The fastest million in the series' 30 years, announced a week after ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE launched

Worldwide sales of ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE have passed one million copies. In its October 9 announcement, Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe said it was the fastest game to reach that mark in the series' 30-year history[1]. The announcement came a week after the official October 2 launch. This article is current as of October 10, 2026.

A record for the first mainline game in seven years

ACE COMBAT is a flight combat series in which players fly real-world fighter jets through fictional wars. This is the first new mainline entry in seven years. Players who preordered the Deluxe Edition could start playing on September 29, ahead of the worldwide release on October 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam)[1].

The scale becomes clearer when set against the series as a whole. In a Japanese press release dated September 29, Bandai Namco Entertainment said worldwide shipments across the series had reached at least 21 million copies[2]. The series celebrated its 30th anniversary in June 2025[1]. The latest announcement means ACE COMBAT 8 reached one million sales faster than any other entry. It does not, however, give the number of days earlier games took to pass that mark.

Bandai Namco Entertainment also highlighted the game's critical reception. It said that, based on critics' scores on a review aggregation site, the game ranks second in the series, behind ACE COMBAT 04: Shattered Skies, released for PS2 in 2001[1].

Steam's figures leave out consoles

Figures for the PC audience can be checked separately on Steam. In Steam's most-played rankings for October 8 (UTC), ACE COMBAT 8 placed 79th, with a peak of 29,578 concurrent players that day[5]. These figures count Steam users only, so they do not include people who bought the game on PS5 or Xbox.

Online play was another focus of Bandai Namco Entertainment's sales announcement. The game's online multiplayer is the largest in the series and supports crossplay, allowing players on different platforms to play together. A virtual air base accommodating up to 100 players serves as the lobby, with both PvE against computer-controlled enemies and PvP against other players available[1].

The end-of-November deadline for Season 1 rewards

Online rewards follow a seasonal schedule, with each season lasting two months. Every season has a 100-level Ace Pass, and completing both the free and premium tracks awards 500 Ace Coins[3]. The featured reward on the Season 1 premium track is the experimental aircraft ADFX-02 Morgan PIXY. To get it, you need to register a premium Ace Pass before the end of November. The rewards change from the next season onward[3].

If you're buying now, prices start at KRW 89,800 on Steam's Korean store[4]. If you only plan to play the campaign, you can start without worrying about the season schedule. If you also want PIXY as an online reward, it's best to put the end-of-November deadline on your calendar first.

Sources

[1] Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe. ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE soars to million seller faster than any other title in the 30-year franchise. Press release, October 9, 2026.

[2] Bandai Namco Entertainment (PR TIMES). エースコンバットシリーズ最新作『ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE』本日9月29日よりアーリーアクセス開始. Press release, September 29, 2026.

[3] Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe. Find Your Reason to Fight in Season One of ACE COMBAT ONLINE. October 1, 2026.

[4] Valve. ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Steam store page (Korea). Accessed October 10, 2026.

[5] Valve. Steam most-played games API. Statistics for October 8, 2026 (UTC). Accessed October 10, 2026.