Pre-order any Ace Combat 8 edition before October 2, 2026 to get the F-14A plus Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Here is what you get.
How to Get the Ace Combat 8 Pre Order Bonus Before October 2
Quick answer: pre-order any edition of Ace Combat 8 before October 2, 2026 and the purchase includes two items: the playable F-14A aircraft and a copy of ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR for your platform, delivered as a separate standalone program. The bonus is tied to the calendar deadline rather than to which edition you pick, so a $69.99 Standard pre-order qualifies exactly as a Deluxe one does.
Everything on this page was verified against store listings on September 27, 2026, five days before the deadline. Store wording, not forum summaries, decides what counts.
What the Bonus Contains
| Item | What it is | How it arrives |
|---|---|---|
| F-14A | Playable aircraft, Fighter role, for Ace Combat 8 | Added to your account with the pre-purchase |
| ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR | Full game, the 2006 series entry | Separate standalone application for Steam, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S |
The F-14A slots into the aircraft roster alongside the 23 planes named on the official site, which the publisher describes as over 30 different aircraft in total. The second half of the bonus is not a skin, a soundtrack or a mission pack: it is an entire previous game in the series, shipped as its own program that runs next to Ace Combat 8 rather than inside it.
Official source: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE on Steam, Pre-Purchase Offer
Ace Combat Zero Is a Port, Not a Remaster
The official FAQ is specific about this: ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR is a port of the 2006 PlayStation 2 original, not a remaster and not a rebuilt version. Expect the original game with its original presentation, running on current hardware as a standalone application, with no visual overhaul attached to the label.
Six languages are supported: Japanese, English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. That list is separate from the thirteen languages Ace Combat 8 itself supports, so a copy bundled with the bonus may offer fewer interface and subtitle options than the main game.
In series terms Zero is the seventh chronological entry, set during the Belkan War inside the shared world of Strangereal. Its story runs decades before the July 2029 campaign of Ace Combat 8, which is why the two programs stay separate installations instead of one integrated package.
The Super Tomcat above is the F-14D from the standard roster. The bonus airframe is the older F-14A, and both are Fighters; the full lineup sits on the aircraft list page.
The Deadline: Before October 2, 2026
Bandai Namco's own wording is pre-ordered before 2nd October, which matches the release date announced for the game. Buy or pre-purchase on October 1, 2026 and the bonus still attaches; the offer stops applying once the calendar reaches October 2, 2026, the same day the game unlocks worldwide at 22:00 UTC.
The bonus window closes on October 2, 2026 by calendar date. The unlock stamp of October 1, 2026 at 22:00 UTC is a separate fact and does not extend or shorten the bonus. Order before October 2 and you keep both items even if you install the game later.
Two other launch mechanics run on their own clocks, and mixing them up is the most common pre-order mistake this cycle. Early access belongs to the digital Deluxe Edition and the two Bandai Namco store packs, opening September 28, 2026 at 15:00 PDT, as the early access times page lays out. The release date and unlock times page covers the global stamp itself.
How Each Storefront Delivers the Bonus
The bundle shows up in the same shape on all three storefronts, and each one attaches the platform-matched copy of the bonus game: Steam delivers the Steam version, the PlayStation store delivers the PS5 version, and the Xbox store delivers the Xbox Series X|S version. The F-14A follows the Ace Combat 8 purchase on whichever platform you make it, which is the practical reason to order on the store you intend to play on rather than splitting the decision across systems.
Bandai Namco's European FAQ is the cleanest single statement of the offer, and it is where the port wording and the six-language list come from. The Steam listing carries the same terms under its Pre-Purchase Offer heading. If a store page you are reading describes the bonus as a remaster, a skin pack or a campaign add-on, it is not describing what the official pages say.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
No alternative route has been published. Bandai Namco has not announced any way to claim the F-14A or the ACE COMBAT ZERO copy after the deadline, such as a standalone purchase, a later bundle or a store promotion. The honest status on both items is therefore the same as the status on the rest of this page's open questions: not yet confirmed, and not something to plan around.
If you are deciding under pressure, the practical read is simple. Before October 2, 2026, the bonus comes free with any edition. After that date, assume it is gone unless an official store page says otherwise, because nothing on Steam, the PlayStation store, the Xbox store or Bandai Namco's own FAQ indicates otherwise today.
Where to Pre-Order
Every official storefront sells the same bonus, and the choice comes down to platform and edition:
- Steam for PC, listing Standard at $69.99 and Deluxe at $89.99.
- PlayStation Store for PS5, with the same two editions and prices.
- Xbox Store for Xbox Series X|S, also carrying Standard and Deluxe.
- Bandai Namco's official store for the physical packs: The Vinyl Collection from 79,99 EUR, the Joker Flight Pack from 149,99 EUR and the Premium Joker Flight Pack from 179,99 EUR, the latter two sold as PC/Steam digital codes with physical goods. Prices outside USD and EUR are not yet confirmed.
Whichever store you pick, the overview page explains what the game is, and the preload status page tracks when preloads actually open on each platform.
Official source: Bandai Namco EU: All You Need To Know
FAQ
What is the Ace Combat 8 pre-order bonus?
Two items: the playable F-14A aircraft and ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR, which ships as a separate standalone program for your platform rather than as content inside Ace Combat 8.
Do I have to pre-order a specific edition to get it?
No. Any edition ordered before October 2, 2026 qualifies, Standard included. Only the three-day early access window is restricted to the digital Deluxe Edition and the two Bandai Namco store packs.
Is Ace Combat Zero a remaster?
No. It is a port of the 2006 PlayStation 2 original, described as such in the official FAQ, delivered as a standalone application with six supported languages.
What happens if I pre-order on October 2?
The offer is worded as pre-ordered before 2nd October, so October 2, 2026 is the cut-off rather than a bonus day. Order on October 1, 2026 to be safely inside the window.
Can I buy the F-14A or Ace Combat Zero separately later?
That has not been announced. No standalone purchase, later bundle or promotion for either item has been published on any official storefront as of September 27, 2026.
Does pre-ordering give me early access?
Not by itself. Early access requires the digital Deluxe Edition, the Joker Flight Pack or the Premium Joker Flight Pack, and starts on September 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT. Pre-ordering any edition only secures the bonus content.
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ACE COMBAT 8 sits at 87 on Metacritic for PS5, 86 on PC and 90 on Xbox Series X, with an 88 on OpenCritic as of September 27, 2026.
Ace Combat 8 PC requirements: Windows 11, 16 GB RAM, RTX 2060 or RX 6600 XT, hardware ray tracing and a 150 GB SSD for 1080p at 30 fps on Low.
The Ace Combat 8 PS5, Xbox Series and Steam versions launch October 2, 2026. PS5 adds Pro Enhanced support; Xbox lists 4K, HDR10 and ray tracing.
Steam and Xbox preload for Ace Combat 8 is not yet confirmed. PS5 preload is press reported for September 29 at about 108.672 GB.
Ace Combat 8 unlocks worldwide on October 2, 2026 at 22:00 UTC. See the release date converted to PT, ET, BST, CEST and JST.