Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Steam player count smashes record, as reviews praise missions

Bandai Namco’s latest addition to the Ace Combat series may be more popular than anticipated. The Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Steam player count hit a new high on October 3rd. On the first weekend after its release date, the game peaked at over 52,000 concurrent players. Reviews lauding mission design have propelled it to a number three times higher than the 7th entry.

Ace Combat finds a new audience

The combat flight franchise has a limited presence on Valve’s marketplace. Following its console debut in 2011, Assault Horizon arrived in January 2013. SteamDB shows it attracted a maximum of 3,795 pilots taking flight simultaneously.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown then landed in 2019 and reached a peak concurrent player count of 13,758. Once Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Steam early access closed, it zoomed past its predecessor. The interest among PC users is particularly impressive for a franchise with PlayStation roots.

Even with a successful start, reviews have noted familiar disappointments. Fans had hoped that two entries from the series would launch on the Ace Combat 8 release date.

Pre-order snafu

Originating as a PS2 game in 2006, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War was a pre-order extra. Unfortunately, buyers discovered they needed Wings of Theve installed to access the title. Bandai Namco apologized for the confusion, explaining licensing restrictions forced them to treat the bonus as DLC.

Other gamers cite performance issues and lower-than-expected frame rates. That has led PC audiences to issue a mostly positive 74 percent rating. Regardless, these drawbacks haven’t significantly impacted the Ace Combat 8 Steam player count.

Matching Metacritic reviews, most buyers believe the game delivers action-packed dogfights. A strong solo campaign and story boost gameplay, with mission variety keeping players engaged. Fans also compliment the presentation, especially the dramatic soundtrack.

If developers optimize performance with patches, that may encourage PC gamers with lower-end rigs to return. Even so, multiplayer options often determine long-term participation, and opinions are more mixed on these modes.