ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN ▶ Trailer
ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN screenshot 1ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN screenshot 2
ActionSimulationFlightMilitaryWarArcadeShooter

520 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 878

Peak in the last 7 days: 1,101

ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN Steam store

Game description

Become an ace pilot and soar through photorealistic skies with full 360 degree movement; down enemy aircraft and experience the thrill of engaging in realistic sorties! Aerial combat has never looked or felt better!

Basic info

DeveloperBandai Namco Studios Inc.
PublisherBandai Namco Entertainment
PlatformsWindows
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateJan 31, 2019
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit OS required)
ProcessorIntel Core i3-7100
Memory4 GB
GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GTX 750Ti(2GB)
Storage50 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 440 reviews from the past 1 year

82.4/ 100
Top 50%

Steam rating: Very Positive (88%)

Metacritic: 78 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

An arcade jet combat game that favors fun over realism, ACE COMBAT™ 7: SKIES UNKNOWN scores 82.4 across 440 analyzed reviews.

👍 Strengths

130 reviews had fun, and some enjoyed the campaign while others recommend it to anyone who wants thrilling dogfights without simulator realism. 61 praise the visuals, with detailed aircraft models, striking skies and effects, and a few admire the livery editor. Visuals & Sound ranks 217th of 1249. 49 like the story, and some enjoy the rise of a scapegoat pilot into a legend and the deep lore of the world. Tech & Support ranks 176th of 1399.

👎 Where it falls short

55 reviews find missions too hard at times, and some blame difficulty spikes, time limits, lightning and tedious required tasks. 37 criticize the story, saying it feels disjointed, sidelines the silent pilot or ends in a rush. Story & World ranks 849th of 1096. 29 dislike how flight feels in places, with some saying clouds and stage gimmicks get in the way and others finding mouse and keyboard controls poor. Gameplay ranks 782nd of 1396, and Multiplayer ranks 539th of 642.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“had a lot of fun playing through the campaign” · 130 reviews
“aircraft and flooded Farbanti graphics are stunning, memorable for series fans” · 61 reviews
“story covers Trigger's transformation from scapegoat to invincible pilot legend” · 49 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 60% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Controls & feel +1.45 · Responsiveness, precision, and how the menus handle
Positive “controls are accessible yet deep, endlessly satisfying” · 37 reviews
Negative “flight simulation mechanics create constant stress, cloud flying is purely disadvantageous” · 29 reviews

Progression 12% · Difficulty 30% · Onboarding 20% · Freedom 5% · Strategy 12%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 58% of reviews · Bottom 30% of the games we've analyzed

Story +1.41 · Plot, quests, writing, and the ending
Positive “story covers Trigger's transformation from scapegoat to invincible pilot legend” · 49 reviews
Negative “story feels like homework, plot details dumped during intense battles” · 37 reviews

Characters 11% · World 19%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 30% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +0.99 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “100 hours played with all platinum and achievements unlocked” · 1 review
Negative “campaign is only 18 hours with limited replay value” · 7 reviews

Variety 18% · Replayability 6%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 46% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +3.79 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “aircraft and flooded Farbanti graphics are stunning, memorable for series fans” · 61 reviews

Audio 30%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 11% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Community -2.36 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly
Negative “multiplayer community is small, few players online” · 6 reviews

Playing together 9% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 16% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.16 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “certain aircraft and weapons are overpowered and broken” · 10 reviews
Positive “enemy density feels well-balanced compared to previous entries” · 1 review

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 9% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 10% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Performance +0.22 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Positive “runs flawlessly at 4K Ultra settings after 10 years” · 5 reviews

Stability 2% · Developer support 2%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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