Want to unlock every trophy and achievement in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve? This complete Ace Combat 8 Trophy Guide covers all 56 PlayStation trophies, 55 Xbox and Steam achievements, and the requirements for earning the Platinum trophy.
Ace Combat 8 has 56 trophies on PlayStation 5.
The trophy collection includes:
1 Platinum Trophy: Wings of Theve, awarded for unlocking every other base-game trophy.
2 Gold Trophies: Ace of Aces and A Record of Rivalry. These involve mastering the campaign on Ace difficulty and completing the Assault Records collection.
5 Silver Trophies: Awarded for major progression objectives, including completing the campaign, earning medals, collecting MRP, and purchasing Aircraft Tree equipment.
48 Bronze Trophies: Most come from ordinary campaign progression, while others require specific combat actions, aircraft purchases, or customization features.
Steam and Xbox Series X|S have 55 corresponding achievements, without the PlayStation-exclusive Platinum.
The Xbox achievement collection is worth 1,000 Gamerscore.
Estimated Difficulty: 5/10, according to PowerPyx.
Estimated Completion Time: Approximately 100–150+ hours, depending on skill and farming efficiency.
Minimum Campaign Completions: Two.
Online Trophies: None.
Permanently Missable Trophies: None.
Hardest Trophy: Ace of Aces.
Longest Trophy: MRP Aplenty.
These completion estimates aren't guarantees.
PowerPyx estimates 150 hours or more, while the TrueAchievements community estimate is approximately 80–100 hours for the achievement collection.
The difference reflects player skill, how efficiently missions are farmed, and how quickly the difficult challenges are completed.
For most players, the 25-million-MRP requirement will be the biggest time investment.
There are 31 Bronze trophies associated with finishing the Prologue and the 30 numbered campaign missions.
These achievements unlock through normal story progression.
You don't need to earn an S-Rank, complete special objectives, or play on a particular difficulty for these trophies.
Simply finish the required mission.
Inherited Dog Tags — Bronze: Complete the Prologue, Wings of Theve.
Expulsion — Bronze: Complete Mission 01, Jokers Wild.
World Left Behind — Bronze: Complete Mission 02, Nomad.
Birth of an Ace — Bronze: Complete Mission 03, Purple Magic Takes Flight.
Relentless — Bronze: Complete Mission 04, The Fall of the Numbered Fleets.
From the Brink — Bronze: Complete Mission 05, Retaking of Theve.
Fireworks — Bronze: Complete Mission 06, Attack on the Drinwich Airfield.
Cutting Supply Lines — Bronze: Complete Mission 07, A Lifeline in the Desert.
Retaking the Capital — Bronze: Complete Mission 08, Retaking of Theve II.
Securing the North — Bronze: Complete Mission 09, The Land Battleship Blockade.
Rainband Breakthrough — Bronze: Complete Mission 10, Over the Rainband.
These early missions introduce the main campaign mechanics, including aircraft interception, defending allied forces, ground attacks, and large superweapon encounters.
Platinum Tip: Start practicing mission efficiency and target selection early. Those skills become extremely important when attempting Ace-difficulty S-Ranks.
Downing Giants — Bronze: Complete Mission 11, Maximum Payload.
Suspicion — Bronze: Complete Mission 12, An Island in Darkness.
Split Second — Bronze: Complete Mission 13, The People of the Lost Country.
Vanishing Act — Bronze: Complete Mission 14, Two on the Run.
Downing a Dragon — Bronze: Complete Mission 15, Wings of Wax.
Watching Eye — Bronze: Complete Mission 16, Singer.
Armor Penetration — Bronze: Complete Mission 17, Land Battleship No. 3.
Sudden Dive — Bronze: Complete Mission 18, Moonlight and Shadows.
Light — Bronze: Complete Mission 19, Clearing the Lighthouse.
The Courier — Bronze: Complete Mission 20, Escort Orbiter.
The middle of the campaign introduces more unusual mission objectives.
For example, Mission 14 requires escaping through hostile territory in an unarmed A-6E Intruder.
Mission 16 involves identifying disguised enemy vessels, while other missions feature challenging escort operations and massive enemy aircraft.
Platinum Tip: Pay particular attention to Mission 18. Destroying Shadow 24 can influence the availability of special Assault Records during Mission 28 in the same campaign run.
On Cloud Nine — Bronze: Complete Mission 21, The Star-Bound Bird.
Good News from Space — Bronze: Complete Mission 22, Pursuing the HSCA.
The End in the East — Bronze: Complete Mission 23, The Destruction of Expo City.
Securing a Beachhead — Bronze: Complete Mission 24, The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1.
Freeing Usea — Bronze: Complete Mission 25, The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2.
Nightmare — Bronze: Complete Mission 26, Crossing Fleets.
Troop Rallier — Bronze: Complete Mission 27, Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress.
Wings Upon Wings — Bronze: Complete Mission 28, A Thousand Points of Light.
The Anemone — Bronze: Complete Mission 29, Selene.
The Real Wings — Bronze: Complete Mission 30, Song of Wings.
These missions contain some of the game's most demanding combat encounters.
You'll fight enormous enemy installations, intercept powerful aircraft, and protect important allied forces.
The objectives become increasingly complicated, so pay attention to target changes and mission warnings.
Platinum Tip: Don't worry about achieving perfect results during your first completion. Learn the objectives, unlock useful aircraft, and return through Free Mission when you're ready for the harder challenges.
Trophy Grade: Silver
Requirement: Complete Campaign Mode.
Promised Land unlocks after finishing the main campaign.
You can earn it on any available difficulty.
There's no requirement to earn S-Ranks or complete optional challenges during this playthrough.
However, if you're already comfortable with Ace Combat gameplay, starting on Elite can be useful.
Completing the campaign on Elite unlocks Ace difficulty, which is required for the most challenging trophy.
If you're completely new to the series, choosing a lower difficulty is reasonable.
It may require an additional campaign completion later, but it also gives you time to learn the mechanics and unlock stronger aircraft.
Trophy Grade: Silver
Requirement: Complete Campaign Mode on Ace difficulty.
The Ace is one of the major campaign achievements.
Ace difficulty is the highest available difficulty setting, but it isn't accessible immediately.
You must complete the campaign on Elite difficulty.
Finishing the story on Rookie, Pilot, or Veteran won't unlock Ace.
Once the Elite campaign is finished, Ace becomes available.
You can then begin a campaign on Ace difficulty using compatible aircraft and equipment you've already acquired.
Use aircraft you're comfortable flying.
An advanced fighter is useful, but unfamiliar handling can create unnecessary problems. Choose equipment that matches your preferred playstyle.
Prepare for the actual mission objectives.
A ground-heavy mission requires different weapons from one involving large groups of enemy aircraft.
Protect important allies.
Several missions can fail if protected aircraft, ships, or facilities are destroyed.
Use defensive maneuvers carefully.
High-G turns are useful, but repeatedly using them can drain speed and leave your aircraft vulnerable.
Learn difficult enemy encounters.
Knowing when a boss exposes its vulnerable components can save time and ammunition.
Important: For The Ace, complete a full Ace-difficulty campaign. Free Mission is especially useful for S-Rank cleanup, but it shouldn't be treated as a guaranteed substitute for the full campaign-completion requirement.
Trophy Grade: Gold
Requirement: Complete all 30 numbered missions with an S-Rank on Ace difficulty.
Ace of Aces is widely considered the hardest trophy in Ace Combat 8.
You must earn the highest performance rank on every numbered campaign mission while playing on the highest difficulty.
Fortunately, you can complete this requirement through Free Mission.
Mission ranks depend heavily on your destruction score and completion efficiency.
Destroying additional enemies can increase your score, while finishing quickly helps preserve the available time bonus.
However, eliminating every enemy isn't necessarily the best strategy.
Some targets take too long to reach or defeat.
The goal is to earn enough points without wasting excessive time.
The FA-36 Game is particularly useful during ground-heavy missions because of its available SOD special weapon.
The X-40 Nightmare is another attractive advanced aircraft, especially when precision attacks against different target types are important.
For air-heavy missions, powerful fighters such as the F-22A Raptor and Su-57 Felon can be useful alternatives.
However, no single aircraft is guaranteed to be the best choice for all 30 missions.
Several missions deserve special attention.
Mission 14 — Two on the Run: You must complete the escape in an unarmed aircraft. The challenge is navigation and efficient movement rather than scoring through enemy destruction.
Mission 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2: A large battlefield and changing objectives make it difficult to balance enemy destruction with the safety of allied forces.
Mission 27 — Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress: Efficient area attacks and chain reactions are especially important for building a strong score.
Mission 28 — A Thousand Points of Light: Numerous enemy aircraft and a demanding final encounter make this one of the most challenging S-Rank missions.
Mission 30 — Song of Wings: The final encounter requires quick responses to changing missile, UAV, and submarine objectives.
No.
You can complete individual missions through Free Mission.
If you earn an A-Rank on one mission, you can return later and improve it without losing S-Ranks earned elsewhere.
This makes the achievement considerably more manageable.
Platinum Tip: Use Free Mission to select an appropriate loadout for each sortie. Mission 14 remains a special case because it uses the fixed unarmed A-6E Intruder.
Trophy Grade: Gold
Requirement: Obtain every Campaign Assault Record.
A Record of Rivalry is the other Gold trophy.
It requires collecting all 83 Assault Records.
These records represent named enemy pilots defeated during the campaign.
The collection contains two main groups.
Most special-unit aircraft appear during normal campaign missions.
These enemies include members of Lux Lunae and other important squadrons.
You generally encounter them through ordinary mission progression.
However, encountering an enemy isn't enough.
You must destroy the relevant named aircraft and successfully finish the sortie for the record to count.
These pilots have hidden spawn requirements.
They only appear when specific conditions are satisfied.
Examples include:
Destroying certain aircraft formations quickly.
Protecting every allied landing craft.
Destroying particular ground targets.
Flying through tunnels or narrow structures.
Eliminating enemies before a mission phase ends.
Conditional Aces require Veteran difficulty or higher, along with an initial campaign completion.
You can hunt most of them through Free Mission.
One particularly important exception involves Shadow 24.
During Mission 18, Moonlight and Shadows, you need to destroy Shadow 24 to satisfy a condition connected to the Lux Lunae 22nd Unit in Mission 28.
Completion guides identify a requirement involving the same continuous campaign run.
Don't rely on completing Mission 18 and Mission 28 separately through Free Mission for this specific record.
If you're missing the relevant Mission 28 pilots, consider completing the connected objectives during a continuous campaign playthrough.
Open:
Data Viewer → Campaign Data → Campaign Assault Records
Review the missing entries and identify which missions contain the relevant pilots.
After defeating a named Ace, finish the mission before checking whether the record has registered.
Platinum Tip: Complete your Assault Record collection while working through other campaign challenges whenever possible. This reduces unnecessary mission repetition.
Trophy Grade: Silver
Requirement: Earn 10 campaign medals.
Ace Combat 8 includes 29 available medals.
You only need 10 for Meritorious Service.
This makes the achievement considerably easier than collecting every medal in the game.
Open:
Data Viewer → Campaign Data → Campaign Medals
This menu shows which medals you've earned and which remain incomplete.
Several medals can be earned while progressing toward other trophies.
Bronze Ace
Destroy 1,000 enemy targets.
Silver Ace
Destroy 2,000 enemy targets.
Gold Ace
Destroy 3,000 enemy targets.
These are useful because ordinary campaign and farming activities contribute toward their requirements.
Ship of Liberty
Sink 100 enemy ships.
Naval missions provide opportunities to earn this naturally.
Iron Wings
Complete all numbered missions with S-Ranks on Pilot difficulty or higher.
Bronze Wings
Complete all numbered missions with S-Ranks on Veteran difficulty or higher.
Silver Wings
Complete all numbered missions with S-Ranks on Elite difficulty or higher.
Gold Wings
Complete all numbered missions with S-Ranks on Ace difficulty.
These four medals overlap with the Ace of Aces requirement because qualifying S-Ranks on higher difficulties satisfy the lower-difficulty medal conditions.
Several medals reward unusual actions.
Examples include:
Tunnel Specter: Navigate the required narrow space during Mission 04.
Skillful Escape: Complete Mission 14 without being acquired by enemy radar.
Intact Princess: Protect the shuttle from damage during the launch operation in Mission 21.
Perfect Guardian: Intercept all required enemy anti-ship missiles during the final mission.
These provide alternatives if you want to earn medals without pursuing every demanding campaign-wide challenge.
Platinum Tip: Don't attempt to unlock all 29 medals unless you want to complete everything beyond the Platinum requirements.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Complete the campaign while successfully performing the required takeoffs and aerial refuelings.
By the Book looks easy, but it can be surprisingly frustrating if you don't understand the requirement.
During the campaign, certain sequences allow you to skip takeoffs, landings, and aerial refueling.
For this trophy, the safest approach is to perform every available flight procedure instead of skipping it.
Complete a campaign run while manually performing all required takeoff and refueling sequences.
When landing sequences appear, complete those normally as well.
Follow the displayed flight instructions rather than using the skip option.
Published trophy guides report that the achievement unlocks during the final mission's takeoff sequence if all required procedures were completed successfully.
You haven't permanently lost the trophy.
However, you may need to repeat the campaign and complete the required flight procedures without skipping them.
Since the game uses autosaves rather than unrestricted manual saving, avoiding the problem from the beginning is the easiest option.
Platinum Tip: If you see the option to skip a takeoff, landing, or refueling procedure, don't use it while working toward By the Book.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Have a wingman destroy an enemy after using Forward Atk, Dispersed Atk, and Cover commands.
This trophy introduces one of the campaign's tactical systems.
Joker Flight follows your squadron commands during combat.
There are three relevant orders:
Forward Attack
Concentrates wingman offensive effort against an important enemy.
Dispersed Attack
Directs the squadron to spread its attacks.
Cover
Focuses wingman behavior on supporting and protecting your aircraft.
Find an encounter with several enemies and give all three commands.
Then allow a wingman to destroy a target.
The safest approach is to use all three orders during the same engagement rather than relying on commands issued in unrelated situations.
Avoid immediately destroying every enemy yourself.
Your wingmen need an opportunity to score the required kill.
Some players have reported that the trophy doesn't always trigger immediately after attempting this sequence.
If it doesn't appear, repeat the process with an ordinary enemy during another campaign encounter.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Authorize special weapon use and have a wingman destroy an enemy using a special weapon.
This trophy is closely related to Yes, Sir!
While commanding your squadron, enable the option allowing wingmen to use their special weapons.
Then give them a suitable attacking opportunity.
Choose a target that can survive long enough for a wingman to attack but isn't so difficult that the engagement becomes dangerous.
Platinum Tip: You can work toward Yes, Sir! and All Weapons Free during the same battle by issuing squadron commands and authorizing special weapons.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Purchase the same aircraft type for your wingmen through the Aircraft Tree.
Ace Combat 8 allows you to buy additional aircraft copies for your squadron.
After acquiring an aircraft for yourself, you can purchase additional copies for wingmen.
These extra aircraft have reduced acquisition prices compared with the first purchase.
Open the Aircraft Tree and locate an aircraft you own.
Purchase enough additional copies of that type for all three wingmen.
Once the required copies are obtained, the achievement unlocks.
Platinum Tip: Use an affordable aircraft rather than spending unnecessary MRP on expensive endgame planes solely for this trophy.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Destroy 3,000 aircraft in Campaign Mode.
This achievement tracks your cumulative aircraft destruction count.
You'll make progress naturally while completing missions, collecting Assault Records, and earning S-Ranks.
However, the total is substantial enough that some players will need additional mission replays.
Mission 28, A Thousand Points of Light, is one of the strongest options.
It contains large numbers of enemy aircraft, including bomber formations and fighter squadrons.
The mission also provides opportunities to replenish ammunition through the Cima Island airstrip.
This helps you maintain effective weapons throughout the battle.
Multi-target air-to-air weapons are particularly useful.
Options such as 4AAM and 6AAM can help eliminate several aircraft efficiently when supported by your selected plane.
Platinum Tip: Combine this trophy with MRP farming and Air-to-Air Ace progress to avoid repeating aircraft-heavy missions unnecessarily.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Destroy 100 enemies using air-to-air special weapons in Campaign Mode.
Standard missiles don't fulfill this specific requirement.
You need to use qualifying air-to-air special weapons.
Examples include:
2AAM
4AAM
6AAM
QAAM
LAAM
HCAA
SASM
The game identifies qualifying weapons through the appropriate special weapon categories in the aircraft loadout interface.
Choose an air-heavy mission containing numerous enemy aircraft.
Mission 28 is particularly convenient because of its large enemy formations.
Equip a suitable air-to-air special weapon and focus on eliminating targets with that weapon.
Platinum Tip: Make sure the killing blow comes from the qualifying special weapon rather than your gun or ordinary missiles.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Destroy 100 enemies using air-to-ground special weapons in Campaign Mode.
This achievement is similar to Air-to-Air Ace but focuses on surface attacks.
Qualifying weapons include examples such as:
4AGM
6AGM
8AGM
UGB
GPB
LAGM
SOD
SFFS
XSDB
Different aircraft support different special weapons.
Choose a mission containing large groups of surface targets.
Mission 7, A Lifeline in the Desert, is useful because of its concentrated ground forces.
Mission 27, Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress, is another attractive option.
Use bombs or guided surface weapons to eliminate the required targets.
Platinum Tip: Ground-heavy MRP farming naturally contributes toward this trophy when you're using qualifying special weapons.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Successfully perform a post-stall maneuver in Campaign Mode.
Like the Wind requires an advanced flying technique.
Not every aircraft can perform the maneuver.
You must use a compatible plane.
Published trophy testing identifies these compatible aircraft:
F-22A Raptor
F-35C Lightning II
MiG-29A Fulcrum
Su-33 Flanker-D
Su-47 Berkut
FA-36 Game
X-40 Nightmare
Other aircraft may have similar handling characteristics, but these are documented compatible examples.
Choose a compatible aircraft and enter a campaign mission with enough open space.
Reduce your speed below approximately 500 km/h.
Using PlayStation's default controls as a reference, release the throttle and initiate the maneuver by combining the brake and acceleration inputs while pulling back on the flight control stick.
As the aircraft's nose rises, release the initial combined input and apply acceleration to complete the maneuver.
A properly executed Kulbit or Cobra-style post-stall maneuver can satisfy the trophy requirement.
Exact inputs may differ with control configuration and platform.
If the aircraft simply performs an ordinary high-G turn, check whether your plane supports post-stall maneuvers and whether your speed is low enough.
Important: The trophy requires a qualifying maneuver in Campaign Mode. Performing it in Free Flight isn't sufficient.
Trophy Grade: Bronze
Requirement: Earn a cumulative total of 16,000,000 MRP.
MRP stands for Military Result Points.
It's the main currency used in the campaign Aircraft Tree.
You earn it through eligible mission completion rewards and combat performance.
No.
The achievement tracks total MRP earned throughout your campaign progression.
It doesn't require you to maintain 16 million unspent points.
This means you can continue purchasing aircraft, weapons, and parts while working toward the achievement.
Trophy Grade: Silver
Requirement: Earn a cumulative total of 25,000,000 MRP.
MRP Aplenty is usually the longest part of earning the Platinum.
Even after completing the campaign several times, you may still need considerable additional currency.
Mission 16 — Singer
An attractive option for players who can complete short repeat runs efficiently.
Learning the disguised hostile vessel locations and identification mechanics makes the mission much faster.
Mission 27 — Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress
One of the strongest documented methods for earning large amounts of MRP efficiently.
PowerPyx reports approximately 280,000–300,000 MRP during optimized 12–15-minute Ace-difficulty runs using the FA-36 with SOD.
These are reported results, not guaranteed payouts.
Mission 28 — A Thousand Points of Light
Provides opportunities for high total earnings through large numbers of aircraft kills.
However, its long completion time means it may be less efficient when measured strictly by MRP per minute.
Don't judge a farming mission only by its total reward.
Consider how long the mission takes to complete.
A shorter mission with a smaller payout may earn more currency over the same amount of playtime.
Choose the highest difficulty you can complete reliably.
Remember that repeated failures reduce farming efficiency.
Platinum Tip: The 25-million requirement tracks cumulative earnings, so you can spend MRP freely on the Aircraft Tree without losing achievement progress.
Several achievements are connected to your campaign aircraft collection.
These are relatively straightforward, but completing the entire Aircraft Tree requires substantial MRP investment.
Requirement: Obtain at least five aircraft types in Campaign Mode.
Purchase additional aircraft through the Aircraft Tree.
You can earn this naturally while expanding your hangar.
Requirement: Obtain at least 20 aircraft types in Campaign Mode.
This is a larger collection milestone.
Continue acquiring aircraft through the available progression branches.
Requirement: Obtain 15 special weapons and upgrade parts combined.
These purchases count together.
You don't need 15 weapons and 15 parts separately.
Requirement: Obtain 100 special weapons and upgrade parts combined.
Continue purchasing eligible equipment through the Aircraft Tree.
This achievement will likely unlock as you work toward completing your equipment collection.
Requirement: Obtain all campaign aircraft, special weapons, and upgrade parts.
This is the main Aircraft Tree completion trophy.
You need to purchase everything required by the base-game campaign equipment collection.
The standard Platinum does not require separately purchased bonus DLC aircraft.
However, you'll still need to earn enough MRP for the regular Aircraft Tree purchases.
Purchase useful aircraft first.
Prioritize planes that help you complete difficult campaign objectives or earn MRP more efficiently.
Inspect prerequisite nodes.
The Aircraft Tree contains connected unlocks. You may need additional purchases before reaching a particular aircraft.
Don't ignore special weapons and upgrade parts.
Patron of the Parts requires more than collecting planes.
Use MRP farming to finish remaining purchases.
Since you also need 25 million cumulative MRP, completing the Aircraft Tree and earning MRP Aplenty naturally complement each other.
Platinum Tip: Check every remaining Aircraft Tree node before assuming your collection is complete.
Several achievements require almost no combat.
They're easy to overlook because they involve menus or basic training activities rather than mission completion.
Requirement: Preview an aircraft using the Aircraft Viewer.
Open:
Campaign → Data Viewer → Aircraft Viewer
Select an aircraft and use the actual preview action.
Simply entering the aircraft list may not satisfy the requirement.
Requirement: Watch a replay through the Replay Viewer.
After finishing a mission, access:
Campaign → Data Viewer → Replay Viewer
Select an available saved replay and watch it.
Requirement: Customize an aircraft's skin or emblem.
Use the campaign aircraft customization interface to change an eligible aircraft's appearance.
After completing the campaign, Aircraft Sets provides access to additional customization options.
Select an available skin or emblem to satisfy the achievement requirement.
Requirement: Complete one Training Mode mission.
Open the Training option from an available mission menu.
Choose an exercise and complete it.
You don't need to finish every training activity.
Platinum Tip: Don't leave these simple achievements until the very end. They're quick to complete once the relevant features are available.
You don't need to approach every achievement separately.
Several requirements naturally overlap.
Understanding these connections can save a considerable amount of unnecessary repetition.
If you're replaying Mission 28 for currency, you'll also be destroying large numbers of enemy aircraft.
This helps with Aircraft Annihilator.
Using qualifying air-to-air special weapons also contributes toward Air-to-Air Ace.
That means one mission can advance several achievements.
Ground-heavy missions provide opportunities to work toward Anti-Ground Ace.
They can also be useful MRP farming activities.
Spend your earnings on aircraft and upgrades that improve future farming runs.
Named enemy pilots are available through specific mission conditions.
When returning to those missions, consider whether you can also earn a medal or improve your performance rank.
However, don't force incompatible objectives together.
Some secret Ace conditions require extra time, while S-Ranks reward efficient completion.
If the objectives conflict, complete them separately.
Free Mission is one of the biggest advantages for trophy hunters.
It allows you to replay individual sorties and select appropriate aircraft for most missions.
This reduces the need to repeat the entire campaign whenever you receive a disappointing grade.
You don't need the Season 1 Premium Ace Pass or its featured aircraft to earn the standard Platinum.
The achievement collection focuses on the campaign and its base-game systems.
Premium multiplayer rewards aren't necessary for completing the base trophy list.
If an achievement doesn't unlock when expected, don't immediately assume your save is broken.
Several trophies have requirements that are easy to misunderstand.
Complete the full campaign on Elite difficulty.
Finishing on Rookie, Pilot, or Veteran doesn't unlock Ace.
You may have skipped a required takeoff, landing, or refueling procedure.
The safest solution is to complete a full campaign run without using the procedure skip option.
Check whether all 83 Assault Records are actually registered.
Destroying a named enemy is not enough if you fail or quit the mission afterward.
Also verify that conditional Aces were attempted on Veteran difficulty or higher.
If the missing records belong to the Lux Lunae 22nd Unit, review the Mission 18-to-28 dependency.
Confirm that you're using a post-stall-capable aircraft.
Make sure you perform the maneuver during a qualifying campaign activity rather than Free Flight.
Also check your speed and control inputs.
Make sure you activate the Aircraft Viewer's actual preview function.
Simply scrolling through the aircraft list may not trigger the trophy.
Repeat the required wingman commands during an engagement and allow a wingman to destroy an enemy.
Players have reported inconsistent unlocking behavior, so don't assume a single unsuccessful attempt proves the trophy is impossible.
Bandai Namco released update version 1.01.002 on October 23, 2026, with campaign stability fixes and adjustments affecting several missions.
These include changes to Mission 15's Ladon behavior on higher difficulties and Mission 28's Shadow flare availability.
If you're following older trophy strategies, some encounters may behave differently after updating.
Keep your game updated and check the current requirements when troubleshooting.
There are 56 PlayStation 5 trophies, including one Platinum, two Gold, five Silver, and 48 Bronze.
Steam and Xbox have 55 corresponding achievements.
PowerPyx estimates a difficulty of approximately 5/10.
The most demanding objectives involve S-Ranking every mission on Ace difficulty and collecting all Assault Records.
The longest requirement is earning 25 million cumulative MRP.
Completion estimates vary considerably.
Published estimates range from approximately 80–100 hours for experienced achievement hunters to 150 hours or more for the PlayStation Platinum.
Your actual time depends on campaign performance, trophy cleanup, and farming efficiency.
There are no permanently missable base-game trophies.
However, certain requirements may need a full campaign replay if missed during a particular run.
By the Book and the special Mission 18-to-28 Assault Record connection deserve particular attention.
No.
All base-game achievements can be completed through offline campaign-related activities.
ACE COMBAT ONLINE participation isn't required for the Platinum.
At least two if you're already comfortable starting on Elite.
Complete Elite to unlock Ace difficulty, then complete the campaign on Ace.
You can replay individual missions for missing S-Ranks.
Earn an S-Rank on all 30 numbered missions on Ace difficulty.
Free Mission can be used for individual S-Rank attempts.
No.
You can improve your mission ranks individually.
You don't lose earlier S-Ranks when you replay another mission.
Collect all 83 Campaign Assault Records.
This includes 52 special-unit records and 31 conditional secret Aces.
Earn any 10 campaign medals.
You don't need to obtain every one of the 29 available medals.
Perform a successful post-stall maneuver in Campaign Mode using a compatible aircraft.
The F-22A, Su-47, and several other advanced aircraft support the mechanic.
Purchase additional copies of the same aircraft type for your wingmen through the Aircraft Tree.
Authorize special weapon use for your wingmen, then allow one of them to defeat an enemy using a special weapon.
Destroy 3,000 enemy aircraft across eligible campaign missions.
Mission 28 is a useful farming option because of its large number of airborne enemies.
You must earn 25,000,000 MRP cumulatively for MRP Aplenty.
You also need to purchase all required aircraft, special weapons, and upgrade parts for Patron of the Parts.
No.
The MRP achievements track cumulative earnings rather than your current unspent balance.
Yes.
The standard Platinum doesn't require purchasing separate aircraft DLC or the Premium Ace Pass.
Not entirely.
Some trophies can be earned on Rookie, but the Platinum requires access to Ace difficulty and S-Ranks across all 30 numbered missions on that setting.
Ace of Aces is generally considered the hardest because it requires an S-Rank on every numbered mission on the game's highest difficulty.
A Record of Rivalry is another major challenge because of the hidden Ace conditions.
Earning the Platinum trophy in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a major achievement for players who want to master everything the campaign has to offer.
With 56 PlayStation trophies and 55 corresponding Steam and Xbox achievements, there are plenty of objectives to complete.
Some are simple rewards for finishing missions, exploring menus, or customizing your aircraft.
Others require more dedication.
Ace of Aces tests your ability to complete all 30 numbered missions with S-Ranks on Ace difficulty.
A Record of Rivalry challenges you to find and defeat every named enemy pilot in the Assault Records collection.
Patron of the Parts requires completing the campaign Aircraft Tree, while MRP Aplenty demands 25 million cumulative Military Result Points.
The good news is that these objectives complement one another.
Replaying missions helps you earn currency, destroy aircraft, collect medals, improve mission ranks, and progress toward equipment unlocks.
Free Mission also makes completion much more manageable because you can revisit individual missions with better aircraft and more experience.
Remember to complete required flight procedures for By the Book, use your wingmen for their related trophies, and pay attention to the special Mission 18 and Mission 28 connection.
You don't need to purchase multiplayer passes or premium aircraft to finish the base-game collection.
For more gaming services and progression support across your favorite games, explore BoostRoom.
The Platinum isn't earned by flying the strongest jet. It's earned by mastering the missions, understanding the requirements, and making every sortie count.
Keep improving your skills, finish the remaining challenges, and claim your Wings of Theve Platinum.
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