Choose ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN
Choose ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89% positive across 22,155 reviews.
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN and ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE 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 7 years older than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (2026). ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN scores higher on Steam reviews (89% positive) than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (84.1% positive). 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 8: WINGS OF THEVE
Choose ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE if you want the Online Co-op, DualShock Controller Support, and DualSense Controller Support side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 22,525 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN and ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, 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 |  ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2026 |
| Genres | Action, Simulation | Action |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 59.99 USD | 69.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89% positive (22,155 reviews) | 84.1% positive (22,525 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Bandai Namco Studios Inc. | Bandai Namco Aces Inc. |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (2019) is 7 years older than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (2026).
- ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN scores higher on Steam reviews (89% positive) than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (84.1% positive).
- ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is currently ~14% cheaper on Steam than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (59.99 USD vs. 69.99 USD).
- ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE has co-op; ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN does not.
- ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE has no Deck rating yet.
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN vs ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE — FAQ
- Which is better, ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN or ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE?
- On Steam reviews ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN scores higher (89% positive) than ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (84.1% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN or ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE first?
- If you want chronology, ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (2019) came out before ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE (2026). 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 ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE 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 ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN is rated Deck Verified by Valve. ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.