The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is my top pick for the strongest overall story-and-campaign experience. Its squadron-centered plot and the ability to give wingmen orders make the conflict feel personal as it grows. Ace Combat Zero and Ace Combat 04 are close alternatives, with distinct strengths in wartime perspective and storytelling. This is an editorial ranking—not an official score—and it weighs character and squadron storytelling, narrative structure and player choice, and how effectively each campaign conveys conflict at scale.
The numbered games tell self-contained stories, so this order is not a required play sequence. Bandai Namco describes the numbered titles as self-contained while placing the series in Strangereal, a fictional world with a shared history (Bandai Namco’s series overview). Familiarity with earlier games can add context, but it is not a prerequisite.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Ace Combat 5: Unsung War / | $39.60 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![PS4 ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (US) [video game]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510WZEHzcJL._SL160_.jpg)
|
PS4 ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (US) [video game] | $21.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies - PlayStation 2 | $11.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
【ACE Combat】 ACE Combat 7 X-02S 001 T-Shirt | $19.54 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Air Conflicts Collection - Nintendo Switch | $39.37 | Buy on Amazon |
How this story-and-campaign ranking works
A good Ace Combat campaign needs more than a compelling war premise. I considered three things: how well it develops pilots and squadrons, whether its structure gives the player meaningful narrative perspective or choice, and how its missions make a conflict feel larger than one aircraft. The ranking is an editorial judgment based on those differences; Bandai Namco’s official descriptions establish campaign features, not comparative story-quality scores.
This is not a ranking of release order, flight models, or chronological events. The main numbered entries are largely self-contained stories, although their shared setting rewards players who notice callbacks.
#1 Best Overall
The Ace Combat games ranked by story and campaign
1. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Ace Combat 5 earns the top spot for the balance between a squadron story and a steadily escalating war. Wardog Squadron begins as the player’s immediate world, while the conflict between Osea and Yuktobania widens the stakes around it. The campaign lets players select aircraft and issue squadron orders, giving the player a role in how the team operates as well as in how the plot unfolds (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog).
That combination makes the campaign a strong recommendation for someone asking which game has the best story: it has a clear human-scale anchor, but it does not confine the war to one squadron’s immediate missions.
2. Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat Zero tells the 1995 story of Ustio’s defense against Belka through a Galm Team pilot fighting alongside Solo Wing Pixy. Its focus on a pilot partnership gives the campaign a more concentrated wartime perspective than entries built around a broader cast of missions and operations. It also provides direct thematic and historical context for Ace Combat 5, though you do not need to play either one first to follow the other.
It ranks just below Ace Combat 5 here because this comparison values the combination of squad dynamics and an expanding conflict, not because the official catalog declares one story better.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3. Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Ace Combat 04 follows the player as a Mobius Squadron pilot during a Usean conflict shaped by the Ulysses asteroid impact. Its personal wartime story sits against a continental crisis, giving the campaign a strong sense of scale without losing sight of the people caught in the conflict. The game’s story was written by Sunao Katabuchi, according to the official catalog (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog).
Choose it if you want a focused pilot’s perspective framed by a larger catastrophe rather than a campaign whose defining feature is branching choice.
4. Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
Ace Combat 3 is the clearest choice for players who want the campaign itself to branch. In its near-future corporate conflict, the player’s faction choice—UPEO, General Resource, or Neucom—shapes the story route. That structure makes replaying for a different perspective a meaningful part of the experience, rather than simply repeating missions with different aircraft.
It places fourth in this overall ranking because branching routes are a distinctive strength, but the ranking also weighs the squadron storytelling and large-scale conflict experience that define the entries above it.
Rank #3
- Soar through the blue in 24 missions, piloting the fastest & most powerful aircraft in the world
- Incredibly detailed aircraft are modeled from real jet fighters in 3D
- A rich and engaging storyline will impress you -- it unfolds as you fly in deadly combat missions
- Realistic speed effects will practically make you feel teh G-forces crushing your chest
- Real weather effects will affect your flight abilities -- will you be thrown off by cloud cover or glare for the sun?
5. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
Ace Combat 7 depicts the 2019 Second Usean Continental War between Osea and Erusea, with unmanned aircraft central to the conflict. Its campaign also makes environmental hazards part of the combat situation: Bandai Namco Europe identifies weather, lightning, and icing as tactical factors (Bandai Namco Europe’s campaign feature).
The combination of drones, multiple squadrons, and hazardous conditions gives the war a distinct modern character. It ranks below the top four in this story-focused order because the criteria favor especially strong character focus, branching structure, or a particularly effective balance of personal and continental stakes.
6. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Ace Combat 6 presents the Emmeria–Estovakia conflict through Garuda Team. Its Dynamic Mission System groups missions into simultaneous operations, emphasizing battlefield momentum and the scale of a war unfolding across multiple fronts (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog).
That structure is a strong fit if you want to feel embedded in a broad military campaign. It ranks below Ace Combat 7 in this assessment because this list gives more weight to the latter’s distinctive conflict framing and tactical conditions than to scale alone.
Rank #4
- Combat Flight Simulation design. Officially licensed ACE COMBAT item
- Find your favorite design with iconic ACE COMBAT apparel from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc.! #acecombat
- Lightweight, Classic fit, Double-needle sleeve and bottom hem
7. Ace Combat 2
Ace Combat 2 is an early squadron campaign against a coup. Bandai Namco’s official catalog describes its premise briefly, so there is less documented campaign structure to compare here than for later games (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog). It remains a worthwhile pick for players interested in the series’ roots, but the available official description does not establish the same depth of character or narrative choice found higher in this ranking.
8. Air Combat
Air Combat is the series’ foundational arcade-flight campaign, with a mercenary squadron facing a terrorist force, according to the official catalog (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog). Its historical importance is clear, but this list ranks story and campaign design rather than influence or arcade action, and the documented story outline is comparatively narrow.
9. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve — provisional placement
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is listed by Bandai Namco with an October 2, 2026 release date. Its official premise begins in July 2029: a displaced pilot is aboard the Endurance with refugees when the Federation of Central Usea is invaded by Sotoa. The pilot is given the name of a legendary ace and tasked with helping reclaim the FCU (Bandai Namco’s official series catalog).
Its position here is provisional, not a settled verdict on its quality. The official release listing and premise do not establish how it compares in execution with the other campaigns, so it should not be read as a judgment based on comparative reception or hands-on assessment.
Best Value
- Fight enemies in hair-raising dogfight missions, like patrolling, bombing and escort objectives, and stealth flights.
- Fly more than 30 famous aircrafts from both World Wars.
- Experience the most famous battles of the Pacific War and fly missions located in Midway, Pearl Harbor, and Wake Island.
- Put your flying abilities to the test in online multiplayer modes, including aerial and aircraft carrier battles.
Which game should you play first for the story?
Start with Ace Combat 5 if you want a strong all-around mix of squadron relationships and an escalating war. Pick Ace Combat Zero for a more concentrated pilot partnership and connected historical context, or Ace Combat 04 for an individual pilot’s story against a continental crisis. Choose Ace Combat 3 if branching faction routes are your priority.
You do not need to follow chronological order to understand the numbered games. Bandai Namco characterizes those titles as self-contained, so a story-first route can simply follow the strengths you want from a campaign rather than the dates of the fictional wars.
Platform note for Ace Combat 7 buyers
If you choose Ace Combat 7, check the specific platform and edition before buying. Bandai Namco’s product page for the ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch states that the Switch version does not support flight sticks or VR and notes that DLC is sold separately (Bandai Namco’s Japan product page). Those limits apply to the Switch version, not every platform edition.
Do sales figures tell you which story is best?
No. Bandai Namco reported that Ace Combat 7 had sold more than 7 million units worldwide in a January 16, 2026 news item, and its series overview reports the franchise above 20 million units (Ace Combat 7 sales milestone; series overview). Those are sales milestones, not measures of story or campaign quality.
Recommended Free Tools
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
