IMHO.

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs Blue Lightning

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN and Blue Lightning both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (2019) is 3 years older than Blue Lightning (2022). Blue Lightning is currently ~92% cheaper on Steam than ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (4.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN

Choose ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN if you want a Simulation game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 22,155 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Blue Lightning

Choose Blue Lightning if it's currently about 92% cheaper on the Steam Store. Blue Lightning launched in 2022.

Both ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN and Blue Lightning sit in Action on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Side-by-side comparison

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs Blue Lightning — Steam metadata comparison
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN — Steam game coverACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWNBlue Lightning — Steam game coverBlue Lightning
Released20192022
GenresAction, SimulationAction
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedUnrated
Price59.99 USD4.99 USD
Steam reviews89% positive (22,155 reviews)3 reviews
MultiplayerMulti-playerSingle-player only
DevelopersBandai Namco Studios Inc.Epyx, Inc.

Side by side

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs Blue Lightning — FAQ

Should I play ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN or Blue Lightning first?
If you want chronology, ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (2019) came out before Blue Lightning (2022). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN and Blue Lightning similar?
They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
Does Blue Lightning have multiplayer like ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN?
No. ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Blue Lightning is listed as single-player only.
Does ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN run on Steam Deck?
Yes — ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Blue Lightning doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs Blue Lightning (2026) · imho.run