ACE COMBAT 8 Online Explained: Modes, Lobby, Ranks and ACE PASS

ACE COMBAT ONLINE is the online mode of ACE COMBAT 8 and, in Bandai Namco’s words, its endgame content. This page explains how it works from the game’s official Japanese website, Bandai Namco’s Steam posts and the Steam store page. Mode names and menu labels are given as they appear in English on the official site and in the update notes.

What is ACE COMBAT ONLINE?

Players from around the world gather as mercenary pilots. The mode starts in an air base lobby that you explore with your own avatar, the first online lobby in the series. Up to 100 players can be connected to one lobby at the same time, and when you sortie, the game matches you with players worldwide, including players in other lobbies. The Steam store lists online co-op, online PvP and cross-platform multiplayer, and its description of the mode mentions cross-platform play.

How does progression work?

The loop has three steps: sortie on a mission, collect rewards, then spend them. Rewards buy new aircraft, upgrade aircraft you already own and customize your avatar. As you perform well in missions, your rank as a mercenary rises, and higher ranks widen the range of aircraft you can obtain. The official site doesn’t list the ranks or the reward amounts.

What are the main missions?

Mode	Players	How it works
CooP Assault	Two teams of 4	Both teams work through the same mission and compete for the higher score; rewards depend on the clear rank, and the winning team earns more
CooP Warfare	4 vs 4	The two teams fight each other with AI land, sea and air units in the battle; the team with the higher total score wins
Scramble	Team of 4	A rare special mission against a strong AI rival squadron
Emergency Sortie	Team of 8	A rare special mission against one of the series’ iconic superweapons, at high difficulty

CooP Assault rewards efficient teamwork. The enemies change from mission to mission, so different aircraft shine in each, and the official site encourages collecting a wide range of aircraft to match them.

CooP Warfare adds a threat level, shown as stars. If you keep scoring without being shot down, your threat level rises, and each star increases the points you get for destroying enemies. The catch is that a high threat level also raises the points the other team gets for shooting you down. A player who reaches three stars is recognized as an ace aircraft, and when one ace shoots down the other team’s ace, the score swings more than at any other moment, sometimes enough to decide the match. The official site sums up the strategy as raising your threat level as early as possible and scoring efficiently; the flip side is that a high-star player who gets careless hands the other team a large share of points, so staying alive matters as much as kills.

Scramble and Emergency Sortie appear only occasionally and for a limited time. Both pay more rewards if you win, so it is worth joining when one shows up.

Are there other modes?

Yes, as limited-time events: a 4-versus-4 team deathmatch and a deathmatch where all eight players are enemies. Some event missions limit the total cost of aircraft or the aircraft roles you can bring.

What is in the lobby?

The air base has facilities for obtaining and upgrading aircraft, customizing your avatar, and a Supply where you get items with in-game currency. There is also an arcade with classic Namco games (the update notes call the screen ARCADE GAMES), a jukebox playing music from earlier games in the series chosen for each season, and MILITARY TRAINING, where up to four players can sortie together.

How does the ACE PASS work?

Playing online earns ACE PASS XP, and each level of the pass gives a reward.

Pass	Free rewards	Paid rewards	Extra
ACE PASS	Yes	No	-
PREMIUM ACE PASS	Yes	Yes	-
PREMIUM ACE PASS PLUS	Yes	Yes	30 levels’ worth of ACE PASS XP

Bandai Namco plans to renew the PREMIUM ACE PASS every two months. It includes playable aircraft DLC right away and a range of cosmetics; in Season 1, the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- is the level 1 reward. Bandai Namco also plans to sell cosmetics for aircraft and avatars for virtual currency, and its update notes call in-game purchases ACE COINS. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes a PREMIUM ACE PASS PLUS voucher, as does the Japanese ACE of ACES BOX.

What has changed since launch?

Online play had a bumpy start. On October 9, Bandai Namco said matchmaking can be harder to establish than intended in certain environments and that one factor is players on PCs below the requirements, which can affect everyone in the same session. It asks online players to use Windows 11 and install the game on an SSD. Error ST-3100001 means the connection to the game server was lost; Bandai Namco’s fix is to synchronize the Windows clock and try again.

Update Ver. 1.01.002, scheduled for October 23, fixed players getting stuck after creating an account, the game not recovering when a controller was disconnected during the mission start sequence, some social features and landings not registering in MILITARY TRAINING, and adjusted the ARCADE GAMES screen. It also shortened how long three special weapons last online: ECM, ESM and IEWS. Bandai Namco says it is prioritizing improvements to ONLINE’s interface and menu controls, to arrive gradually.

What hasn’t been announced?

• When Season 2 of the pass starts and what its rewards are; “every two months” is a plan, not a date.
• The rank list: how many mercenary ranks exist and which aircraft each one unlocks.
• Event schedule: when team deathmatch and free-for-all events run.
• Specific matchmaking fixes: none beyond the Windows 11 and SSD advice so far.

For update status and known issues, see the updates page; for PC settings and crashes, the PC and flight stick page. If you’re new to the controls, start with the beginner guide. All guides are on the ACE COMBAT 8 hub.