize momentum and spectacle, while also recognizing that the campaign's narrative ambitions make the experience feel larger than a sequence of aerial skirmishes.

Shattered Skies remains the benchmark

Even with its impressive 87, Wings of Theve has not claimed the series crown from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. Released for PlayStation 2, Ace Combat 04 holds an 89 Metacritic score and remains the franchise's critical high point.

Shattered Skies is often remembered as the game that cemented the template for modern Ace Combat. Its campaign blended fictional war drama with memorable missions, a sweeping presentation, and an approach to aerial action that felt immediate without demanding the procedural knowledge of a dedicated flight simulator. Its legacy has only grown over time, making it a tough standard for any new entry to overcome.

Ace Combat 8 coming within two points is therefore a major achievement. It places Wings of Theve in a conversation normally reserved for the PlayStation 2 era's most beloved installments. It also demonstrates that the series can still produce a contemporary entry that stands beside its classics rather than merely borrowing their reputation.

There is another interesting historical wrinkle in the current release. Wings of Theve includes a new port of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, another PlayStation 2 game that enjoys a passionate fan base. The original title earned a 75 Metacritic score, a figure that seems modest compared with its reputation among many longtime Ace Combat players.

That contrast is a reminder that critical averages tell only part of a game's story. Ace Combat Zero is admired for its campaign, its squadron conflicts, and its memorable music, including a boss-battle theme frequently celebrated by fans. Its lower aggregate does not erase that devotion, just as Ace Combat 8's high early score will not settle every debate over the series' best entry.

The Ace Combat Zero port has an important catch

Players interested in revisiting Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War should note that the new port is not described as a standard inclusion available to everyone after launch. It is offered as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8.

That makes the legacy content a potentially valuable extra for fans, but it also means interested players should pay close attention to the applicable pre-order terms before committing. No broader availability beyond that bonus arrangement has been established here, so it would be premature to assume the port will be sold separately or added to another edition later.

Its presence nevertheless adds extra historical weight to Wings of Theve. Ace Combat 8 is arriving not only as a new chapter, but alongside a version of one of the older games most cherished by dedicated players. The pairing invites direct comparison between the series' past and present--and, based on the initial review response, the new game appears well equipped to handle that scrutiny.

A late contender in a crowded awards year

Despite becoming one of 2026's better-reviewed games, Ace Combat 8 may have arrived too late to be considered for the Golden Joystick Awards. That timing could keep it out of one prominent awards conversation, even as its critical standing puts it in company with games already being discussed as contenders.

Missing a particular eligibility cutoff would not diminish the significance of the launch. The more important result for Ace Combat is that Wings of Theve has returned the franchise to a position of critical prominence after a long interval between numbered entries. An 87 average, a top-20 position among new releases for the year when ports are excluded, and a place just below Shattered Skies in the series rankings create an exceptionally strong opening narrative.

Of course, review averages are only one part of the picture. The lasting verdict will be shaped by players, by the game's mission design and replay value, by the strength of its community, and by whether its story and soundtrack linger in the way the series' most treasured campaigns have. But the early evidence is clear: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has not merely returned. It has arrived as one of the franchise's most accomplished and celebrated entries.