On October 21, the official Ace Combat X account (@PROJECT_ACES) announced thatannounced that server maintenance for “ACE COMBAT ONLINE,” the online mode of “ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE,” will be conducted from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM (JST) on October 23, 2026, in conjunction with the V1.01.002 update.
Maintenance is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM on Friday, October 23, Japan Standard Time, and end at 5:00 PM. The announcement clearly states that *ACE COMBAT ONLINE* will be unavailable during maintenance. This post does not address what will happen if the maintenance takes longer than expected.
Maintenance is in conjunction with the V1.01.002 update
This maintenance is being conducted in conjunction with the release of the V1.01.002 update. However, the announcement only includes the dates and times and information regarding service unavailability; it does not specify what changes the update will bring.
The announcement also does not explicitly state which platforms are affected. Details regarding the changes must be confirmed in separately published patch notes or similar documentation.
The online mode touted as the largest in the series
"ACE COMBAT ONLINE" is the online mode for "ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE," which was released on October 2, 2026. Its progress and save data are separate from the campaign mode, and it is positioned as the largest end-game content in the series.
In online lobbies that can accommodate up to 100 players, you can create an avatar as a mercenary pilot and enjoy cooperative and competitive play with players from around the world. The core missions include “Co-op Assault,” where two teams of four compete for points, and “Co-op Warfare,” where you battle alongside land, sea, and air NPC units.
A previous Game*Spark article reported that the Ver. 1.01.002 patch notes included adjustments to the campaign difficulty and special weaponry in “ACE COMBAT ONLINE.” This maintenance is expected to be a temporary shutdown prior to the application of an update containing these adjustments.
"ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE" is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).
