Bandai Namco Aces investigates PC crashes in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve

Bandai Namco Aces confirmed on Nov. 2, 2026 that it is investigating crashes in the PC version of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.

The studio released a PC update letting players disable Async Compute through the System menu as a temporary workaround. Bandai Namco Aces said its initial findings link asynchronous computation to stability problems on certain GPUs. The studio continues to investigate multiple other crash causes, remains committed to improving stability as quickly as possible, and apologized for the prolonged inconvenience while thanking players for their patience.

Handheld Guru and iXBT.games reported that PC players have experienced crashes at the start of a session, once a flight is underway, and while watching mission replays. Some users encounter error 01, which closes the game before they enter the cockpit and blocks progress. Players using HOTAS (hands-on throttle-and-stick) and HOSAS (hands-on stick-and-stick) flight sticks say the game offers limited customization and misidentifies their devices.

Bandai Namco advises affected PC players to update video card drivers, ensure sufficient storage space, and check virtual memory settings. Project Aces is looking into what is causing the PC issues and is also giving players immediate troubleshooting advice.

MIXED News reported that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on Oct. 1, 2026. iXBT.games reported that owners of expanded editions already had access to Wings of Theve. Bandai Namco said the game went live at 09:00:50 UTC on Oct. 2, 2026, and opened a thread for crash reports at 11:32:48 UTC that same morning. The publisher asked crash-report posters to supply PC specifications, Windows version, a detailed issue report with error messages and reproduction steps, and optionally a list of other running applications.

MIXED News reported that Bandai Namco named no cause, fix, hardware, driver, graphics API, or build number, set no patch date, and described only some of its players as affected. As of 23:08 UTC on Oct. 6, 2026, the Steam announcement feed held 10 posts from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, the newest a trailer timed 15:33 UTC on Oct. 2, and no patch note had followed the crash-report request.

StudioAtticsalt reported that the game’s Steam rating sits at 72%, with crashes and weak gamepad support pulling it down. Users playing on consoles report a smoother experience than those on Steam. The outlet reported on Oct. 1, 2026 that the studio’s statement does not address gamepad issues or Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War’s availability as a separate app.

MIXED News reported that on Sept. 30, Bandai Namco said some Ace Combat 7 flight-stick configuration options were unavailable in Ace Combat 8, apologized for the inconvenience, and promised to bring the flight stick experience closer to Ace Combat 7, noting the changes may take time. The outlet also reported a Sept. 30, 2026 post at 09:31 UTC describing error code ST-3100001 in ACE COMBAT ONLINE as lost communication with the game server and asking players to synchronize the Windows clock.

GamingBolt reported that pre-order buyers received a complimentary copy of the PS2-era title Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War, yet PC players had to run it through Ace Combat 8, requiring a large download. After hearing from players, Bandai Namco Aces issued an update that lets Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War download and launch separately, without requiring players to install Wings of Theve.

MIXED News reported that Bandai Namco Aces Inc. develops Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. publishes it. IGN reported that Bandai Namco and Project Aces revealed the sequel at The Game Awards 2025 on Dec. 12, 2025, six years after Ace Combat 7, and said it would arrive on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in 2026.