Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, which officially launches on October 1, is already drawing fire on Steam over a pre-order bonus mishandling that has pushed its reviews into Mixed territory. Although the game is being played early by owners of the $90 deluxe edition and critics are calling it “the best Ace Combat has ever felt,” Bandai Namco’s confused approach to delivering Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War on PC has left enough players angry to tank its reception.
The controversy centers on how the studio, Project Aces, and publisher Bandai Namco have packaged The Belkan War, a port of a beloved PS2-era entry widely regarded as one of the series’ finest. Anyone who pre-ordered Wings of Theve on any platform gained access to the game, but the PC implementation has proven far messier than the console versions. According to a report from Eurogamer, the company apparently miscommunicated how the title would be deployed on PC, and players are now reaping the consequences.
A Standalone Game That Isn’t Standalone
On console, The Belkan War ships as a standalone application, meaning players can launch it independently of Ace Combat 8. On PC, however, the situation is different. An early version of the game’s Steam store page read, “Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War is a standalone application separate from the Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve full game,” strongly implying it would mirror the console experience. Players have since discovered that the game is instead being treated as DLC, requiring the full Ace Combat 8 to be downloaded before The Belkan War can even launch.
This distinction matters more than it might seem. For players hoping to take The Belkan War on the road via Steam Deck, the requirement to download the 150GB base game is a significant burden. Achievement hunters are equally frustrated, noting that because The Belkan War is bundled as DLC, it will not carry its own Steam achievements or activity tracker. The Steam page has since been updated to reflect the DLC nature of the game, but the damage to player sentiment appears done.
“I was shocked to find out that ACE COMBAT ZERO was actually a DLC executable that is dependent on ACE COMBAT 8 rather than an actual standalone app on steam. This means the way to access the 4GB ACE COMBAT ZERO game is to download and install ACE COMBAT 8 which is 140GB??”
Ace Combat 8 player, Steam review
Another reviewer captured the mixed feelings shared by many longtime fans: “I’m grateful to finally get to play the official PC version of supposedly one of the best games in the series, but it’s incredibly disappointing to see how it has been implemented on Steam.” The sentiment underscores a familiar frustration in modern gaming, where a beloved classic is made available only through cumbersome packaging that undermines the very convenience players expect.
Performance Woes Compound the Backlash
The pre-order bonus confusion is not the only source of discontent. A number of negative reviews are also tied to the actual performance of Ace Combat 8, with players citing memory leaks, frequent crashes, and incompatibility with third-party flight sticks. For a game built around the thrill of aerial dogfighting, the latter issue is particularly jarring, as flight simulation peripherals have long been a cornerstone of the series’ appeal.
The situation is all the more frustrating given how warmly the game has been received by critics. As reviews are saying, Wings of Theve represents the franchise at its most polished, with the studio’s ambitions described as “bigger than ever.” The contrast between critical acclaim and a troubled PC launch has only sharpened the disappointment among fans who expected a smoother rollout.
Looking Ahead
Bandai Namco and Project Aces now face the task of repairing goodwill ahead of the October 1 full release. While the Steam page has been corrected to reflect the DLC status of The Belkan War, players are left wondering whether the underlying implementation could be improved and whether the performance issues will be addressed in a post-launch patch. For now, the Mixed reviews stand as a warning sign that even a critically acclaimed game can stumble when the details of its delivery fall short.
As the franchise’s first new mainline entry in seven years, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve carries significant weight for its community. Whether that weight proves to be a triumph or a cautionary tale may well depend on how the studio responds to the concerns raised in the days and weeks ahead.
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