Real ones will know that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is one of the most exciting games of 2026, and it seems fans of the franchise will be in for a treat.
Bandai Namco announced the latest entry in its arcadey fighter jet action series during The Game Awards 2025, and we've yet to hear much else about it.
However, eagle-eyed fans appear to have spotted some movements in the game's Steam page that hint at a couple of quite exciting things to come.
Via SteamDB, several mentions of a CNT (Closed Network Test) can be found in the update data for AC8's Steam page. There are also mentions of Ace Combat Online, which might be the name for the title's online multiplayer hub.
Perhaps even better news is there are also mentions of Ace Combat Zero. Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, to give it its full name, is a PS2 classic and a fan favourite game in the series.
It's theorised that this game could be a pre-order bonus for AC8. There's precedent for this; Bandai Namco made a remastered Ace Combat 5: Squadron Leader a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
So, it's looking like the next game in the series will receive some sort of online beta test prior to launch, and that you might get Ace Combat Zero as a bonus if you pre-order.
Both of these things seem pretty plausible to us, but of course we'll have to wait and see what Bandai Namco says. Hopefully an official update on AC8 isn't too far away — the game is due for release sometime this year, after all.
Would you like to see an online beta for AC8 in the near future? Would you pre-order if it included AC Zero? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source steamdb.info, via x.com, mp1st.com]
Comments 13
Is ace combat 5 still avaiabl3?
@TheFakulty
Yes it is, but its more a port not a remaster
@TheFakulty Not to purchase, it was only available as part of the PS4 AC7 pre-order.
Sale of the game was not possible due to the licenses needed for all the aircraft; but they were able to give it away as a freebie without having to pay license fees.
@FX102A that makes sense why i cant see it as an add or dlc.or separate game in store
I love this series. I'm really happy the next installment is on the way. It'll be one of the 2-3 games I preorder this year because the quality's always very good and AC Zero was great.
Here is hoping we get a PS5 remaster of Ace Combat 6. It's been stuck on the Xbox all these years.
I wish I could play AC5 today. I did everything on it on PS2, a true classic. AC Zero is great too, but I like 5 more.
Day 1 pre-order! Zero doubt!
@FX102A I had wondered why they were leaving money on the table.
I remember getting the Code for Ace Combat 5 with my Ace Combat 7 purchase, so I could play that until 7 released. It is an excellent port with a little bit of polish. Silky smooth 60fps and looks great. I hadn't planned on getting 8 at launch but if there's a whole other Ace Combat thrown is as a pre-order, then it's a no brainer.
Love a bit of Ace Combat. Hated Air Combat, didnt play Ace Combat 2, but loved Ace Combat 3 and since then, it’s been one of my favourite franchises.
Really gutted this isn’t getting PSVR2 support. The 3 missions in Ace Combat 7 were mind blowing.
Aces of Thunder for PSVR2 is getting some good reviews though, definitely getting the deluxe version of that and breaking the Hotas out again at the weekend.
They haven't announced if it will have PSVR2 support yet, right? That would probably sell it to me, as I haven't used mine in ages and think this would be perfect for it.
Yeah it's crazy to this day that the only way to get the PS4 port of AC5 (calling it a remaster is a bit generous) was to pre-order AC7.
I know that it's due to licensing, but if they could release as a pre-order bonus with a bit of a wink and nod, let's be real, I'm sure they also could do something like release it as a "free" bonus with a $10 digital deluxe upgrade or something like that.
I pre-ordered AC7 so I don't have that problem, but it's real shame that people who maybe just weren't in the PS ecosystem at the time don't have a good modern way to play that game outside of emulation.
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