How to choose your difficulty in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

18 Sep 2026Developer post

While preparing for your next mission in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, you can easily customize your settings to match the ideal experience you’re looking for. This customization affects two main areas, control of your aircraft and overall gameplay difficulty.

Standard mode allows for intuitive control where you turn by pushing the left stick to the left or right. This control scheme might feel more natural to people who are familiar with most first or third-person gameplay.
Expert mode enables full-scale control that requires you to roll your craft to the left or right with the left stick, then turn by pitching up and down. This control scheme enables a wider range of aerial maneuvers and more precise aircraft control.

Rookie allows you to focus on the story of the war as it unfolds. In addition to changing to this difficulty, you can also enable or disable settings that reduce the damage your plane takes when colliding with the ground or structures for a bit more support if needed.
Pilot is the recommended mode for those who are new to flying or haven't flown in a while. This is also the default setting of difficulty for the game, a balanced challenge for most players.
Veteran is recommended for pilots who have logged lots of hours. If you’re feeling confident in your skills and ready to step it up a notch, give this difficulty mode a try. Enemies may have more health or may be more aggressive, depending on the mission. Missile lock-on may be harder to shake, and damage recovery will depend heavily on your loadout.
Elite is a high-challenge mode where split-second decisions determine victory or defeat. You’ll need to intimately understand the battlefield and prioritize targets efficiently to fulfil your mission objectives and survive.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2288340/ACE_COMBAT_8_WINGS_OF_THEVE/