The company Bandai Namco has released a new gameplay overview trailer for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. The eight-and-a-half-minute clip sticks to one thing: the local online mode.
Multiplayer casts you as a custom mercenary pilot (not tied to the main campaign). The airbase works as a hub where up to 100 users can be present at once, e.g., to pick missions or hang out. Complete tasks to earn rewards — i.e., cosmetic items to tweak your avatar and the jets you fly.
The developers outline two primary online modes:
- Co-Op Assault — a PvE setup where two teams of four try to accumulate points by destroying NPC opponents. Missions swap enemy types, so some aircraft will shine in certain matchups while others struggle.
- Co-Op Warfare — a PvP format with two teams of four battling one another. Combat mixes direct player fights with control over additional support forces across different domains (naval, ground, aerial). As pilots score, their threat level rises; higher threat means more points per kill, but it also hands bigger point swings to whoever takes you down.
There are also time-limited mission variants. Scramble sends your four-player squad against a high-level NPC unit, while Emergency Sortie throws you and seven other pilots into fights with gigantic, series‑famous weapons — brutal encounters that reward success handsomely.
PvP will get limited-time events too, including eight-player free-for-all matches.
For extra unlocks the studio points to the Ace Pass battle pass. Each season lasts two months, and the included rewards are available separately — a la carte purchases are possible.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is due October 2 on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series; Russian text localization is included.