Bandai Namco's Ace Combat series has finally returned after seven years. The new entry, Ace Combat 8: Wings of the Cthulhu (hereafter Ace Combat 8), grabbed massive attention by shooting straight to number one on Steam's global top selling games chart right as early access kicked off.

Ace Combat 8 is set against the backdrop of a 2029 war between the Central Usean Federation (CUF) and the Republic of Sotoa. Players step onto the flight deck of the aging carrier Endurance, inheriting the legendary ace moniker Wings of the Cthulhu before heading into the theater of war. Moving away from the traditional solo hero narrative where a single genius pilot dictates the entire flow of battle, the game adopts a structure that heavily emphasizes bonds and cooperation with squadmates.

Gameplay sees the triumphant return of squadron command tactics alongside a sharp focus on utilizing environmental factors. Powered by the proprietary Cloudly engine, multi-layered cloud formations force pilots to constantly mind their altitude, while contrails and fighter jet exhaust elevate dogfights to new heights of realism. Furthermore, tactical depth has been expanded as players can now equip two special weapons, and a new debris mechanism ensures that destroying enemy aircraft sends shrapnel hurtling to damage surrounding objects.

Despite the roaring early access interest, Steam user reviews are currently sitting at Mixed. The primary culprit is a severe memory leak; the game gobbles up over 20GB of RAM, making it practically unplayable unless you happen to boast the recommended 32GB or higher setup. Complaints are also piling up regarding cutscene playback errors, alongside optimization headaches where even top-tier cards like the GeForce RTX 5090 struggle to maintain a stable frame rate. While the actual game design—spanning graphics, sound, story presentation, and flight feel—has earned widespread praise, sorting out these technical gremlins before the official launch is going to make or break the final verdict.

Elsewhere, Minecraft Dungeons 2 surged to second place mere hours before its official launch. Meanwhile, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt claimed the eighth spot after announcing a free remaster giveaway. Unlike previous trends, it managed to claw into the rankings even with a 50% discount, proving that players' appetite for the title remains remarkably strong.

In the peak daily concurrent players top 20, Valheim slipped to sixth place with 197,626 players, though it continues to ride the post-launch wave by hovering near the 200,000 mark for nearly a month. EA Sports FC 27 posted 87,071 players, dipping slightly compared to the previous day. That player count is dwindling a bit faster than its predecessor, EA Sports FC 26, which comfortably maintained averages above the 90,000 range during its first week on the market.