Ace Combat 8 is the fastest selling entry in the series after hitting 1 million sales

Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 8 has sold more than one million copies after little over a week on sale.

That marks Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve as the fastest-selling game in the series, and the second-best-reviewed game in the series according to review aggregates, being narrowly beaten by Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies.

The game currently sits at a “Generally Favorable” score of 87 on Metacritic.

“Ace Combat 8 has surpassed 1 million copies worldwide faster than any other title in the series,” reads a post on the Bandai Namco social accounts. “Thank you to all the ace pilots around the world for your support in reaching record-breaking heights!”

That’s not because of a lack of competition, according to brand director Kazutoki Kono, who spoke with VGC earlier in 2026.

“Looking at the current market as of 2026, if you cast your eyes to not only mainstream but independent sectors as well, there are more games in the flight shooter genre than people may think,” he told VGC.

“But what Ace Combat has, and the others don’t, is the accumulated capital that has been acquired over the last 30 years, whether it be storytelling or the knowledge and the depth and breadth of aircraft available — this is something that is very hard to replicate.

“Additionally, when you look at other flight shooter genres, a lot of them just have you fly and then go into dogfights. Whereas for the Ace Combat franchise, it is a hero-making experience that the player will go on to by overcoming challenges to ultimately become the ace pilot. So there is this very clear aim that really makes it completely different for the players.”

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.