Ace Combat 8 Best Online Planes
Ace Combat 8's best multiplayer planes are not necessarily the aircraft that dominate the campaign. Online matches put much more value on handling human pilots, quickly changing target types, and having special weapons that remain useful when a battle shifts from aircraft to surface targets, so the strongest choices tend to be planes that either excel at one important job or can comfortably cover several of them.
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Best Online Planes
F-22A
FA-36
Su-57
F-35C
EA-36
X-40
Which Plane Should You Use?
Best Online Planes in Ace Combat 8
The F-22A is my top pick for pure PvP in Ace Combat 8, while the FA-36 is the stronger choice if you want one aircraft that can handle most multiplayer situations. The Su-57 sits between those two as an excellent air-to-air fighter that can still attack surface targets, while the F-35C becomes especially valuable in co-op missions where scoring against several different target types matters.
The EA-36 deserves its own place because electronic warfare gives it a team role that conventional fighters cannot replicate, while the X-40 is one of the strongest choices once you reach the high end of multiplayer progression.
Best PvP Plane → F-22A
Best All-Around Plane → FA-36
Best Air-to-Air Hybrid → Su-57
Best Co-Op Plane → F-35C
Best Support Plane → EA-36
Best Endgame Plane → X-40
F-22A – Best PvP Plane
The F-22A is one of the safest choices if your main focus is fighting other players. Its combination of mobility and air-to-air special weapons gives it answers for both individual dogfights and situations where several aircraft are competing in the same part of the map.
QAAM is particularly useful when a fight becomes close and maneuver-heavy, while 4AAM gives the F-22A a way to pressure multiple aerial targets instead of spending every engagement tunnel-visioned on one opponent. That combination makes it well suited to the dedicated PvP events in Ace Combat 8, including team battles and free-for-all matches.
XSDB also keeps the plane from being completely useless against surface targets when you take it into one of the mixed multiplayer modes. I would still choose another aircraft for a ground-heavy mission, but having that option makes the Raptor less restrictive than a fighter built entirely around air combat.
FA-36 – Best All-Around Online Plane
The FA-36 is the plane I would build around if you want one aircraft that can move between several multiplayer modes without constantly changing your approach. Its special weapons cover very different situations, which is exactly what you want when a match does not revolve around one target type.
SASM gives you an air-to-air option suited to maneuvering targets, while HPAA offers a heavier alternative when you can create a clean firing opportunity. SOD then gives the aircraft a proper surface-attack weapon instead of forcing you to rely entirely on standard missiles whenever the battle moves toward ground targets.
That flexibility is especially useful in mixed battles, where spending too long chasing another player can sometimes be worse than breaking away and scoring elsewhere. The FA-36 gives you enough options to change priorities without making the aircraft feel compromised.
Su-57 – Best Air-to-Air Hybrid
The Su-57 is another excellent multiplayer choice, particularly if you want something that still feels like a dedicated fighter without giving up the ability to attack surface targets.
QAAM handles close air combat, while HCAA gives the Su-57 a larger supply of air-to-air missiles for fights where you need sustained pressure rather than one high-value shot. LACM rounds out the package by giving the aircraft a long-range surface weapon.
That makes the Su-57 particularly useful in matches where both players and NPC targets are present. You can stay aggressive against enemy aircraft when the opportunity is there, then redirect toward surface objectives instead of wasting time trying to force a dogfight that is going nowhere.
F-35C – Best Plane for Co-Op
The F-35C becomes one of the strongest multiplayer planes when the objective is clearing targets and building score rather than hunting another player exclusively.
HCAA gives it a dependable way to work through airborne enemies, while 8AGM can quickly attack several ground targets during the same pass. LACM adds another option for surface targets at longer range, which lets the F-35C begin contributing before shorter-range aircraft have reached the same objective.
This is why I prefer it for co-op. The plane does not need the mission to favor one particular target type before it becomes useful. It can transition between air and surface objectives quickly enough that there is rarely much dead time between productive attacks.
EA-36 – Best Support Plane
The EA-36 is one of the more interesting online aircraft because its value is not based entirely on getting kills itself. IEWS gives it an electronic-warfare role that becomes much more meaningful when several players are working together.
It is not helpless offensively either. 4AAM gives the EA-36 something useful against groups of aircraft, while XSDB lets it contribute against surface targets. The result is a plane that can support the rest of the squad without spending the entire match sitting outside the actual fight.
The EA-18G offers another route into electronic warfare, but the EA-36 has the stronger overall package if you want a support-focused aircraft that can still contribute directly to scoring.
X-40 – Best Endgame Online Plane
The X-40 makes more sense once you are already established in multiplayer and can afford to invest in a high-end aircraft. Its weapon selection is substantially different from most conventional planes, with UAVT and EMLB giving it attack options that are difficult to replicate elsewhere in the roster.
QAAM keeps the X-40 dangerous in conventional air combat as well, so it does not have to rely completely on its more unusual systems. That makes it an appealing late-game aircraft for players who already understand how the different multiplayer modes flow and want something with a higher ceiling than the standard fighters.
I would not necessarily rush toward it at the expense of developing your existing hangar, though. Ace Combat 8 keeps multiplayer aircraft progression separate from the campaign, so a plane you have properly upgraded can be more useful than an expensive endgame option you have barely developed.
F/A-18E Is Another Strong Multiplayer Choice
The F/A-18E does not take the top spot in any one category here, but it is still one of the better aircraft to keep available for online play.
6AAM is valuable when several aircraft are present at once, QAAM gives the Super Hornet a stronger option when one difficult target becomes the priority, and SOD covers groups of surface targets. It is a very practical package for multiplayer because each weapon solves a noticeably different problem.
If you prefer the F/A-18E's handling or already have it developed, there is no need to abandon it simply because aircraft like the F-22A or Su-57 sit higher at the extreme end of air-to-air combat.
MiG-31B Is the Best Long-Range Option
The MiG-31B is worth considering if you prefer creating engagements from farther away instead of immediately committing to close-range dogfights.
LAAM is the main reason to use it, allowing the MiG-31B to threaten aircraft before many shorter-range weapons can properly enter the fight. SAAM and QAAM then give it additional options when that distance inevitably begins to collapse.
It is more specialized than the planes at the top of this list, so I would not recommend it as your only developed multiplayer aircraft. For players who deliberately want to fight at range, though, it offers a playstyle that the more conventional multirole picks do not.
Which Online Plane Should You Use?
If you primarily play PvP, I would start with the F-22A. Its mobility and air-to-air weapon selection make it the most natural choice when human pilots are the main threat.
If you move between several multiplayer modes, the FA-36 is the better general investment because its weapon choices cover both aircraft and surface targets without pushing the plane too far toward either role. The Su-57 offers a similar balance with more emphasis on air combat, while the F-35C is the plane I would favor when co-op scoring and large groups of NPC targets are the priority.
Support-oriented players should look at the EA-36, while the X-40 becomes more attractive once you have moved deeper into multiplayer progression and want access to its unusual high-end weapons.
The right choice can also change with the mission itself. Some multiplayer events can restrict aircraft types or unit costs, so keeping more than one developed plane available gives you far more flexibility than dumping everything into a single aircraft.
If you are still comparing the full roster, the Ace Combat 8 aircraft list covers every plane in the game. You can also see the Ace Combat 8 best planes guide for picks outside multiplayer, while the best parts guide covers upgrades worth pairing with the aircraft you choose.
