ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN (v2022.05.25 & ALL DLC)

War-torn skies over the fictional continent of Usea provide the stage for a spectacular arcade flight-combat campaign built around speed, spectacle, and relentless dogfighting. ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN puts players in the cockpit as a disgraced Osean pilot fighting through a conflict shaped by drones, political tension, and enormous military set pieces. The tone balances serious military drama with gleefully over-the-top aviation action, from canyon runs and carrier assaults to battles against impossible-looking superweapons. It is less concerned with strict simulator procedures than with making every sortie feel like the climax of an action movie.

Missions send you after bomber formations, armored columns, naval fleets, radar installations, and rival aces, usually under a ticking score or time limit. Controls are approachable with a controller or flight stick: accelerate, maneuver, lock targets, fire missiles, and choose special weapons such as long-range air-to-air missiles, bombs, rockets, or electronic countermeasures. Completing operations earns credits for a broad aircraft tree covering familiar modern fighters and experimental machines, while parts improve maneuverability, missile capacity, stealth, and other performance traits. Changing cloud cover, turbulence, lightning, and visibility make the battlefield more than background scenery, occasionally disrupting target locks or forcing risky low-altitude approaches; online multiplayer adds competitive aerial clashes, though the campaign remains a solo affair.

What separates it from grounded simulators is its commitment to dramatic mission design and satisfying aerial flow. Battles often escalate in memorable ways, with radio chatter, orchestral music, and huge shifting objectives selling the fantasy of being an elite pilot in a desperate war. The fictional setting gives the developers room for striking aircraft designs and improbable scenarios without abandoning recognizable military hardware. Fans of Crimson Skies, HAWX, or earlier Ace Combat entries will feel at home immediately, while newcomers who want accessible controls and cinematic air combat find a far friendlier starting point than a hardcore flight sim.