Here’s what you need to run Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve on PC
Ace Combat 8 demands ray tracing-compatible hardware
Bandai Namco have released the PC system requirements of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, which launches on PC and consoles on October 1st. The game will be the first in the series to use Unreal Engine 5, and with that shift come significantly higher system requirements. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown used Unreal Engine 4.
On PC, Ace Combat 8 calls for SSD storage and ray tracing-compatible graphics cards. This makes Ace Combat 8 the first game in the series to utilise ray tracing. Ray tracing is a non-optional feature in Ace Combat 8, implying that the game uses RT-accelerated Lumen lighting.
Ace Combat 8 PC System Requirements
Ace Combat 8’s minimum system requirements target 1080p 30 FPS gameplay, while its recommended system requirements target 1080p 60 FPS gameplay. Note that 32GB of system memory is recommended, and 125GB of SSD storage is required.
With this game recommending Nvidia’s RTX 3070 and AMD’s RX 6800 XT for 1080p 60 FPS gameplay (with upscaling), it is clear that Ace Combat 8 will be a demanding game on PC. PC gamers will need a high-end PC to run this game at higher resolutions or with higher graphical settings.
Minimum:
-
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060[6 GB] / AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT[8 GB]
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 125 GB available space
- Additional Notes: This game requires an SSD, a hardware ray tracing-enabled graphics card, and DirectX 12 with Shader Model 6.6 or higher. Estimated performance: 1920×1080(Upscale)/30fps with graphics settings at “Low”. Framerate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes.
Recommended:
-
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
- Memory: 32 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070[8 GB] / AMD Radeon RX 6800 [16 GB]
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 125 GB available space
- Additional Notes: This game requires an SSD, a hardware ray tracing-enabled graphics card, and DirectX 12 with Shader Model 6.6 or higher. Estimated performance: 1920×1080(Upscale)/60fps with graphics settings at “MEDIUM”. Framerate might drop in graphics-intensive scenes.
Ray Tracing support is now mandatory
Ace Combat 8 is one of many new PC games that require hardware-accelerated ray tracing to operate. In 2026, ray tracing is no longer a niche feature that can be ignored. It is often a vital part of modern gaming visuals, so much so that it can’t be turned off.
You can join the discussion on Ace Combat 8’s PC system requirements on the OC3D Forums.
