Ace Combat Zero Gets Standalone Steam App After Fan Backlash

Bandai Namco has confirmed that Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War will receive a standalone Steam application, allowing eligible PC players to launch the classic flight combat game without installing Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.

The announcement follows complaints from players who discovered that the pre-order bonus was tied to the much larger Ace Combat 8 installation on Steam.

According to the official announcement published on Steam, the development team has been conducting final quality assurance and compatibility testing before releasing the separate application.

The change applies exclusively to players who previously obtained Ace Combat Zero as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8.

Bandai Namco emphasized that the standalone version will not become available for separate purchase through this update.

Once implemented, eligible players will be able to access Ace Combat Zero either through its own Steam application or through the existing Ace Combat 8 launcher.

The publisher also expects save data to be shared between both versions through Steam Cloud, allowing players to continue their progress without starting over.

Previously, Steam users needed to install Ace Combat 8, which requires more than 130GB of storage, to access the considerably smaller Ace Combat Zero port.

The upcoming standalone application should eliminate that requirement and provide a more convenient experience, particularly for handheld PC users.

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War originally launched for PlayStation 2 in 2006, while the modern port was included as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8 in October 2026.

Bandai Namco has not yet confirmed the standalone application's exact release date or whether it will feature a separate Steam achievement list.