Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, has popped up on the PEGI website with a “pre-release date”: 30th May, 2026.

As a quick peek at the game’s official website shows, up until now, publisher Bandai Namco has only committed to a vague “2026” window.

PEGI warns of violence and in-game purchases, which is why the game has been allocated a 16 PEGI age rating, but that’s it. The listing unusually provides absolutely no advice for consumers, outline of the game, or content-specific issues.

And what, exactly, PEGI means by “pre-release dates” is hard to say – not least because it’s 1st June tomorrow, and there’s been no shadow-drop release just yet.

It does, however, intimate that we could be playing Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve sooner rather than later, so watch this space – I suspect we’ll find out more at Summer Game Fest or Sony’s State of Play presentation.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and was announced during last year’s The Game Awards. It’s been seven years since Ace Combat 7, so this next entry is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 for the first time. Bandai Namco is promising an “emotionally charged” campaign and multiplayer modes.