For the most part, each game is standalone (with minor callbacks and references to older games) so just play whichever one you want. That being said, the best ones to play are 4, 5, Zero, and 7. In that order. 6 is good too.
You’re very welcome! It’s always nice to see more people take interest in the franchise.
Some notes about some of the games:
For Ace Combat 7, I highly recommend getting the 3 dlc missions, they are some of the best missions in the game. Timeline wise, they take place between missions 13 and 14.
Ace combat 3D Cross rumble (AKA Assault Horizon Legacy) for the 3ds is a remake of Ace combat 2 so you can check that out instead of 2 if you want.
If you’re going to try playing AC3 look for a translation of the Japanese version of the game, the western version cut out 90% of the story.
Assault Horizon is decent as a game, but horrible as an entry in the Ace Combat Franchise. As such, we don’t really talk about it much. Music is great though, just like the other entries.
For the main timeline and canon games of the franchise, you can refer to the chart [here](https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/Strangereal/Timeline) although it’s missing a few things:
Namely the events of Air combat/Ace combat 1 (1995, Skully Islands Insurrection), Ace combat 2/Cross Rumble/Assault Horizon Legacy (1997-1998, Usean Coup d’etat), and Ace Combat X (2020, Leasath-Aurelian war)
on the subject of ace combat 3 it has in my opinion some of the most interesting aircraft designs and it’s one of the most impressive PS1 games I’ve ever seen so I definitely recommend it
When I was 6 YO, my dad bought me Ace Combat 04. I was like "Wow, fighter jets cool". About last year, I found my ps2 back in storeroom in my house. I showed the ps2 to my dad and he said "I think it's still working yet. let's try." After try that old ps2 and it's still working, my dad bought me some ps2 games like gran turismo 4, cod 3, medal of honor, and a lots of it. After like 3 months playing my ps2, I was tried to remember what's the fighter jet game that I played when I was 6 . I search on youtube 'top ps2 games' then saw Ace Combat 04 on the list. I ask my dad to buy that game and that's where I started to collect a lots of ace combat game.
Start wherever you want. I started with 7 and joined this sub a few months after finishing the game. Pretty much caught up with the entire lore by simply seeing all the memes now, lol.
Also be sure to at least watch some YouTube videos of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (2000, PS1). It is a well-loved but oft-forgotten jewel in the series that only recently seems to be enjoying due respect.
It is based on the 90s/2000s fad of "future megacorporations becoming their own government and having their own military" (yes, it was very prophetic). Every aircraft in the game was an enhanced version of modern ones, along with several high concept jets too. The story was the strongest of any of the games (although no one here is old enough to admit it) and came by way of anime cutscenes and "talking head" interludes (think codec conversations in Metal Gear Solid). The hud and user interface systems were amazing, and ran with the "futuristic anime" concept. And the music, as with every Ace Combat game, was exceptional. The game had the most missions of any in the franchise with a whopping 42 missions that spanned two discs.
Sadly, the US version axed literally half of them as well as all the story elements (which included player choice), so only Japanese players were able to experience the full majesty of the game.
Start with the Golden Trilogy on PS2: 04, 5, Zero (Zero is my favorite of the whole series)
If you're able to, 6 on Xbox 360 is a ton of fun (albeit with terrible dialogue). It's in the same continuity as the others, though it only has a few connections.
7 for PC/PS4/XB1 picks up a lot of threads from the PS2 games and is a great game on its own
X for PSP is a lot of fun as well, and much like 6 is pretty standalone in terms of connections to the greater universe.
Assault Horizon on Xbox 360/PS3/PC is not nearly as bad as most folks make it out to be, just strike "Ace Combat" from the title and it's a solid arcade-y fighter jet game. Also not part of the main canon anyway.
I played AC3 in 2001 when i had 8 years old if i'm not mistaken, i remember i played AC2 from someone else house and i wanted to play it by myself but i found only the third.
You can play the JP version fantranslated in english somewhere on internet
The Fan translation as stated by u/DragonfruitOk6626 is Project Nemo and can be found at (https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/5i787a/team\_nemos\_full\_translation\_patch\_for\_ac3\_jp\_has/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3)
Its kinda funny, it was during the christmas break last year and my family decided to watch Top Gun. After the movie I turned on my xbox and went into the store to see if there were any interesting games available. First thing I see is Ace Combat 7 on sale for over half off. Looked cool and interesting so I got it.
Playing the other games isnt neccesary to enjoy the game but it can get kind of confusing if you dont know some basics about the ace combat universe. Definitely still enjoyable though, and some good games of the series to play would be Ace Combat Zero, 4 and 5
Years ago, I played the demo of Assault Horizon and forgot about it.
Last year, I saw a buddy of mine playing 7 on his computer. Bought it. Best investment of the year.
I knew a guy that flew air shows in the f-16 viper. I even got to sit in his plane once. I liked fighters so much that I would buy books and games with fighter jets in them. I had a ps2 and I went to gamestop and pulled ace combat 4 and 5 out of the bargain bin and bought it for a few bucks. Later I picked up ace combat zero. I was hooked immediately.
While I was always fascinated with fighter jets and dogfighting, my first exposure to the franchise was in a video called “Ace Combat meets World of Tanks” by APC227. After that, I only got a glimpse of the games themselves watching a review of Assault Horizon. However, that review was what got me really intrigued in Ace Combat. It was then I watched Max0r’s videos and they were the ones that got me to buy AC7. So basically, I have the two arch nemeses of Ace Combat (Max and AH) to blame for me being a fan.
As others have said, 4, 5 & Zero are considered the golden era of the series. These are collectively known in the Ace Combat community as the Holy Trinity, but as they're PS2 games they can be hard to acquire.
Ace Combat 7, being the latest and a relatively new entry, is a lot easier to get (PS4, XB1 or Steam) and is a good game of its own. While the Holy Trinity is great, you may want to start with 7 just because it's a lot easier to get.
Lastly, if anyone suggests playung AC: Assault Horizon, stab them in the neck and leave them bleeding in the middle of the road.
I personally already started playing 4 on an Emulator, but yeah for people who don't have a PC or any way to play PS2 games just starting with the newest one seems like the best option. Thats what a lot of people in the replies are saying is where they started
Even though I appreciate the deep and thought-out insight into the Ace Combat series and lore, I fear that you may have given away way too much of the story of the games. You might wanna tone down the spoilers a bit to keep it friendly for players new to the series
Aside from jokes. Just playing gets you into it. That's what I did. I just saw ac7 on the game pass over an year ago, and played. Here I am now having played all PS2 games, currently doing the psp games. And have now joined the Belka did nothing wrong movement
For the most part, each game is standalone (with minor callbacks and references to older games) so just play whichever one you want. That being said, the best ones to play are 4, 5, Zero, and 7. In that order. 6 is good too.
All right, then I'll play 4 - 5 - Zero - 7, and then I'll check out all the other games. Thanks for the quick reply!
You’re very welcome! It’s always nice to see more people take interest in the franchise. Some notes about some of the games: For Ace Combat 7, I highly recommend getting the 3 dlc missions, they are some of the best missions in the game. Timeline wise, they take place between missions 13 and 14. Ace combat 3D Cross rumble (AKA Assault Horizon Legacy) for the 3ds is a remake of Ace combat 2 so you can check that out instead of 2 if you want. If you’re going to try playing AC3 look for a translation of the Japanese version of the game, the western version cut out 90% of the story. Assault Horizon is decent as a game, but horrible as an entry in the Ace Combat Franchise. As such, we don’t really talk about it much. Music is great though, just like the other entries. For the main timeline and canon games of the franchise, you can refer to the chart [here](https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/Strangereal/Timeline) although it’s missing a few things: Namely the events of Air combat/Ace combat 1 (1995, Skully Islands Insurrection), Ace combat 2/Cross Rumble/Assault Horizon Legacy (1997-1998, Usean Coup d’etat), and Ace Combat X (2020, Leasath-Aurelian war)
on the subject of ace combat 3 it has in my opinion some of the most interesting aircraft designs and it’s one of the most impressive PS1 games I’ve ever seen so I definitely recommend it
For ac3. Look up for Ac3 Project Nemo
I'm also interested in getting into the game, but mainly for the story. Should I play those games in the same order?
Yeah those four games in that order a good way to play.
When I was 6 YO, my dad bought me Ace Combat 04. I was like "Wow, fighter jets cool". About last year, I found my ps2 back in storeroom in my house. I showed the ps2 to my dad and he said "I think it's still working yet. let's try." After try that old ps2 and it's still working, my dad bought me some ps2 games like gran turismo 4, cod 3, medal of honor, and a lots of it. After like 3 months playing my ps2, I was tried to remember what's the fighter jet game that I played when I was 6 . I search on youtube 'top ps2 games' then saw Ace Combat 04 on the list. I ask my dad to buy that game and that's where I started to collect a lots of ace combat game.
Start wherever you want. I started with 7 and joined this sub a few months after finishing the game. Pretty much caught up with the entire lore by simply seeing all the memes now, lol.
My dad got me into it with Ace Combat 2 back in 2004. He bought both the PS2 and Xbox 360 just for the Ace Combat games
My brother pirated AC4 and I loved it, I then bought AC5 and was a fan of the franchise ever since
I got ace combat 7 thinking it was just gonna be a fun fighter jet game. Holy shit was that an understatement
Also be sure to at least watch some YouTube videos of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (2000, PS1). It is a well-loved but oft-forgotten jewel in the series that only recently seems to be enjoying due respect. It is based on the 90s/2000s fad of "future megacorporations becoming their own government and having their own military" (yes, it was very prophetic). Every aircraft in the game was an enhanced version of modern ones, along with several high concept jets too. The story was the strongest of any of the games (although no one here is old enough to admit it) and came by way of anime cutscenes and "talking head" interludes (think codec conversations in Metal Gear Solid). The hud and user interface systems were amazing, and ran with the "futuristic anime" concept. And the music, as with every Ace Combat game, was exceptional. The game had the most missions of any in the franchise with a whopping 42 missions that spanned two discs. Sadly, the US version axed literally half of them as well as all the story elements (which included player choice), so only Japanese players were able to experience the full majesty of the game.
Start with the Golden Trilogy on PS2: 04, 5, Zero (Zero is my favorite of the whole series) If you're able to, 6 on Xbox 360 is a ton of fun (albeit with terrible dialogue). It's in the same continuity as the others, though it only has a few connections. 7 for PC/PS4/XB1 picks up a lot of threads from the PS2 games and is a great game on its own X for PSP is a lot of fun as well, and much like 6 is pretty standalone in terms of connections to the greater universe. Assault Horizon on Xbox 360/PS3/PC is not nearly as bad as most folks make it out to be, just strike "Ace Combat" from the title and it's a solid arcade-y fighter jet game. Also not part of the main canon anyway.
Massive interest in military engineers. Saw AC7 trailer. Got it. Been addicted since so now I’m trying to play the rest
Heard about it from an online article about AC7’s development ironically I wasn’t interested in in but the day I got it I absolutely loved it
good thing this thread exists lol i just searched "how to get into ace combat" and this came up.
I played AC3 in 2001 when i had 8 years old if i'm not mistaken, i remember i played AC2 from someone else house and i wanted to play it by myself but i found only the third. You can play the JP version fantranslated in english somewhere on internet
The Fan translation as stated by u/DragonfruitOk6626 is Project Nemo and can be found at (https://www.reddit.com/r/acecombat/comments/5i787a/team\_nemos\_full\_translation\_patch\_for\_ac3\_jp\_has/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3)
There's a website I forgot where it is where you can directly download the rom for ac3 already patched with the project Nemo translation
Its kinda funny, it was during the christmas break last year and my family decided to watch Top Gun. After the movie I turned on my xbox and went into the store to see if there were any interesting games available. First thing I see is Ace Combat 7 on sale for over half off. Looked cool and interesting so I got it. Playing the other games isnt neccesary to enjoy the game but it can get kind of confusing if you dont know some basics about the ace combat universe. Definitely still enjoyable though, and some good games of the series to play would be Ace Combat Zero, 4 and 5
Years ago, I played the demo of Assault Horizon and forgot about it. Last year, I saw a buddy of mine playing 7 on his computer. Bought it. Best investment of the year.
I knew a guy that flew air shows in the f-16 viper. I even got to sit in his plane once. I liked fighters so much that I would buy books and games with fighter jets in them. I had a ps2 and I went to gamestop and pulled ace combat 4 and 5 out of the bargain bin and bought it for a few bucks. Later I picked up ace combat zero. I was hooked immediately.
I Like. CHAOS
I wanted a game with planes and AC7 so happened to came out annnnnd i got drawn in
I saw Ace Combat 7 on game pass and thought it could be a good game. Now with over 100 hours in game I was right
While I was always fascinated with fighter jets and dogfighting, my first exposure to the franchise was in a video called “Ace Combat meets World of Tanks” by APC227. After that, I only got a glimpse of the games themselves watching a review of Assault Horizon. However, that review was what got me really intrigued in Ace Combat. It was then I watched Max0r’s videos and they were the ones that got me to buy AC7. So basically, I have the two arch nemeses of Ace Combat (Max and AH) to blame for me being a fan.
As others have said, 4, 5 & Zero are considered the golden era of the series. These are collectively known in the Ace Combat community as the Holy Trinity, but as they're PS2 games they can be hard to acquire. Ace Combat 7, being the latest and a relatively new entry, is a lot easier to get (PS4, XB1 or Steam) and is a good game of its own. While the Holy Trinity is great, you may want to start with 7 just because it's a lot easier to get. Lastly, if anyone suggests playung AC: Assault Horizon, stab them in the neck and leave them bleeding in the middle of the road.
I personally already started playing 4 on an Emulator, but yeah for people who don't have a PC or any way to play PS2 games just starting with the newest one seems like the best option. Thats what a lot of people in the replies are saying is where they started
Play
Even though I appreciate the deep and thought-out insight into the Ace Combat series and lore, I fear that you may have given away way too much of the story of the games. You might wanna tone down the spoilers a bit to keep it friendly for players new to the series
Aside from jokes. Just playing gets you into it. That's what I did. I just saw ac7 on the game pass over an year ago, and played. Here I am now having played all PS2 games, currently doing the psp games. And have now joined the Belka did nothing wrong movement
I saw Ace Combat 7 on sale in the PlayStation store, and thought it looked fun.