Start the ACE COMBAT 8 campaign by clearing the UAVs in Jokers Wild, then intercept the reconnaissance aircraft. From there, Joker Flight’s job changes between carrier defense, ground support, superweapon attacks and escort duty. This walkthrough follows the prologue and all 30 numbered missions through Song of Wings and the epilogue, with the objective changes that can interrupt a first clear.
Campaign spoilers follow. For the game and supported platforms, see the official Steam page.
Campaign mission list
Prologue and sortie preparation
- Jokers Wild
- Nomad
- Purple Magic Takes Flight
- The Fall of the Numbered Fleets
- Retaking of Theve
- Attack on the Drinwich Airfield
- A Lifeline in the Desert
- Retaking of Theve II
- The Land Battleship Blockade
- Over the Rainband
- Maximum Payload
- An Island in Darkness
- The People of the Lost Country
- Two on the Run
- Wings of Wax
- Singer
- Land Battleship No. 3
- Moonlight and Shadows
- Clearing the Lighthouse
- Escort Orbiter
- The Star-Bound Bird
- Pursuing the HSCA
- The Destruction of Expo City
- The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1
- The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2
- Crossing Fleets
- Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress
- A Thousand Points of Light
- Selene
- Song of Wings
Prologue and sortie preparation
The opening takes Rex from the lifeboat to the carrier and then into Cope’s aircraft. Follow the flight and camera prompts through the civilian-aircraft escort and Shadow encounter. The crash is part of the story; it does not mean you missed a combat objective. After the rescue, the carrier scenes lead into Joker Flight’s first sortie.
Before launching, read the briefing and select the aircraft’s special weapon. Anti-air weapons suit Nomad and Maximum Payload. Ground and naval missions such as the Numbered Fleets and Faith Park need weapons that can reach surface targets. At Drinwich, precision matters because the supplies must survive. At Fatsia, explosive industrial targets make clustered damage useful. Use the available aircraft for these jobs; a first campaign clear does not require the endgame planes used in Ace S-rank replays.
1. Jokers Wild
Use the opening tutorial to learn targeting and missile range, or skip it if you already know the controls. Destroy the initial UAVs, then watch for the escorted reconnaissance aircraft. Select the recon target and close until you have a usable missile lock. Pursuing every escort first gives the objective aircraft more time to leave the fight.
Remove a fighter that is breaking your attack, then return to the reconnaissance target. Once the required aircraft are destroyed, follow the recovery sequence. Leaving the AWACS alive to trigger a named Ace is a replay objective, so it is unnecessary for this first-clear route.
2. Nomad
The attempted recovery turns into an Endurance defense. Intercept the attackers approaching the carrier, with bombers ahead of their fighter escorts. New formations arrive from different directions, so return toward the ship after a kill rather than following a retreating fighter out of interception range.
Multi-target anti-air weapons can clear a grouped bomber approach. If the carrier comes under attack while you are dogfighting, break away and destroy the aircraft making the bombing run. Continue through the later heavy-bomber waves until the mission releases you for recovery.
3. Purple Magic Takes Flight
White Valley’s radar installations need protection. Clear the opening helicopters north of the base, then intercept the successive aircraft formations moving toward it. Bombers can damage the defense network while their escorts keep you occupied, so put the bombing aircraft first whenever a wave approaches.
The battle expands as Purple Magic joins. Stay close enough to White Valley to reach the next threatened installation, and keep anti-air ammunition for the later bomber formations. The Shadow fighters arrive near the end; deal with them after the immediate strike threat to the base is under control.
4. The Fall of the Numbered Fleets
The expeditionary fleets occupy two ports on Newfield Island: Beltaport in the northwest and Anderson Port to the east. Bring surface-attack weapons. Strike ships and remove nearby SAMs or AA guns that prevent another attack run, then transfer to the other port as the fleet battle develops.
The defected Sharks add fighter pressure. Break their attack if it prevents you reaching a ship, but return to the naval targets once you have room. An optional tunnel flight is connected to a named Ace; the tunnel’s turns and obstacles add collision risk without helping the normal fleet objective.
5. Retaking of Theve
Support the landing craft on their approach to the capital. Attack helicopters, artillery, rocket launchers and vehicles firing into the landing force deserve priority. Make short trips ahead of the craft to remove shore weapons, then return to intercept the next aircraft approaching them.
The Land Battleship strike ends the advance and sends the survivors into retreat. Turn with them. Clear the aircraft and shore weapons attacking their withdrawal, and break off a straight attack run when rail-gun or artillery warnings appear. The sortie ends with the retreat covered; trying to resume the original landing assault keeps you in the wrong part of the battle.
6. Attack on the Drinwich Airfield
The opening aerial-refueling exercise asks you to overlap the guide icons by adjusting the nose and speed. Make small corrections while following the operator’s instructions. The on-screen skip option can take you past this sequence if you want to start the combat operation.
Protect the helicopter groups on the northern and southern routes into the airfield. Clear ground weapons ahead of the northern group, then cross to help Spread 2 and 3 when the southern group calls for support. Fighters matter when they attack the helicopters or interrupt your support run. Once one route is clear, check whether the other group needs help.
Keep the fuel and ammunition facilities intact. The operation needs to capture those stocks. At the airfield, select a hostile vehicle or weapon carefully and check what lies behind it before firing. Wide explosive attacks around storage facilities can destroy the supplies through secondary explosions.
After the helicopters reach their drop zones, follow the ground platoons into the base. Destroy the vehicles pinning them down, respond to bomber attacks, and intercept the escaping transport when it is clear of the protected storage. Later quadcopter threats also need removal when they attack the troops. If supplies explode and the operation aborts, retry with precise attacks on isolated hostile targets instead of another broad strike into the same cluster.
7. A Lifeline in the Desert
Faith Park requires 24,000 points before the timer runs out. Its target clusters include the northern solar plant, western airfield, eastern ammunition storage and southern refinery. Work through a nearby cluster before making a long crossing. Fuel trucks and explosive installations can damage several surrounding targets, while guns let you save missiles on lighter structures.
For the ammunition target inside the hillside tunnel, descend toward the entrance and fire through the opening. An attack from above cannot reach it. Cross the return line for resupply if your remaining weapons cannot handle the unfinished sectors, then return to the attack.
Reaching 24,000 does not immediately end the sortie. Continue destroying nearby targets during the remaining time. A score above the requirement means you have met the mission threshold; it does not require a trip across the map to erase every last contact.
8. Retaking of Theve II
Clear the marked defenses to let the landing force establish itself, then protect the troops as they advance. Howitzers and incoming armor can stop them from moving. Remove an artillery group between vehicle waves, using an explosive target nearby when it gives you a safe way to damage the emplacement.
Break away from ground targets when bombers approach the friendly force. Shoot down the bombers, handle the Shadow fighters threatening the operation, and resume ground support once the immediate air attack is gone. A later Shadow encounter follows Coster’s dangerous engagement, so keep weapons for that last fight instead of spending everything in the opening bombardment.
9. The Land Battleship Blockade
Protect the IED VEHICLE bomb trucks approaching the Land Battleship. Its secondary treads begin behind armor. The trucks must reach the hull and detonate to expose them, so destroy guns and quadcopters attacking the vehicles. Shooting at the covered tread position before the armor is removed wastes the opening.
Destroy the eight secondary treads, four on each side, as they become available. Finish reachable exposed components on one side, then reposition for the other. A slowdown is useful, but the battleship can resume moving after this phase. Stay alert for the next order instead of searching for a ninth tread.
The ground force prepares another containment demolition. When Remaining Distance appears and the explosive structure is marked, attack that target immediately. It has to collapse before the battleship passes the containment point. Finish the marked demolition targets as command calls them out; a fighter chase or wide setup turn can use up the remaining distance.
The final movement system consists of two rocket thrusters. Select the exposed THRUSTER targets and keep hitting them until both are destroyed. Reset your angle between passes if defensive fire forces you away, then return to propulsion damage. If the battleship gets through a containment stage, use the retry to switch objectives sooner; additional damage to an earlier component cannot replace the current demolition or thruster task.
10. Over the Rainband
Protect the fleet between Tonitra Spear warnings. Jamming hides the guidance airships in the Rainband, but their laser beams reveal the direction to search. When a beam appears, follow it back through the clouds toward its source and destroy the airship.
The first strike is scripted, so its impact does not mean you failed the later interception. Subsequent countdowns give you a chance to stop the guidance. The last wave has two active airships. After destroying one, turn toward the other beam immediately. Clearing the entire drone screen first lets the second source keep guiding the strike.
11. Maximum Payload
Look for the Podarge transports’ broad contrails when cloud and electronic warfare make radar detection unreliable. Follow a trail toward its aircraft, close the distance and attack exposed engines or propellers. Propulsion damage slows the transport and makes later passes easier.
Stay with a damaged Podarge until destruction is confirmed. Smoke and missing components can appear while it is still carrying its cargo toward Rocky Island. Remove a defensive gun if it covers the wing you need to attack, then return to propulsion. Break clear of a falling transport’s enormous wreck before selecting the next one.
The 55th Unit adds fighter pressure later. Interrupt a fighter that prevents the next transport attack, then reacquire the Podarge. Once every transport is destroyed, you can commit to the remaining air battle without leaving cargo aircraft free to escape.
12. An Island in Darkness
Fort Grays needs protection from C-130s dropping cruise-missile pallets. You can destroy a pallet before its missiles launch. Once missiles are airborne, select and intercept them before they reach the base, even if that means leaving a nearly defeated fighter behind.
Transport aircraft arrive from more than one direction. Remain within reach of Fort Grays after the first interception, and watch the next transport or pallet instead of chasing one fighter away from the island. As distance warnings shorten, missiles already headed for the base take precedence over the aircraft that released them.
13. The People of the Lost Country
The reconnaissance sortie becomes an escort for the resistance transport. Move a short distance ahead along its route and destroy AA positions, vehicles and portable launchers that threaten it. Return toward the transport after clearing that section so the next attack does not start behind you.
A fuel leak makes the final approach urgent. Clear the landing area before the transport gets there, then protect it through the approach. If it is shot down, the retry needs closer support along the transport’s path. Clearing distant enemies does not keep a launcher beside that path from firing.
14. Two on the Run
You escape in an unarmed aircraft. The expected road out is blocked. Take the alternate road around the mountain and follow its curve while building takeoff speed. Keep the aircraft aligned through the exit. There are no missiles to solve the approaching enemy threat.
After takeoff, the special glasses show radar coverage and quadcopters across the canyon. Follow the gaps between the coverage zones and keep canyon walls between you and the sensors. Climbing above the terrain exposes you to more of the search network; unnecessary detours also use the limited fuel.
When pursuit closes near the mushroom cloud, enter the cloud for concealment and correct for turbulence while moving through it. As soon as you emerge, descend back into the canyon and pass through the next gap. If detection brings fighters onto you, keep moving through cover. Turning to fight cannot help an aircraft with no weapons.
15. Wings of Wax
Bring anti-air weapons for the heavy bombers threatening the fleet. Work the exposed engines and vulnerable sections, then extend far enough to make another approach. Jamming and cloud can break your lock, so reacquire the bomber before firing another missile.
When a bomber begins a dive or an anti-ship attack, stop working on escorts and interrupt the strike. Intercept missiles already heading for the fleet if they are closer to impact than you are to stopping the bomber. Continue until both major bomber threats are down and the fleet can regroup at Axel Bay.
16. Singer
Select a CONTAINER SHIP and hold the target-focus control shown on screen to inspect it. Look for a sun emblem on the hull and three deck cranes on the same vessel. If one feature is hidden, reposition for a view of that part of the ship while keeping your weapons safe. There are three disguised terrorist ships among the stationary civilian traffic.
Once you can see both features on the same vessel, sink it. Listen for the “Disguised ship sunk” radio report to confirm the result, then inspect the next shipping cluster. A missile lock alone does not identify a civilian ship as hostile.
The radio gives preparation-time warnings while the terrorists assemble explosive UAVs. If launch begins, select the EXPLOSIVE UAV targets and climb to intercept them. Destroy the drones before they reach the 12,000-meter mark. Attack the highest or most advanced drones before working down through the group, and continue until all are confirmed destroyed.
A UAV launch gives you a recovery route; it does not instantly end the mission. Once drones are airborne, sinking the last ship cannot remove them. Finish the airborne count. Deliberately waiting for launch belongs to the Currus replay condition, so a normal clear should identify the ships promptly.
17. Land Battleship No. 3
Clear the SAMs, radar and AA positions in the friendly bombers’ approach corridor. Their planned strike depends on reaching the release point, so concentrate on the defenses firing into that route before attacking the battleship.
Keep changing your line during rail-gun warnings, and protect Bigfoot Flight through its approach and bomb release. The bomber strike compromises the battleship’s armor, but the main cannon remains active.
When command orders the cannon attack, aim through the holes opened in the armor at the main cannon inside. Set up a firing line through a breach instead of hitting an intact armor plate. Destroy the cannon and wait for MISSION ACCOMPLISHED; remaining ground targets do not need cleanup once the sortie is complete.
18. Moonlight and Shadows
Cross the Rainband toward the launch facility. This approach does not require you to clear the guidance airships. Preserve weapons while following the route, then respond when Shadow Squadron attacks Queen Flight. Engage the pursuers threatening your allies and keep moving during the laser-guided Spear strike.
When the enemy disengages and the operation sends you south, resume the rocket interception. The launch facility must remain usable: do not destroy the rockets on their pads or at low altitude. Position for the ascent and wait for liftoff and the attack order.
Destroy both climbing rockets before they pass the reachable ceiling. Finish one when you have a clean solution, then transfer to the second. The next marked target is falling wreckage headed for the launch center. Continue attacking it as it breaks into fragments, and stop only when the operation confirms the debris is gone. Two rocket kills alone leave this final danger unresolved.
19. Clearing the Lighthouse
Stop Land Battleship No. 2 from sending its cargo up the Space Elevator. Attack the cargo targets while keeping shots off the elevator itself. Clear the anti-air weapons threatening Bigfoot Flight before the bombers reach their pull-up point.
The bombing run opens a hole in the battleship’s armor. Attack the marked breach until the ship stops. This apparent shutdown is temporary: its weapons reactivate, and the damaged cooling system begins venting heat through unarmored openings.
Select the HEAT VENT targets and fire while their openings are exposed. When a vent closes, use that time to line up the next pass instead of firing into its cover. The rail-gun warning still requires evasive movement, even with the battleship stopped.
As the fight moves to the remaining main guns, attack their exposed cooling slits when marked. Continue through the final heat-vent and gun targets until the battleship explodes. Its first halt and the destruction of one main gun are intermediate results. The elevator’s damaged appearance during the following scene is part of the mission’s conclusion.
20. Escort Orbiter
Stay near the transport carrying the shuttle. When the large missile appears, leave the dogfight and destroy the missile directly. Its image-recognition guidance cannot be defeated by chaff or flares, so another defensive maneuver by the transport cannot replace your interception.
Return to escort position after the kill so another launch does not catch you far away. Later aircraft take over the transport’s protection. Once that handoff is confirmed, join the remaining air battle instead of continuing to circle an escort objective that has ended.
21. The Star-Bound Bird
The launch-defense score target is 21,000 points. Build that score by destroying the attackers while keeping the shuttle and control center alive; points alone cannot save an unprotected launch facility. The countdown resumes as enemy pressure drops.
Defend the shuttle and flight-control center through the launch countdown. Intercept aircraft and ships attacking those facilities. Magnolia’s ESM coverage supports the later air battle, so use the displayed support area while engaging the heavier formations.
The eastern air base provides resupply and weapon changes. Clear an immediate strike on the launch complex before taking that trip, then refill while the attack is controlled. Preserve enough anti-air ammunition to keep defending through the remaining countdown stages; the first cleared wave is only part of the launch operation.
22. Pursuing the HSCA
Catch the Heavy Strategic Control Aircraft, Celaeno, before it escapes toward Fatsia. Attack its propellers to slow it, clearing a defensive weapon if it blocks your approach. The supporting UAV formation changes during the pursuit; do not mistake the destruction of an escort for damage to Celaeno.
Destroy the marked WING SPAR components to break away the main wings. This exposes the MAIN ENGINE targets where the wings separated. Approach from the side for a shot into an exposed engine, and keep clear of the shield because contact damages your aircraft.
After the armor opens farther, aim through the gap at the GENERATOR. Engines falling off do not finish the interception while the aircraft still has power. Destroy the generator and stay alert through the satellite operation. As soon as the objective-complete withdrawal order arrives, leave the rail-gun firing zone.
23. The Destruction of Expo City
Reach the 24,000-point target at Expo City while supporting the friendly advance. A land destroyer or rail-gun position can pin an assault group even when many nearby targets are already gone. Destroy the reported obstruction, then transfer to the next stalled group once the troops resume moving.
Ships in the bay later bombard the operation. Silence that naval threat before returning to the inland fight. Use the return line when low ammunition prevents you handling the next heavy target group; crossing away from a pinned platoon with usable weapons still aboard delays its progress.
24. The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1
Protect Alpha, Bravo and Charlie as they establish separate beachheads. Destroy coastal weapons firing into their landing craft, then shift toward the group under the greatest pressure. Their routes develop at different speeds, so check the other groups after each local defense is cleared.
Once the landings hold, support the advance toward the Turntable and geothermal plant. The plant provides the protected position the force needs against the coming Tonitra Spear threat. Keep ground-attack weapons for the inland defenses, and finish opening the route before spending the remaining ammunition on isolated aircraft offshore.
25. The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2
Earn 16,000 points during the opening attack so the troops can begin the push toward enemy headquarters. Destroy the heavy vehicles and defenses along their routes. The end of the initial attack timer leads into the assault rather than the end of the mission.
The eastern and western forces need alternating support. When one stops advancing, destroy the weapons pinning it and check the other route. Stay flexible as new land ships, defensive positions and fighter pressure appear across the operation.
This is a long surface battle with a return line. Use guns against lighter targets when safe, preserving missiles and stronger surface weapons for heavy units. Resupply before those weapons become the reason an assault group cannot move. As the troops approach the final objective, stay within reach of their last push.
Shadow fighters interrupt the advance and attack Joker Flight as well as the ground force. Shoot down that formation so the assault can resume, then return to the defensive lines blocking the eastern and western units. Additional fighters, including Gemma’s FA-36, arrive during the later push; keep enough anti-air weapons to handle that pressure.
Support the four breach points when the final assault reaches headquarters. After the troops enter the facility, the Immortals request a strike on a marked wall beside the command room. Hit their designated target to open the breach. Once the command room falls and Rocky Island surrenders, obey the cease-fire order and let the departing carrier pass.
26. Crossing Fleets
The initial fleet battle requires 20,000 points before its timer expires. Keep allied vessels alive while building the score. Reaching the threshold early leaves you defending the fleet through the remaining attack time.
Respond to fleet reports during the naval and air battle. Bombers and anti-ship weapons attacking allied vessels need interception first. When friendly bombers need an approach, clear the radar or AA positions covering their route, then return to the ships or aircraft currently threatening the fleet.
If the next ship engagement needs more surface weapons than you have left, cross the return line to refill. Fleet reports can move the fight away from your current targets, so check where allies need help after each attack run.
After the timer ends and the enemy retreats, an UNKNOWN aircraft begins striking the fleet from high altitude. Follow the order to engage it, evade its rail-gun warnings and fire during the brief attack openings. This encounter continues into a scripted attack on Rex and Baxter’s intervention; it is not an ordinary boss that you must destroy before the story can advance.
When the hostile withdraws, escort the injured Baxter toward the Endurance. Match his slower flight, remain close and respond to the dialogue prompts while the crew guides him in. Keep flying the escort through his descent and landing, then follow your own landing clearance. The later recovery scenes follow that sequence.
27. Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress
Build structural damage along Fatsia’s outer arms. Support pillars beneath the platforms can collapse the deck above them; fuel tanks and other explosive industrial targets can damage neighboring structures. Work a reachable cluster, remove guns blocking that approach and continue along the arm while useful targets remain.
An underside pillar attack puts you close to the structure and its defenses. Line up the target, fire and leave enough space for the next turn. If that approach is covered by heavy fire, use the explosive facilities on a clearer attack line. You do not need to destroy all eight arms.
Stop firing as soon as command orders a surrender and hold fire. Let the exchange finish. The subsequent Spear threat sends Joker One toward an opening in the central structure, where the fusion reactor becomes the target. Leave the outer arms. Give yourself room outside the opening to line up a straight approach before entering. Keep the nose centered in the passage while lining up the reactor attack.
If the first reactor strike produces a report of no change in heat signature, its protection has been damaged but the core still needs another attack. Fly clear of the passage before turning. Loop outside the structure, straighten for another entry and select FUSION REACTOR again on the return approach. Re-enter and fire before the closing shutter blocks the shot.
The high heat-signature report confirms the reactor’s destruction. Surviving exterior arms do not need cleanup afterward.
28. A Thousand Points of Light
The opening target is 60,000 points, but the Sema Island defense continues through further reinforcements and objective changes after you reach it. Bring an anti-air setup for a long sequence of bomber and fighter waves.
Prepare for a prolonged air-defense battle at Sema Island. Intercept bombers moving toward the base, then clear fighters while the immediate bombing threat is gone. Retreating aircraft can draw you away just before another formation arrives, so keep the island within reach.
Friendly squadrons arrive as the battle develops. Once the base confirms resupply is ready, clear the current bomber approach and use the runway if your weapons are running low. Return with ammunition for the next wave. A low-ammo warning during an active attack does not make it safe to abandon the base immediately.
The enemy regroups after appearing to withdraw. Kate then returns with mercenary support, and another reinforcement group requires you to restore the air situation within its window. Take efficient kills near the island, interrupt incoming bombers and reduce the fighter pressure before the timer expires. Continue through the late formations until the mission confirms victory.
29. Selene
Moon 11 is using a targeting laser to guide a Tonitra Spear toward the disabled Land Battleship near Theve. Keep pressure on her aircraft until that guidance threat is stopped. Her hard turns make brief locks unreliable: maintain enough speed to stay in the engagement and fire when her path gives the missile a better chance to connect.
Use wingman pressure to attack from another angle. If cloud breaks your lock, reposition and acquire her again instead of spending another missile on the lost solution. Defeating Moon 11 resolves this sortie’s guidance fight, but the campaign still has one final carrier-defense mission.
30. Song of Wings
Stay near the Endurance and destroy incoming anti-ship missiles. The submarine begins underwater, so its hull gives you no opening target. A missile closing on the carrier matters more than its launch point. Keep maneuvering room around the ship while staying close enough to intercept the next approach.
Destroy the first laser-guidance UAV group when it appears. These drones maintain the Tonitra Spear’s targeting, and ordinary fighter kills cannot remove that guidance. Continue intercepting missiles during the UAV fight. After the drones are gone, escort the Endurance into the Rainband as further underwater launches and splitting swarm missiles approach.
The Rainband airship’s laser can be taken over and redirected toward the submarine. Keep defending the carrier while the crew completes this; there is no player passcode or interaction to enter. When hostile UAVs try to regain the guidance, destroy every one before the strike. A friendly laser pointing at the submarine is insufficient while an enemy guidance drone remains alive.
After the counterattack forces the submarine to surface, remove its marked weapon systems. VLS launchers keep feeding missiles into the fight; AA guns matter when they prevent your approach. The 20%, 50% and 80% reports describe destroyed armaments, so treat them as weapon-stripping progress rather than the submarine’s remaining hull health. If it dives again, clear missiles and drones already airborne while staying with the carrier.
Once the visible VLS launchers are gone, attack the newly marked underwater launch tube. It can still launch an anti-ship missile. Destroy it and clear weapons already in flight, then wait for the next update.
The disarmed submarine turns toward the Endurance for a ramming attack. Shift all remaining fire to the hull. Use missiles, special weapons and the gun between reloads until the submarine floods and the collision threat is resolved. Searching for another component during this phase wastes the short final attack window. The following carrier-survival sequence leads into the epilogue and closes the campaign.
After the first campaign clear
For Ace of Aces, the separate requirement is an S rank on all 30 missions at Ace difficulty. Clear the campaign on Elite to unlock Ace, then use Free Mission for the later attempts. Those runs can prioritize score, named Aces and aircraft unavailable in an opening campaign sortie.
Keep replay goals separate when choosing a mission. An S-rank run can need additional kills before the final TGT, while the first-clear route above usually protects the threatened ally or stops the current escape. Singer’s deliberate UAV launch and Newfield Island’s risky tunnel flight are examples of optional named-Ace conditions. Completing the story does not itself finish all Assault Records, aircraft purchases, medals or achievements.