IndustryConfirmed30 September 2026Updated 1 October 2026

Ace Combat 8's free Ace Combat Zero is annoying the people who pre-ordered for it

Pre-ordering Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve gets you Ace Combat Zero, on PC for the first time - but on Steam it runs as a DLC executable inside a 140GB install rather than its own game, and negative reviews are piling up.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve — game art via IGDB

Update — 1 October 2026

Bandai Namco has finally addressed the pre-order bonus itself. In a post published October 1, the Ace Combat team says it has had questions about how Ace Combat Zero is distributed and offers an explanation: "Due to licensing restrictions and platform-related considerations, it cannot currently be released on Steam as a standalone application," and so the publisher "chose to make ACE COMBAT ZERO available through ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE." That is the first time the company has confirmed the packaging was a constraint rather than a choice about convenience, and it is also the first time it has apologised for the complaint at the heart of this story: the post says sorry "for any confusion or frustration caused by our failure to clearly communicate this distribution method in advance." On whether anything will change, the team says it has reviewed player feedback and is "currently evaluating possible options, including discussions with our platform partners," while warning that "at this time, we cannot guarantee that any changes will be made." Notably, the statement does not repeat the expired-aircraft-licence explanation that circulated after the September 28 developer livestream, and it still does not explain why the console versions deliver Zero as its own game while the PC version runs inside Ace Combat 8.

Update — 30 September 2026

Bandai Namco's own European site settles the release timing this article had left open. The page states Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launches on October 2, 2026 at 00:00 CEST on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a three-day early access window opening on September 29 at 00:00 CEST for anyone who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition, the Joker Flight Pack or the Premium Joker Flight Pack. Steam's store data returning October 1 reflects the local unlock rather than a different date, and the October 2 figure is the publisher's. The same page also addresses what the pre-order bonus actually is, in Bandai Namco's own words: the included copy of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War "is not a remastered or updated version of the game. It is a ported version of the original game from 2006." Pre-ordering any edition before October 2 grants it, along with the F-14A for the main game. That wording is the clearest confirmation yet that buyers expecting a modernised Zero were expecting something the publisher never offered - though it still does not address the separate complaint at the heart of this story, which is that on Steam the port runs as a DLC executable inside Ace Combat 8's install rather than as its own game.

Update — 30 September 2026

Bandai Namco has now posted its first official acknowledgement of a problem with the Steam version, though it is not about the pre-order bonus. In a Product Notice on the game's Steam page, the Ace Combat team says it has received reports of unexpected crashes during play, apologises, and says the development team is investigating the circumstances. While that work continues it suggests two checks: making sure your graphics driver matches the version the game recommends at launch, and making sure the SSD holding the install has at least 16GB free with Windows virtual memory enabled. There is still no statement addressing the Ace Combat Zero packaging itself. Separately, the publisher released the closing episode of HOUR ZERO, the live-action prelude series, on the same day. Steam's listing continues to show October 1 as the full release date and the Deluxe Edition's three-day early access is live now, although some coverage has begun citing October 2.

Update — 30 September 2026

Bandai Namco's Steam page now says the quiet part out loud. Where an earlier version described Ace Combat Zero as "a standalone application separate from" the main game, the current listing reads: "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." That is the complaint, printed as a specification. There is also an explanation for why Zero is a bonus rather than a product. Reporting on a developer livestream held on September 28 says Bandai Namco told viewers the aircraft licences covering Ace Combat Zero have expired, so it cannot sell the port separately and can only give it away. The same reporting says the console version is a standalone game and only the PC version is a dependent DLC executable - so the difference players are angry about is a PC-only one. Bandai Namco has not issued a statement outside the stream.

Update — 30 September 2026

There is now an explanation for why Ace Combat Zero is bundled the way it is. Push Square reports that Bandai Namco cannot sell the game separately because the aircraft licensing agreements behind it have lapsed; the manufacturers granted permission to hand it out as a pre-order incentive, but only within the terms of the existing contract. That is also why the offer expires at launch rather than running on, and why only the first print run of physical copies carries a redemption code. Bandai Namco used the same arrangement with Ace Combat 7, which bundled Ace Combat 5. The licensing constraint explains the giveaway; it does not by itself explain why the PC version runs inside the Ace Combat 8 install while the console version does not, and Bandai Namco has not addressed that difference directly.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve releases on October 1, with deluxe edition buyers already flying. The $69.99 standard edition's pre-order bonus looked like an easy win: Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, the 2006 entry that has never been on PC, thrown in free. Instead it has become the loudest complaint in the game's early Steam reviews.

What the problem actually is

On Steam, Zero is not a separate game. The store page now states that it "is available as a DLC executable launched separately from the base game," and that Ace Combat 8 "must be installed in order to utilize DLCs." In practice that means installing roughly 140GB to play a two-decade-old game that accounts for about 3GB of it, according to PC Gamer's measurement of its own install.

The knock-on effects matter to the people who wanted Zero most. Because it is bolted to Ace Combat 8, it has no achievements list of its own on Steam and no separate cloud saves - both of which the console versions get, where Zero appears as its own entry in your library.

The wording changed

Some players have argued Bandai Namco's hands were tied by aircraft licensing, pointing to a September 28 developer livestream where the team said the licences only allow Zero to be given away rather than sold. PC Gamer notes the counter-argument: the console versions manage to package it separately anyway, and Steam already hosts unlisted, non-purchasable entries such as Hitman 3.

How bad is it

Ace Combat 8 is sitting in Mixed territory on Steam, with the Zero packaging appearing alongside complaints about performance, multiplayer connectivity, heavier flight physics and thin HOTAS support. Reviews from people who did not pre-order should start diluting that once the game is fully out.

Why it matters

A free 20-year-old game is a genuinely generous bonus, and the delivery method has turned it into a launch-week liability. It is also a reminder that Steam store fine print is a promise players read closely.

Why it matters

A goodwill bonus has become the top complaint in a major release's launch reviews, purely because of how it was packaged on one platform.