Early access to Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has been met with significant community backlash on PC due to the handling of a key pre-order bonus. While players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S receive Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War as a standalone application, PC players on Steam find it bundled as downloadable content for Ace Combat 8.
This change, which appears to have occurred without prominent notice, has drawn criticism for several practical reasons. The game's Steam listing was updated to state that "Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (Steam version) is available as a DLC executable launched separately from the base game. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve must be installed in order to utilize DLCs." Previously, the listing indicated it would be a separate, standalone product.
Players who pre-ordered the game specifically to play the classic Ace Combat Zero on their Steam Decks are particularly disappointed. "I preordered on Steam specifically to play Zero on Deck," one user stated. The requirement to install the full Ace Combat 8, which is approximately 135GB, to play the under-4GB re-release of the 2006 title is a major point of contention. This integration also means that The Belkan War does not have its own achievements or cloud save support, with all game data now associated with Ace Combat 8.
While Ace Combat Zero can technically be launched separately by navigating to its executable file within Ace Combat 8's installation directory, the dependency on the main game remains. This issue is absent on consoles, where the re-release functions as intended with its own distinct application.
As of this report, Ace Combat 8 holds a 'Mixed' user review rating on Steam, with over 1,350 reviews posted. The controversy surrounding the Belkan War bonus is overshadowing discussions about the new game itself and remains a prominent topic on the Ace Combat subreddit. Eurogamer has reached out to Bandai Namco for comment.