For detailed information about this series, see: Acepedia
Ace Combat, formerly known as Air Combat is a series of flight simulation videogames created by Namco, including both realistic and futuristic settings. Most games take place in a world called Strangereal. This name was originally unifficial, but was used by the creators to promote Ace Combat 7 in 2015.
- Air Combat (1992), Arcade. Arguably considered a predecessor and not an actual part of the series, it takes place in the year 200X.
- Air Combat 22 (May 1995), Arcade. A sequel to the original game, it's named after Namco System 22, the arcade system board used to play the game.
- Ace Combat (June 30, 1995), PlayStation. Known as Air Combat outside Japan, it started as a port of the arcade game, but due to hardware limitations was instead created as an original successor. Re-released for mobile phone on August 25, 2005. It's set in the year 1995, but supposedly ignores the plot of the two arcade games.
- Ace Combat 2 (May 30, 1997), PlayStation. Set in the year 1997.
- Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (May 27, 1999), PlayStation. Set in the year 2040, it's choronologically the latest one so far.
- Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies (October 23, 2001), PlayStation 2. Known in Europe as Ace Combat: Distant Thunder. Set in the year 2004.
- Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War (October 21, 2004), PlayStation 2. Known in Europe as Ace Combat: Squadron Leader. Set in the year 2010.
- Ace Combat Advance (February 22, 2005), Game Boy Advance. Only released in North America and Europe. Set in the year 2032.
- Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War (March 23, 2006), PlayStation 2. Titled Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War in Europe. Set in the year 1995.
- Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (24 October 2006), PSP. Set in the year 2020.
- Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (October 23, 2007), Xbox 360. Set in the year 2015.
- Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion (December 3, 2009), iOS. Serving as a prequel to Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception.
- Ace Combat: Joint Assault (August 26, 2010), PSP. Known in Japan as Ace Combat X²: Joint Assault. Set in the 21th century, it's not in the Strangereal continuity.
- Ace Combat Assault Horizon: Trigger Finger (December 17, 2010), iOS. A minor game based on Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (October 11, 2011), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. Later also released for PC and OUYA. Set in the year 2015, but in a different continuity than the Strangereal games or Joint Assault.
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy (November 15, 2011), Nintendo 3DS. A remake of Ace Combat 2, known in Japan as Ace Combat 3D: Cross Rumble.
- Ace Combat: Northern Wings (December 2011), Mobile phone. Set between Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 6.
- Ace Combat: Infinity (May 20, 2014), PlayStation 3. Set in 2019, in a different continuity than previous games.
- Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + (January 25, 2015), Nintendo 3DS. Titled Ace Combat 3D: Cross Rumble + in Japan, it's an updated version of Assault Horizon Legacy adding features specifically for the New Nintendo 3DS console.
- Ace Combat 7 (TBA), PlayStation 4. Set a few years after Ace Combat 6.
Additionally a novel based on the series and set in 2002, titled Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky was published on March 28, 2012 only in Japan.
Links to other series
Note: if a series unrelated to Ace Combat is revealed to take place in the same continuity in the official UGSF timeline, it's still not included here, since no direct link between them ever happened. See UGSF Timeline to know what games take place in its continuity.
| Direction | Series | Date | Description | Type
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Pac-Man | 1992 | Ace Combat features images of Pac-Man on billboards, while Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed after Pac-Man; Ace Combat 2, Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat 6 also feature minor references. |
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Ridge Racer | May 30, 1997 | Ace Combat 2 features the sister of Reiko Nagase as a selectable pilot, and she also returns in later episodes, while organizations from Ace Combat 3 appear as sponsors in Ridge Racer V and Ridge Racer 6; there also are other minor references between the two series. | 1 |
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Almighty Human Project | May 30, 1997 | Ace Combat 2 advertising for Almighty Human Project on billboards. | 2 |
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Sky Kid | October 23, 2001 | Ace Combat 04, 5 and 6 feature references to Sky Kid. | 3 |
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Smash Court Tennis | May 28, 2004 | Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 features organizations from the Ace Combat series as sponsors. | 1 |
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NamCollection | July 21, 2005 | Ace Combat 2 is included in NamCollection. | 2 |
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New Space Order | 2007 | The New Space Order demo features organizations from the Ace Combat series. | 1 |
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Gears of War | October 23, 2007 | Ace Combat 6 features a reference to Gears of War. | 3 |
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The Idolmaster | October 23, 2007 | Ace Combat 6 features aircraft paints based on The Idolmaster. | 2 |
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Dig Dug | October 23, 2007 | Ace Combat 6 features a reference to Dig Dug. | 3 |
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The Sky Crawlers | October 16, 2008 | The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces features gameplay elements from the Ace Combat series. | 3 |
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Tekken | December 18, 2008 | CFA-44 Nosferatu aircraft from the Ace Combat series can be found in the scenario campaign mode of Tekken 6, while various aircraft from the series appear in the Twilight Conflict stage in Tekken 7; additionally Ace Combat: Assault Horizon features aircraft paints based on Tekken. | 1 |
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Taiko no Tatsujin | August 18, 2010 | Taiko no Tatsujin: Portable 2, Taiko no Tatsujin 14, 2011, Wii3, 3DS, 3DS2 and V Version feature music tracks from the Ace Combat series. |
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Battlefield | November 22, 2013 | A map of the Ace Combat world is featured in the Battlefield 4: Second Assault map Operation Métro. | 2 |
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Mach Storm | December 2013 | Mach Storm features gameplay elements from the Ace Combat series, also including many of the same non-fictional aircraft as well as the fictional CVN-30 aircraft carrier. | 1 |
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Mappy | May 20, 2014 | Ace Combat Infinity features references to Mappy. | 2 |
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Sword Art Online | July 05, 2014 | The Sword Art Online anime features references to Ace Combat. | 2 |
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Mario | January 29, 2015 | Question Blocks and Power Stars from the Mario series appear in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy +, and are used to unlock aircraft themed after Nintendo characters, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser. |
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Donkey Kong | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed after Donkey Kong. |
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Super Smash Bros. | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features compatibility with the Super Smash Bros. amiibo. |
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Zelda | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed after Link from Skyward Sword and Zelda from Twilight Princess. |
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Metroid | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed after Samus from Metroid: Other M. |
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Star Fox | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed after Fox from Star Fox 64 3D. |
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F-Zero | January 29, 2015 | Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy + features unlockable aircraft themed Captain Falcon from F-Zero X. |
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Godzilla | July 16, 2015 | Godzilla appears in a collaboration event in Ace Combat Infinity. | 1 |
