Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve becomes the series’ fastest game to sell a million copies

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has passed one million units sold worldwide, and no earlier game in the flight combat series got there faster. Bandai Namco confirmed the milestone this week. Early access opened on 29 September 2026, ahead of the full worldwide release on 2 October.

The publisher has not said exactly how many days the game took to cross the line. It has only said that no earlier entry in the franchise’s 30-year history reached the figure as quickly. The series celebrated its 30th anniversary in June 2025.

Wings of Theve is the first mainline Ace Combat in seven years. That long gap probably helps explain the pent-up demand. The game is out on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

Critics have been kind, too. Eurogamer reports that the game sits between 86 and 88 on Metacritic, depending on platform. That puts it second among the series’ best-reviewed games. Ace Combat 4 still holds the top spot with a score of 89, a mark set more than two decades ago that the new game came close to matching.

Multiplayer is the other headline feature. Bandai Namco calls it the largest online offering the series has had. It supports cross-play and includes both PvE and PvP modes. Players gather in a virtual Air Base lobby that holds up to 100 people. According to Eurogamer, that hub also offers co-op PvE and PvPvE modes alongside social features, so squadrons can meet up before taking off.

For long-time pilots, the cross-play support matters most. A multiplayer community split across three platforms can thin out quickly. Shared lobbies make it easier to find full matches, which should help an online mode that the publisher is clearly pushing harder than in previous instalments.

Bandai Namco has not yet shared any post-launch plans or a second sales figure. For now, its stated record stands at one million units, reached within days of the 2 October launch.