How many missions are in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve?

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve contains 20 main story campaign missions, plus 3 additional post-launch DLC Special Operations missions included in the Season Pass.

How long is the Ace Combat 8 campaign?

A standard playthrough of the Ace Combat 8 campaign takes approximately 12 to 15 hours. Completionists aiming for S-Ranks on Ace difficulty and unlocking all 42 aircraft will spend 30 to 45 hours.

How do you unlock Ace Difficulty in Ace Combat 8?

Ace Difficulty is unlocked automatically after clearing all 20 campaign missions on Hard difficulty on any aircraft.

Ace Combat 8 Campaign Length & Mission Count

Detailed playtime breakdown, operation list, and difficulty unlock criteria.

DIRECT ANSWER // MISSION STATS

How many missions are in Ace Combat 8 and how long does it take?

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve features 20 main story missions. Completing the main storyline on Normal difficulty takes 12 to 15 hours. Achieving S-Ranks across all missions on Hard and Ace difficulty requires 30 to 45+ hours of total playtime.

STORY ONLY

Main Campaign (Casual / Normal)

12 - 15 Hours

Focuses purely on narrative progression, briefing cutscenes, and clearing missions with starter 4th-gen aircraft.

MAIN + EXTRAS

Hard Run + Tech Tree Unlocks

20 - 25 Hours

Unlocking 5th-gen fighters (F-22A, Su-57), downing named enemy aces, and earning MRP for aircraft parts.

COMPLETIONIST

Ace Difficulty S-Rank & 100% Medals

40 - 50 Hours

Unlocking the FA-36 Sovereign, ADF-11F Raven, acquiring all 42 aircraft skins, and mastering no-damage speedruns.

Full 20-Mission Campaign Operation List

#	Mission Name	Combat Theater	Average Mission Duration	Key Threat Type
01	Deer Horn	Cape Rainy Coastline	12 - 15 min	Tu-95 Bear Bombers
02	Charge Assault	Scofield Plateau	14 - 18 min	Radar Vehicle Convoys
03	Two-Pronged Strategy	Chopinburg Rainforest	16 - 20 min	MQ-99 Drone Swarms
04	Rescue	Space Elevator Perimeter	18 - 22 min	Aegis SAM Network
05	444 Base Defense	Zapland Peninsula	15 - 18 min	Tu-160 Blackjack Squad
06	Long Day	Roca Roja Desert	20 min (Scored)	Hardened Bunkers
07	Deep Strike	Yinshi Valley Mountains	18 - 25 min	Lightning Cloud Storms
08	Pipeline Destruction	Artiglio Oil Field	16 - 20 min	Fuel Tank Complexes
09	Faceless Soldier	Waiapolo Mountains	18 - 22 min	Helios Air-Burst Satellites
10	Transfer Orders	Sierraplata Steppe	15 - 18 min	Mirage 2000 Escorts
11	Fleet Destruction	Snider's Tower Atoll	20 min (Scored)	Battlecarriers & Aegis Ships
12	Stonehenge Defensive	Hatteras Sand Plain	22 - 25 min	Arsenal Bird "Liberty"
13	Bunker Buster	Mt. Sheperd Silos	15 - 18 min	IRBM Nuclear Silos
14	Cape Rainy Assault	Cape Rainy Canyon	14 - 18 min	Narrow Low-Altitude Gorge
15	Battle for Farbanti	Farbanti Capital City	20 min (Scored)	Sol Squadron Aces (Mihaly)
16	Last Hope	Anchorhead Bay	18 - 22 min	Urban Identification TGTs
17	Homeward	Tyler Island Runway	20 - 24 min	Friendly Rescue Escort
18	Lost Kingdom	Shilage Castle	16 - 20 min	Mihaly X-02S Duel
19	Lighthouse	ISEV Space Elevator	25 - 30 min	Arsenal Bird "Justice"
20	Dark Blue Horizon	Undersea Rail Tunnel	15 - 20 min	ADF-11F Twin AI Ravens