Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is currently 80% off on Steam, bringing the aerial combat game down to $15 (£12) ahead of Ace Combat 8, which is scheduled to release in October. The current Steam deal had about 22 hours left at the time of reporting.
That gives PC players a short window to try the 2019 entry before the next game arrives. Ace Combat 7 is not a traditional flight simulator built around cockpit procedures and technical lessons. Its focus is fast, accessible aerial combat, with players lining up targets, securing missile locks, and turning every sortie into a cinematic dogfight.
Why Ace Combat 7 still works
The game’s aircraft and interface look grounded in military detail, but the campaign is far more theatrical than that presentation suggests. Missions can begin with familiar objectives such as destroying radar installations or enemy fighters before escalating into battles against enormous machines, drone groups, and set pieces built around difficult navigation.
Its story follows three separate threads that gradually come together. The campaign eventually sends players into major battles involving a massive space elevator, a pilot treated as the finest in the world, and an advanced drone that handles unlike the aircraft faced earlier in the game.
That steady escalation keeps the basic combat loop from feeling too narrow. Barrel rolls, missile locks, and carefully timed launches make up most encounters, but the objectives keep changing around those actions. Aircraft selection also matters between missions, with some jets better suited to dogfighting and others more useful for bombing runs.
Ace Combat 7 also commits fully to its melodramatic side. Cutscenes dwell on grand speeches, fictional political conflict, and pilots reaching for a better future, all while the campaign sends players into increasingly absurd battles. The contrast between serious military hardware and oversized anime-style drama is a large part of the game’s appeal.
The launch trailer captures that mix of aircraft, missile combat, and cinematic spectacle.
What the Steam discount includes
The $15 Steam package includes the Top Gun Maverick DLC, along with its additional aircraft. Those planes can make some early campaign missions much easier, so players looking for the intended challenge may want to hold off on using them until later.
Players who already claimed the game on console may know it from February’s PlayStation Plus lineup. For PC players who missed that opportunity, this Steam price offers a relatively inexpensive way to see why the series has built such a dedicated following before Ace Combat 8 arrives.
Ace Combat 7 is a strong fit for anyone who wants a focused campaign, dramatic set pieces, and arcade-style flying without committing to a full simulator. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Developed by Project Aces
Leveraging the trueSKY technology and developed utilizing Unreal Engine 4, Ace Combat 7 will astound players with beautifully rendered skies and highly detailed cityscapes but also set the stage for the most engaging aerial battles in the franchise’s storied 20 year history accompanied with an immersive soundtrack. Ace Combat 7 will take the elements that the series is known for to a whole new level! Aces who have proven their combat prowess in Ace Combat 7’s campaign mode can take their dogfighting skills further with furious online multiplayer battles.
PlayStation4 players will also be able to get immersed in ACE COMBAT 7’s realism through exclusive features developed specifically for PlayStationVR.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Arcade
- Platforms PlayStation 4, PlayStation VR, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer
- Release January 18, 2019
- Publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment
-
Age Rating
