Ace Combat is beloved for its cinematic arcade dogfighting, dramatic radio chatter, and larger-than-life ace fantasy.
The series works because it makes fighter jets feel fast, readable, and heroic without turning every mission into a strict simulator. You get missile locks, special weapons, rival aces, huge skyboxes, emotional briefings, and missions that constantly push you into another spectacular aerial crisis.
TL;DR – Upcoming Games Like Ace Combat
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Finding upcoming games like Ace Combat is not just about looking for anything with jets. The magic of Ace Combat comes from a very specific mix: accessible flight controls, high-speed missile combat, mission-based structure, emotional squadron storytelling, and the feeling that one pilot can change the course of a war.
The four games below approach that formula from different angles. One is the official continuation of the franchise, one leans into classic flight shooter campaign design, one turns aerial combat into a stylish roguelike spectacle fighter, and one deliberately channels the retro-futuristic energy of late 90s flight action.
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Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the most obvious pick here because it is the next mainline entry in the series. Set for 2026, it puts players back into the Strangereal universe with a new conflict centered around the Federation of Central Usea, the Republic of Sotoa, and the symbolic title of the “Wings of Theve.”
The setup already feels very Ace Combat. You are a fighter pilot pulled into a desperate military situation after being rescued by the aging aircraft carrier Endurance. Your homeland has been shattered, your side is on the back foot, and the name you inherit is tied to both propaganda and hope. That blend of personal identity, national crisis, and airborne heroism is exactly the kind of drama the series has always handled well.
Mechanically, this looks like the safest bet for fans who want the classic formula: fast arcade-style dogfights, powerful weapons, large aerial battlefields, and cinematic missions built around spectacle rather than hardcore simulation. The official feature set also points to dynamic multi-layered cloudscapes, first-person story scenes, and time between missions spent bonding with squad members.
That makes it not just a game like Ace Combat, but the one that should carry the core Ace Combat DNA forward. If you loved Ace Combat 7 for its mix of beautiful skies, readable combat, intense mission pacing, and melodramatic radio chatter, Wings of Theve is the upcoming release to watch first.
Why You Might Like It
- It is the direct continuation of the Ace Combat formula.
- The story leans into Strangereal politics, ace mythology, and homeland defense.
- The mission design promises fast arcade dogfighting rather than strict flight simulation.
- Dynamic skies and squad-focused storytelling should deepen the cinematic feel.
Project Red Sun
Project Red Sun is an upcoming combat flight action game built around the fantasy of becoming a heroic ace in a world-scale conflict. Instead of focusing on a grounded military sim approach, it clearly aims for the same flightcade space that Ace Combat fans understand immediately: dramatic missions, dangerous enemy aces, specialized aircraft, and huge airborne threats.
The game casts you as Wildcat 1 of the First Republic’s Air Vanguard, fighting against the corporate armies of the Coalition. That premise gives it a strong political war-story backbone, but the appeal is still very much in the sky. Expect dogfights, strike missions, airships, mercenaries, megastructures, and a campaign built around arcade flight action.
What makes Project Red Sun fit the Ace Combat crowd is how strongly it emphasizes the role of the ace. Ace Combat has always made you feel like the one pilot who can crack an impossible operation open, and Project Red Sun seems to chase that same power fantasy. The difference is tone: this one frames the battle as a fight against corporate armies and global exploitation, giving its aerial war a sharper anti-corporate edge.
It also looks promising for players who like structured campaign progression. With 20+ missions, bespoke aircraft and weapons, secrets, side objectives, and large battlefield targets, it has the ingredients for that satisfying Ace Combat loop: briefing, sortie, escalation, impossible odds, victory, and the next operation.
(And it looks like a sequel to Project Wingman, but with a SimplePlanes vibe visual-wise.)
Why You Might Like It
- It focuses on heroic ace combat in a full campaign structure.
- The enemy mix includes aces, airships, megastructures, and corporate armies.
- The tone feels big, political, and dramatic without abandoning arcade action.
- Specialized jets and weapons should give each sortie a strong loadout identity.
DELIVERY MUST COMPLETE
DELIVERY MUST COMPLETE is the wild card on this list, and that is exactly why it is exciting. The easiest pitch is also the best one: it is Ace Combat meets Devil May Cry. Instead of simply copying mission-based jet combat, it pushes the idea of aerial dogfighting toward spectacle fighter territory, complete with style rankings, flashy movement, parries, upgrades, and roguelike structure.
You play as the Courier, and the mission is simple on paper: deliver the package. Naturally, the destination is in the middle of an all-out warzone, so every run becomes a high-speed mess of aircraft, blimps, dragons, mechs, and whatever else the battlefield throws into the sky. It is not trying to be the sober military cousin of Ace Combat. It is trying to be louder, stranger, and more stylish.
The Ace Combat connection comes from its arcade-paced aerial combat and ace fantasy. You still weave through enemies, dodge incoming attacks, boost through danger, and dominate the sky. The Devil May Cry side comes through in how the game rewards stylish performance. You are not only surviving a dogfight. You are performing one.
The roguelike structure gives it a very different rhythm from a traditional Ace Combat campaign. Procedural maps, changing weather, terrain anomalies, random events, and upgradeable planes should make each run feel less like a fixed mission and more like a fresh aerial gauntlet. For players who want Ace Combat speed but with more replayability and style-chasing, this could be the most unusual pick here.
Why You Might Like It
- It directly blends Ace Combat-style dogfighting with Devil May Cry-style flair.
- Style rankings, parries, drifting, and boosts make combat feel expressive.
- Procedural battlefields add roguelike replayability to the flight action formula.
- The cel-shaded look and absurd enemy variety give it a strong identity.
Supermaneuver
Supermaneuver is an upcoming retro flightcade action game with a strong late 90s and early 2000s aesthetic. It feels especially interesting for fans who love the more cyberpunk side of Ace Combat, particularly the mood of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, where futuristic aircraft, corporate power, and stylish presentation all collide.
The game takes place in the world of 20XX, a retro-futuristic setting defined by war, megastructures, corporate pressure, and unstable politics. You play as Ozzy, a pilot working with a state-sponsored privateer group called Ximango. That mercenary angle gives the story a different flavor from Ace Combat’s usual patriotic ace narrative, but the structure still fits: pick a side, fly dangerous missions, and become a decisive force in the sky.
Supermaneuver’s appeal is not only nostalgia. It promises fast, snappy, intuitive arcade flight handling, retro-futuristic aircraft, original weapon designs, skillful AI, large battlefields, and a single-player campaign with two different paths. That branching structure could make the war feel more personal, especially if your missions and enemies shift based on the path you choose.
For Ace Combat fans, the strongest connection is tone and texture. This is not just “jets in the sky.” It is the whole package: stylish aircraft, dramatic conflict, radio-friendly war fiction, a pilot identity, and a visual language that feels pulled from the era when futuristic flight games looked angular, colorful, and slightly dangerous.
Why You Might Like It
- It has a strong late 90s and early 2000s retro flight combat style.
- The cyberpunk war setting should appeal to fans of Ace Combat 3.
- Branching campaign paths add replay value and narrative choice.
- Fast arcade handling keeps it closer to Ace Combat than to hardcore simulation.
Ace Combat remains special because it understands that aerial combat is not only about aircraft. It is about speed, pressure, music, radio chatter, impossible objectives, rival pilots, and the fantasy of becoming the one ace everyone remembers.
These upcoming games capture different parts of that appeal. Ace Combat 8 carries the official legacy forward, Project Red Sun builds a fresh heroic flightcade campaign, DELIVERY MUST COMPLETE turns dogfighting into stylish roguelike chaos, and Supermaneuver brings back the retro-futuristic edge of classic arcade flight action.