is an arcade-style combat flight simulation video game series by Project Aces, an internal development team of Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. Debuting in 1995 with Air Combat for the PlayStation, the series includes eight mainline installments, multiple spin-offs, and other forms of media, such as novels, model kits, soundtrack albums, and a web series. Since 2012, the series has been developed primarily by Bandai Namco Studios through its internal development group, Project Aces.
The Ace Combat franchise emphasizes fast-paced action and dramatic, anime-styled plots with semi-realistic gameplay; for example, aircraft have flight dynamics controls and can stall, but are also able to carry dozens of missiles. The series features a range of aircraft including accurate or slightly modified representations of modern military aircraft, prototypes that were never adopted (or even built) in real life, and fictional boss-type superweapons. The main series of games is set in "Strangereal", a fictional universe loosely based on the real world, featuring similar events and entities but with an entirely different history largely centering around advanced technology and the aftermath of an asteroid impact event in the 1990s; certain games, however, are set in fictional renditions of the real world.
As of 2023, the Ace Combat franchise has shipped over copies worldwide, and has established itself as one of the longest running arcade flight action franchises.
Setting
Most installments in the Ace Combat series are set in "Strangereal", the series' fictional universe. Strangereal's Earth features entirely different nations, geography, continents, and history compared to the real world, though some nations, locations, and events are loosely based on those from real life, and most aircraft in the series are real models with few alterations.
Strangereal is very similar to the real modern world, but with significantly more advanced technology that allows for the development of superweapons and theoretical devices such as aerial warships, laser weapons, railguns, submarine and airborne aircraft carriers, orbital weapons, mass drivers, lethal autonomous weapons, nearly-sentient artificial intelligence, and advanced experimental aircraft. Nuclear weapons exist, but international agreements and nuclear terrorism are implied to have inhibited their development and use, resulting in a lack of nuclear deterrence and a greater focus on conventional weaponry in arms races. This makes large-scale interstate warfare common, and many nations field large militaries with diverse equipment, develop superweapons, train elite special forces-esque "ace" fighter squadrons, or hire mercenaries to augment their forces.
Most Ace Combat games are set after a 1999 impact event in which the asteroid "Ulysses 1994XF04", on a collision course with Earth, split into numerous fragments, some of which were destroyed by anti-asteroid weaponry but others still struck the planet, causing widespread destruction and global crises. The international tensions caused by the Ulysses impact and its aftermath play a large role throughout the series, and some of the games' superweapons are, or originate from, anti-Ulysses devices. Another major event in the series' continuity is the 1995 "Belkan War", a World War II-esque conflict in which the advanced ultranationalist nation of Belka attempted to invade neighboring countries during an internal crisis, was repelled by an international coalition, and used nuclear weapons on their own territory to prevent a retaliatory invasion, causing their defeat and earning them global condemnation and scorn; Belkan nationalists seeking revenge for their defeat play major roles in some of the games.
As shown in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, the nations of Strangereal shown in most of the series are eventually superseded by sovereign megacorporations. Strangereal was later established as part of Bandai Namco's United Galaxy Space Force shared universe, representing the earliest period in its timeline, in which the nations of Strangereal unite to form a world government around 2090.
Ace Combat: Joint Assault, Assault Horizon, and Infinity are not set in Strangereal, and are instead set in their own fictionalized versions of the real world, albeit with technology similar to Strangereal's.
Games
+YearTitlePlatformMainline titles1995Air CombatPlayStation1997Ace Combat 21999Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere 2001Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies PlayStation 22004Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War PlayStation 2, PlayStation 42006Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War PlayStation 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S2007Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation Xbox 3602019Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch2026Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/SSpin-off titles2011Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 3602014Ace Combat Infinity PlayStation 3Handheld console titles2005Ace Combat AdvanceGame Boy Advance2006Ace Combat X: Skies of DeceptionPlayStation Portable2010Ace Combat: Joint Assault2011Ace Combat: Assault Horizon LegacyNintendo 3DSMobile titles2009Ace Combat Xi: Skies of IncursioniOS2010Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Trigger Finger2011Ace Combat: Northern WingsJ2ME Ace Combat main chronology Air Combat (1995) is the debut entry of the series, being released as a launch title for the PlayStation in North America and titled Ace Combat in Japan. Produced by Kazumi Mizuno as a port and successor to a 1993 arcade game of the same name, the plot centers around a team of mercenary pilots hired to defeat a terrorist organization that has seized control of the Skully Islands. Air Combat introduced the series' arcade-like gameplay, a contrast to most other flight sim games at the time. In 2005, Air Combat was released for Japanese mobile phones under Namco's game subscription service. Ace Combat 2 (1997) was released for the PlayStation, and created out of Namco's dissatisfaction with Air Combat from a technical standpoint. Designed by Masanori Kato, Ace Combat 2 follows Scarface, a mercenary squadron (the same from Air Combat) who are hired again to defeat a coup d'état that threatens the continent of Usea. The sequel builds upon its predecessor in several ways, adding new mission types, playable aircraft, and multiple difficulty options. Ace Combat 2 was re-released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 through NamCollection, a Japan-exclusive collection of Namco-developed PlayStation games. In 2011, the game was remade for the 3DS as Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy, featuring new levels, an updated plot, and new game mechanics. Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (1999) was published for the PlayStation, being the last game in the series for the console. While the previous two games carry a modern-day aesthetic, Electrosphere uses a futuristic aesthetic and setting, and follows a conflict between the megacorporations Neucom and General Resource, and the peacekeeping organization UPEO, in a dystopia where corporations have superseded nation states to compete for power. Electrosphere is heavily reliant on story, with branching stage paths and anime-style video emails with full voice acting. The international versions of the game cut down much of its story and content to accommodate for financial constraints. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (2001) was the first game in the series to be developed by Project Aces, then-known as the "AC04 Project". Released for the PlayStation 2 and renamed Ace Combat: Distant Thunder in Europe, it was the first entry in the series to thoroughly flesh out Strangereal as the main setting. Initially intended as a series reboot, Shattered Skies returned to the gameplay structure of Air Combat and Ace Combat 2, with fast-paced action and mission variety in a more linear plot. The game's plot tells the story of Mobius 1, a fighter pilot whose legendary exploits during a continent-wide war become instrumental in stopping the country of Erusea's plans to conquer all of Usea. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (2004) was released for the PlayStation 2, renamed Ace Combat: Squadron Leader for Europe. Produced by Kazutoki Kono and Project Aces, The Unsung War is one of the most expansive titles in the series, with over 50 playable aircraft and 32 campaign missions, along with fully animated cutscenes. The plot follows the members of Wardog Squadron, who uncover a conspiracy fueling a large-scale war between the global superpowers of Osea and Yuktobania. The game also features an arcade mode, following Mobius 1 on a mission to defeat Erusean holdouts. In 2018, Bandai Namco Entertainment re-released The Unsung War for the PlayStation 4 as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 7, with slight modifications to allow it to run properly on the console's hardware. Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (2006) was released for the PlayStation 2, renamed Ace Combat: The Belkan War in Europe. It was the last Ace Combat game developed by Namco before their assets were folded into Bandai Namco Games, who published the game outside Japan, just a week after its launch in Japan. The Belkan War serves as a prequel to The Unsung War, combining ideas and mechanics from both it and Shattered Skies and explaining plot details and lore mentioned in The Unsung War's story. The plot, told through retrospective narration, recounts the exploits of Galm Team, a pair of mercenary pilots hired to defend the country of Ustio and its allies from an invasion by Belka in 1995. The Belkan War will be re-released as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8 on Playstation 5, Xbox Series and PC through Steam, with slight modifications to allow it to run properly on all systems. Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (2006) was released for the PlayStation Portable as the first entry in the series to be released on the PSP. The game features the ability for the player to choose their own route through the campaign, allowing for multiple different mission combinations in each playthrough. Its plot follows a war between the neighboring countries of Aurelia and Leasath, and the actions of Aurelia's Gryphus Squadron in the fight against the invading Leasathean forces. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (2007) was released for the Xbox 360, marking the series' debut on a Microsoft platform. It was the first Ace Combat title to implement online multiplayer and downloadable content, which have become staple inclusions since. Alongside a standalone release, Namco Bandai bundled Fires of Liberation with the Ace Edge, a flight stick designed by Hori specifically for the game, and a custom Xbox 360 console faceplate. Its story revolves around an invasion of Emmeria by the neighboring country of Estovakia, and the subsequent efforts of Emmerian forces to take back their country, led by the pilots of Garuda Team. In 2018, Bandai Namco Entertainment re-released Fires of Liberation for the Xbox One as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 7, with slight modifications to allow it to run properly on the console's hardware. Ace Combat: Joint Assault (2010) was released for the PlayStation Portable as the first game in the series to be set in the real world. The game's campaign features cooperative gameplay for up to four players, and new aerial combat mechanics that simplify dogfights. Joint Assaults plot follows the pilots of Martinez Security, a private military company hired to help defeat a heavily armed global terrorist force.