Dear Bandai Namco: I'm on Linux. I pre-ordered Deluxe. I'm so disappointed. :: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE General Discussions

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Runefox

Sep 30 @ 5:45pm

Dear Bandai Namco: I'm on Linux. I pre-ordered Deluxe. I'm so disappointed.

I've been with the series since Electrosphere, die-hard since Shattered Skies. Shattered Skies got me through some really tough times in my life. Then 5 did, too. Then Zero. X. 6. 7. I have the Flight Stick 2 box copy of 5. I have the Ace-Edge copy of 6. I have all the paid DLC for 6 and 7. I even bought Assault Horizon and 7 on both PS3/4 and PC. A waste of money? Maybe, but I love this series.

I pre-ordered 8 with the understanding that Linux play might not be perfect, but it's an UnrealEngine game and 7 ran fine, so I figured I'd deal with any problems that arose for Ace Combat, and do what I could to help the community work through them. And it wasn't perfect, no. But I played through the campaign anyway, and I enjoyed it. I was looking forward to trying out online play, especially since the previews showed the lobby system, and Infinity players chomping at the bit for it. I missed Infinity, so I wanted to experience this, "The largest Online mode of the Series".

I didn't realize I would be locked out.

I had hoped to be able to join the community, make new friends, even just do the grind. I'd known by the discussions here that it would be problematic, but I wasn't prepared for the gut punch of getting ejected from even the military training online mode.

I really hope Bandai-Namco understands the disappointment I and others like me feel right now. It's not that they don't support Linux, it's that they've decided to disallow it. This decision has locked me out, and locked out everyone who plays on a Steam Deck or Steam Machine or any other Linux-based hardware. The kicker is EAC supports Linux. They don't need to support it, they need only allow it.

So why?

I've never been disappointed by Ace Combat before. Not even Assault Horizon. But this? Official word now is «Tough luck, kid.»

And I'm looking at the online shop and doing the math on what I would have bought, and I guess the good news is I've got a fair bit more spending money than I otherwise would. It doesn't undo the sting of paying $120 CAD for a single-player game I completed in 2 days and all I have to show for it is an F-14A in the single-player hangar.

If being willing to switch to Linux is an indicator of anything, it should be that I and others like me are willing to put our money where our mouths are and actually vote with our wallets the way people always tell you to when you're unhappy with something. I'm sorry, Project Aces. You were there for me when I needed you, and I'd like to think I was there for you when you needed me. Maybe I'm a drop in the bucket, but I know I'm not alone.

But if this is how it is now... If you're not even willing to allow me to play your game, the part of it you're banking on to pay the bills... Message received: You don't want my money. It's been wasted.

That's on me, I guess. Lesson learned.

I won't waste my money again.

Last edited by Runefox; Sep 30 @ 5:50pm

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Showing 1-15 of 60 comments

AzaChattan has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 6:01pm

We got an official confirmation?
Also, know it's outside the point but you do get the Morgan as part of getting the ace pass, which I understand, doesn't really dull the sting. I mostly bought the game for single player and to have the copy of AC0. But even though MP was a lesser factor for meit's still disappointing to be locked out of it. On that note though, where was the official announcement of Linux support not coming? I'd like to have it to spread around

Runefox

Sep 30 @ 6:12pm

Originally posted by AzaChattan:
We got an official confirmation?
Also, know it's outside the point but you do get the Morgan as part of getting the ace pass, which I understand, doesn't really dull the sting. I mostly bought the game for single player and to have the copy of AC0. But even though MP was a lesser factor for meit's still disappointing to be locked out of it. On that note though, where was the official announcement of Linux support not coming? I'd like to have it to spread around

Yeah, the copy of AC0 and the game itself would be fine if not for the price I paid for it given the online play was hyped up as a major part of the experience; The base game is already pretty pricey for a AA title IMO, I'd expect closer to $60 or $70 CAD, not $94, but again, MP is kind of baked into the price. The Morgan doesn't show up in single player (at least, I haven't seen it anywhere?), it's an online perk AFAIK.

In the Linux support thread, people have gotten confirmation back from Bandai Namco that Linux is not a supported platform, and unless there's been a miscommunication, it's largely PR-speak that seems pretty clear they're uninterested in doing anything about it. Everything but "not currently supported on Linux operating systems" is hedged and left intentionally vague (probably because the employee can't comment on anything not announced).

Here's the contents of it:

Originally posted by Kairi・かいり:
so i writed bandai namco eu support:

かいりシントラノ 29/09/2026 18:39
I got the pre-order deluxe physical edition of AC8 for Steam and loving the game, it works perfect and is a great game so far. But when i enter multiplayer playing on Linux, the lobby and all works fine, i can see the players, play the practice missions, but the other stuff wont work. The multiplayer missions will throw me back to the lobby with the error ST-32000003 . EAC works and is compatible with Linux and also is supported on other Bandai Namco games, so I imagine this is an issue that will get fixed when the game releases for everyone. Also, there is a known error in campaign where the game wont render the clouds beyond the horizon with any Proton version. Also, since there has been no mention of this but it is an important thing too, specially when theres been already many preorders from Linux users, will there be on release a report on Linux/Steam Deck verification? Thanks. As I said, this was my most anticipated game and im loving it, but as a Linux user and someone who bought and supported the biggest edition of the game, because is one of my favorite franchises, I want proper support for my OS on a time where Linux is becoming the standard and there are a lot of users.

Carmen 30/09/2026 09:37
Hello かいり,

Thank you for your message and your patience. I am contacting you regarding your request about Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve.

Before we continue, please allow me to thank you for your interest in this game. I am sorry to hear that you are encountering this error message while trying to enjoy the multiplayer missions.

After carefully reviewing the information provided and the details of your case, I would like to inform you that Ace Combat 8 is not currently supported on Linux operating systems. As a result, we unfortunately do not have any relevant troubleshooting steps, solutions, or information to provide regarding issues encountered while playing the game on this OS.

A similar situation applies to the Steam Deck. At this time, we do not have any information regarding its support or compatibility for the device.

That said, I will be happy to share your interest in playing the game on these platforms with the relevant teams internally. Every piece of feedback we receive is important to us, as we want our games to be enjoyed by as many players and fans as possible.
While I cannot make any promises or predictions regarding future developments or the outcome of this feedback, I recommend keeping an eye on our official website and social media channels, where any news, updates, or announcements regarding Ace Combat 8 will continue to be shared as soon as they become available.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

Should you require assistance with any other matter, the Bandai Namco Europe support team remains at your disposal.

Kind regards,

かいりシントラノ 30/09/2026 13:55

thanks for sharing with the teams. Ive also seen windows user report the same error code regarding that multiplayer issue though. And what about the cloud rendering? because that seems to be afecting both windows and linux users based on the steam community reports. it happens only to nvidia gpu users it seems. so it must be an issue with drivers or similar

Last edited by Runefox; Sep 30 @ 6:23pm

Mechanoid Necrosis has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 6:36pm

Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

Troy Muni

Sep 30 @ 6:42pm

Originally posted by Mechanoid Necrosis:
Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

When you game on a happy meal toy instead of a PC, you get a free upgrade to the find out edition.

Last edited by Troy Muni; Sep 30 @ 6:42pm

Ignus

Sep 30 @ 6:43pm

At least the single player modes work, right?

It could be worse, Marvel Tokon players can't even start the game in Linux at all.

InsaneFox (InsaneFox) has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 6:49pm

Originally posted by Mechanoid Necrosis:
Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

Just leave, nobody here cares what you have to say.

Sep 30 @ 6:51pm

Originally posted by Troy Muni:
Originally posted by Mechanoid Necrosis:
Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

When you game on a happy meal toy instead of a PC, you get a free upgrade to the find out edition.

Delusional. Valve seems to like those "happy meal toys" quite a lot.

Don't get butthurt just because you're too dumb to know how to use a command line.

InsaneFox (InsaneFox) has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 6:51pm

I'm in the same boat, CachyOS here. It's pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up, but I guess all we can do is be loud about it and hope Project Aces listens

JtDarth

Sep 30 @ 6:51pm

Originally posted by Mechanoid Necrosis:
Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

So we should use the one run by people that actively hate us, use it as spyware, use your hardware to help train AI, and actively make decisions that make it worse and worse to use instead? Nah. You fix the lack of linux support by forcing the issue with large numbers of linux users. Linux has been steadily gaining market share at a much higher rate since W11 became a thing, which is why MS keeps hemming and hawing over fully dropping support for W10.

Runefox

Sep 30 @ 7:22pm

Originally posted by Troy Muni:
Originally posted by Mechanoid Necrosis:
Maybe don't use a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ convoluted OS for gaming?

When you game on a happy meal toy instead of a PC, you get a free upgrade to the find out edition.

I've got a fully-licenced copy of Windows Pro I've upgraded since 7. I had a licensed copy of Vista Ultimate and XP Pro before that. I'm running a 4080 and a 7000-series X3D. I built the machine myself.

I don't use that copy of Windows anymore.

I prefer my PC not to advertise to me and push things like Copilot into everything, when I explicitly paid for the software. Yeah, I can disable it, and I did, but it keeps coming back. And I especially prefer it when the operating system I paid for isn't vibe-coded and people don't find CVEs in Notepad. The Happy Meal toy comes with fast food - mass-produced. To me, that's Windows. Linux is more like cooking from scratch. Even if it's on the PC hardware equivalent of a hot plate.

Then again, if you grew up on Windows 8 or 10 or have only ever used a smart TV, you might not know what it was like in the times before everything was so heavily monetized. Even Vista had a bunch of it built in focused around Windows Live services. I remember when bundling Internet Explorer with Windows was a big deal. People used to own their computers and choose what was on them. That's what I'm doing with mine today.

At any rate, I'm not going to engage further. Windows has its advantages and I won't deny them, nor will I fight you if you like it. I won't deny that I chose my bed, nor will I refuse to lie in it. I'm not asking for support. I'm simply asking to be allowed to play the game I paid for. It's literally already there in EAC. The game already works on Proton, any bugs I can live with or work around. It's just a toggle.

And I'm asking on behalf of everyone who owns Steam hardware, too. Because whatever your opinion of Linux, that's what they run by default. It's no secret Ace Combat 8 runs like a dog even on high-end hardware, so maybe that's a moot point.

Originally posted by Ignus:
At least the single player modes work, right?

It could be worse, Marvel Tokon players can't even start the game in Linux at all.

This much is true. I was worried for a bit that I might end up in that situation, but I'm thankful I could at least play SP. I just, y'know, would have preferred not to pay twice what the game should be priced at for a single-player only experience. Like I said, part of that's on me, but there's no option to buy the game without multi-player, and I had no way of knowing ahead of time that the game would eject Linux users from MP.

#10

Bribe Guntails has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 7:37pm

EAC doesn't even seem to be any helpful, I've read from players that cheaters are getting past it anyway.

#11

Buddy

Sep 30 @ 7:54pm

Just going to post this here that I requested a refund listing both the game stability issues and the fact that I can no longer play online on my OS and got a refund for the deluxe edition of the game.

#12

jHawk

Sep 30 @ 8:10pm

This part right here gets me

Originally posted by Kairi・かいり:
Ace Combat 8 is not currently supported on Linux operating systems. As a result, we unfortunately do not have any relevant troubleshooting steps, solutions, or information to provide regarding issues encountered while playing the game on this OS.

A similar situation applies to the Steam Deck. At this time, we do not have any information regarding its support or compatibility for the device.

You're using a company and distro platform that has developed and lauched a handheld and computer/console based on Linux, the handheld itself is a pretty dominate in that market and you make little to no effort in the way of support or compatibility with those devices?

Last edited by jHawk; Sep 30 @ 8:11pm

#13

IgarTheTerrible has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 8:29pm

Honestly was really bummed about this situation too. I'm still happy that campaign works, but I would love to play this game online and if it was optimized like AC7 it would have been awesome to play on deck.

UE5 needs to die. I don't think there's any other way. Everything that engine touches turns to ♥♥♥♥.

#14

+Tooterfish has ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE

Sep 30 @ 8:45pm

Originally posted by Bribe Guntails:
EAC doesn't even seem to be any helpful, I've read from players that cheaters are getting past it anyway.

Cheaters use Linux with custom kernels to bypass anti cheats. Kernel level anti cheat doesn't do much to protect the rest of us when Linux users just build around it. EAC is more effective when you turn off Linux support.

Last edited by +Tooterfish; Sep 30 @ 8:45pm

#15

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ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE > General Discussions > Topic Details

Date Posted: Sep 30 @ 5:45pm

Posts: 60