Current-game fact: Bandai Namco's official site confirms four playable classes — Fighters, Attackers, Multirole Aircraft, Electronic Warfare Aircraft — and names the F-14A pre-order plane plus the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- Season 1 Premium Ace Pass reward. Legacy boundary: ACE COMBAT 7: Skies Unknown, ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR, and other prior franchise titles do not transfer their plane rosters, tier structures, or unlock rules into ACE COMBAT 8. Unannounced: the full enumerated list of planes inside each of the four classes, the count of base-game aircraft, additional pre-order console bonuses, and the post-season aircraft purchase window.
Quick Answer
Bandai Namco's official site confirms ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE pilots four playable aircraft classes — Fighters, Attackers, Multirole Aircraft, and Electronic Warfare Aircraft — shared between Campaign Mode and ACE COMBAT ONLINE. The pre-order bonus plane for every edition is the F-14A, and the Season 1 Premium Ace Pass Level 1 reward is the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY-. Deluxe cosmetics ship the F-4E MOBIUS SQUADRON skin and the F/A-18C TEAM ZVEZDA skin, plus Scarlet missile smoke and the Tasha Costume Set. A full enumerated list of every plane in each class has not been published; reopen the Bandai Namco All You Need To Know page for updates.
Playable plane classes
| Class | Role on the official site | Where it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Fighters | Air-superiority and dogfight specialists | Bandai Namco games/ace-combat-8 |
| Attackers | Ground-attack and anti-ship sortie aircraft | Bandai Namco games/ace-combat-8 |
| Multirole Aircraft | Mixed air-to-air and air-to-ground loadouts | Bandai Namco games/ace-combat-8 |
| Electronic Warfare Aircraft | Stand-off jamming and radar support roles | Bandai Namco games/ace-combat-8 |
Named planes referenced by Bandai Namco
| Plane | How Bandai Namco names it | Confirmation status |
|---|---|---|
| F-14A | Pre-order bonus playable aircraft on every edition | Confirmed (Steam + Bandai Namco) |
| F-4E Phantom II | Returning fan-favorite airframe; F-4E MOBIUS SQUADRON skin ships with Deluxe cosmetics | Confirmed (Bandai Namco) |
| F/A-18C | F/A-18C TEAM ZVEZDA skin ships with Deluxe cosmetics | Confirmed (Bandai Namco) |
| F-14D Super Tomcat | Named as a returning fan-favorite airframe | Named in Bandai Namco copy |
| Typhoon | Named as a returning fan-favorite airframe | Named in Bandai Namco copy |
| ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- | Season 1 Premium Ace Pass Level 1 reward and Deluxe voucher unlock | Confirmed (Bandai Namco + Steam Deluxe list) |
How to unlock each non-base plane
Pre-order on Steam
Every Standard, Deluxe, Joker Flight Pack, and Premium Joker Flight Pack pre-order adds the F-14A plus ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR (Steam Version) to the Steam Library on pre-order confirmation.
Done when: F-14A appears in the in-game hangar and the Belkan War title activates in Steam.
Deluxe / Joker Flight Pack cosmetics
Deluxe tiers ship the Customizable Cosmetic Set: the F-4E MOBIUS SQUADRON skin, the F/A-18C TEAM ZVEZDA skin, Scarlet missile smoke, and the Tasha multiplayer costume. These are cosmetic variants of confirmed base planes, not new airframes.
Done when: Cosmetic skins and smoke show up in the livery selector on the matching base aircraft.
Premium Ace Pass Season 1
Premium Ace Pass tracks refresh every two months. Season 1 Level 1 unlocks the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY-. PREMIUM ACE PASS PLUS includes a 30-level skip voucher and is the fast path for new Premium planes.
Done when: ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- shows up in the hangar after claiming the Season 1 Level 1 reward.
Post-season purchases
After each Premium Ace Pass season ends, Bandai Namco plans to offer the season's aircraft for separate purchase. Treat the post-season price and window as unannounced until the season closes.
Done when: Watch the official ACE COMBAT 8 store page for the post-season aircraft listing.
Find the playable ACE COMBAT 8 plane roster by class and see which aircraft are unlocked through pre-order, Deluxe cosmetics, and ACE PASS.
Unconfirmed claim from the planning notes: the Bandai Namco copy does not publish an "18-plane base roster," the EA-18G Growler, or the Su-33 as named playable planes — treat those as unconfirmed until Bandai Namco publishes them.
FAQ
What is the pre-order bonus plane for ACE COMBAT 8?
The F-14A is the pre-order bonus playable aircraft for every ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE edition on Steam, alongside ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR (Steam Version). Both items activate on pre-order confirmation, not on release day.
How many aircraft classes are in ACE COMBAT 8?
Bandai Namco's official site lists four playable classes — Fighters, Attackers, Multirole Aircraft, and Electronic Warfare Aircraft — shared between Campaign Mode and ACE COMBAT ONLINE. The full enumerated list of planes in each class is not published.
What does the Premium ACE PASS Season 1 reward unlock?
The Season 1 Level 1 Premium ACE PASS reward is the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY-. PREMIUM ACE PASS PLUS includes a 30-level skip voucher, so holders unlock the new aircraft and the surrounding cosmetics faster than the normal track.
What skins ship with the Deluxe Joker Flight Pack?
The Customizable Cosmetic Set adds the F-4E MOBIUS SQUADRON skin, the F/A-18C TEAM ZVEZDA skin, Scarlet missile smoke, and the Tasha multiplayer costume. These are cosmetic variants of confirmed base planes, not new airframes.
Does ACE COMBAT 8 include planes from earlier games?
Bandai Namco copy names the F-14D Super Tomcat, F-4E Phantom II, and Typhoon as returning fan-favorite airframes, but ACE COMBAT 8 is a new franchise entry with its own roster. The Steam-shipped ACE COMBAT ZERO pre-order bundle is a separate store-shipped add-on, not a roster inheritance.
Will there be DLC aircraft for ACE COMBAT 8?
Bandai Namco plans to make Premium ACE PASS aircraft available for separate purchase after each season ends, but the post-season price and window are unannounced. Reopen the Bandai Namco All You Need To Know page after launch for the post-season store update.