Ace Combat 8 Multiplayer Reveal Pits 100 Pilots in a Shared Air Base With Cross-Play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC

Bandai Namco Entertainment America has published a full "Online 101" trailer for ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, laying out what the publisher is calling the largest online offering in the franchise's history. The new trailer introduces an Air Base virtual lobby that can host up to 100 players from around the world, two main competitive modes, time-limited event missions and cross-platform play across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.

The reveal, posted on the official Bandai Namco Entertainment newsroom on September 1, 2026, walks through how ACE COMBAT ONLINE — the game's multiplayer component — fits alongside the campaign. Online play is a standalone experience with its own progression track, separate save data and a free seasonal ACE PASS that runs on a two-month cadence. Deluxe Edition owners get a voucher they can redeem for one season of the PREMIUM ACE PASS, which adds bonus rewards and instant access to aircraft such as the ADFX-02 Morgan–PIXY in Season 1.

Two core modes anchor the offering. Co-Op Assault is a PvE score race in which two teams of four pilots compete against NPC forces inside a time limit. Co-Op Warfare adds PvP on top, pitting the two teams against each other in the same airspace with land, sea and air NPCs also in the mix. Players build a "Threat Level" by chaining kills; pilots who hit three stars are styled as "Aces," and the team with the higher aggregate score at the end of a match walks away with the larger reward payout.

Two extra modes can pop up at random during Co-Op sessions. Scramble sends a four-player team against a heavy NPC rival air squadron, while Emergency Sortie drops up to eight pilots into one of the franchise's signature "iconic colossal weapons" encounters — essentially a rematch against legendary ACE COMBAT bosses. Limited-time PvP events also return, with 4v4 Team Deathmatch and 8-player Free-for-All deathmatch formats on the schedule.

The Air Base is the connective tissue. Pilots spawn in as customized avatars with selectable face and feature options, mill around with emotes, group up for sorties and queue matchmaking for up to four-player co-op sessions. Between sorties, the lobby doubles as a hangout: a Bandai Namco arcade corner with playable Pac-Man and other classics, and a Jukebox that plays tracks from prior ACE COMBAT games for pilots waiting between missions.

Bandai Namco has not added paid loot boxes or randomized paid rewards; players can preview every item in the ACE PASS track before buying. The PREMIUM ACE PASS is also sold separately outside the Deluxe Edition voucher. Progression unlocks aircraft, upgrade parts, performance enhancements and both pilot and jet customization items.

ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is scheduled to launch on October 2, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam, with Deluxe Edition holders getting three days of early access from September 28, 2026. Pre-orders are open through the official site and Steam.