Ace Combat 8 Error 01 Fix: Out of Memory & Crashes
Ace Combat 8 Error 01 can appear before the first mission, during cutscenes, or partway through a sortie, and the most useful fix depends on exactly where you're crashing. If the error mentions running out of memory, I would start with Windows virtual memory before changing graphics drivers or reinstalling the entire game, because an undersized page file has already been enough to cause repeated Error 01 crashes on systems with 16GB and 32GB of physical RAM.
Fix Ace Combat 8 Error 01 by Increasing the Windows Page File
If Ace Combat 8 is throwing Error 01 or an out-of-memory crash, check your Windows page file first. One of the clearest failure patterns I've seen is Windows being limited to a roughly 4GB page file even on a PC with plenty of physical RAM.
The easiest fix is to let Windows manage virtual memory automatically.
Change the Windows Page File
1. Press Windows Key + R
2. Enter sysdm.cpl and press Enter
3. Open the Advanced tab
4. Under Performance, select Settings
5. Open the Advanced tab again
6. Under Virtual Memory, select Change
7. Select your Windows/system drive
8. Choose System managed size
9. Apply the changes and restart your PC
I would try System managed size before manually forcing a huge page file. It removes an unexpectedly low manual limit while still allowing Windows to adjust virtual memory as needed.
If you specifically want to use the manual values that have worked for other Ace Combat 8 players, set the initial size to 32,768 MB and the maximum size to 49,152 MB, then reboot before launching the game again.
Reported Custom Page File
• Initial size: 32,768 MB
• Maximum size: 49,152 MB
• Restart Windows after applying the change
This isn't just a fix for low-memory PCs. Successful reports include machines with 16GB and 32GB of RAM, including RTX 4060, RTX 4070, and RTX 3080 systems. That's why I'd check virtual memory even if your hardware looks comfortably above the minimum requirements.
Error 01 Does Not Appear to Have One Universal Cause
The page-file fix is the strongest place to start when the crash mentions memory, but Error 01 itself appears in several different situations. Players have hit it during startup, shader compilation, opening cutscenes, Mission 1, later missions, and transitions between gameplay and scripted scenes.
That means a page-file change working for one system doesn't prove every Error 01 crash is a memory problem.
If your virtual memory is already correctly configured and the game still crashes, the point where it fails becomes much more useful than the Error 01 label itself.
Reset GameUserSettings.ini for Startup and Cutscene Crashes
If Ace Combat 8 crashes before reaching the title screen, while compiling shaders, or during an early cutscene, regenerating the game's graphics configuration is worth trying next.
Close the game, open %LOCALAPPDATA%, find the Ace Combat 8 folder under BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, then navigate through Saved, Config, and Windows. Back up GameUserSettings.ini before deleting the original file.
When you relaunch Ace Combat 8, the game should create a fresh configuration file.
Reset the Graphics Configuration
1. Close Ace Combat 8
2. Press Windows Key + R
3. Enter %LOCALAPPDATA%
4. Find the Ace Combat 8 folder under BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
5. Open Saved → Config → Windows
6. Back up GameUserSettings.ini
7. Delete the original GameUserSettings.ini
8. Relaunch the game
I would use this before manually editing random graphics values inside the file. Letting the game rebuild the configuration gives you a clean baseline and makes it easier to tell whether a bad setting was actually involved.
Try Limiting Ace Combat 8 to 60 FPS if It Crashes During Missions
If Error 01 isn't happening at launch and instead appears after you've already been playing for a while, try setting the in-game frame-rate limit to 60 FPS.
This is a different crash pattern from the page-file issue. A player with an RTX 5090, Ryzen X3D CPU, and 32GB of RAM reported persistent crashes despite having high-end hardware, with the game finally becoming stable after being capped at 60 FPS.
That doesn't make 60 FPS a universal Error 01 fix, but it is an extremely low-risk test if your game launches normally and crashes only once a mission is underway.
Test Fullscreen Instead of Borderless
Fullscreen is another simple setting worth testing, particularly if the game survives startup but crashes during cutscenes or transitions.
There are reports of Borderless contributing to crashes, although this fix is clearly less consistent than the page-file solution. In fact, some players who solved their crash through virtual memory had already tried Fullscreen without success.
For that reason, I wouldn't make Fullscreen the first thing you spend an hour troubleshooting. Change it, test the same crash point again, and move on if nothing changes.
Clean-Install Your GPU Driver if Error 01 Keeps Returning
A normal driver update and a clean driver installation aren't quite the same thing. If Ace Combat 8 is crashing alongside display-driver errors, failing during shader compilation, or incorrectly complaining about graphics features your GPU supports, a clean installation is more useful than repeatedly clicking Check for Updates.
Install the latest stable driver available for your NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel GPU. If you've already done that and the problem remains, a clean reinstall can remove remnants of older driver installations that may still be interfering with the game.
I would be particularly suspicious of the graphics-driver side if Error 01 is accompanied by a display reset, black screen, or other GPU-related error rather than an explicit memory warning.
Check the Ace Combat 8 PC Requirements Before Chasing Other Fixes
Ace Combat 8 has some unusually specific PC requirements, and meeting the normal DirectX 12 label alone isn't necessarily enough.
Ace Combat 8 Minimum PC Requirements to Check
• Windows 11
• 16GB RAM
• DirectX 12
• Shader Model 6.6 or higher
• Hardware ray-tracing-capable GPU
• SSD storage
If you're specifically receiving a DirectX 12 or Shader Model 6.6 message, verify those requirements before assuming the game is simply misreporting an Error 01 crash.
Verify the Game Files if the Crash Started Suddenly
If Ace Combat 8 previously worked and Error 01 suddenly began after an update, interrupted download, or crash, verifying the installation is a sensible next step.
In Steam, open your Library, right-click Ace Combat 8, select Properties, open Installed Files, and run Verify integrity of game files.
This isn't the fix I'd lead with for an explicit out-of-memory error, but it's useful for crashes during loading and transitions where a damaged game file could be involved.
If Ace Combat 8 Always Crashes at the Same Mission, Change Your Troubleshooting Order
A repeatable crash halfway through one specific mission is different from a game that can't reach the title screen.
If you've already confirmed the page file is large enough, I would test a 60 FPS cap first, then Fullscreen, followed by a clean graphics-driver installation and a fresh GameUserSettings.ini.
Cutscenes are another useful clue. Some players have been able to get around specific transition crashes by skipping the affected cutscene, which doesn't solve the underlying stability problem but can at least confirm that the crash is tied to that transition rather than general gameplay.
What I Would Try Based on the Crash
Out of memory / Error 01 → Check page file first
Startup / shader crash → Reset GameUserSettings.ini
Mid-mission crash → Test a 60 FPS cap
Cutscene / transition crash → Reset settings and test Fullscreen
Display-driver crash → Clean-install the GPU driver
Crash after an update → Verify Steam files
Don't Download Random Error 01 Executables
Be careful with third-party "Error 01 fix" executables or repositories appearing while the game is having launch-week stability problems.
None of the fixes above require downloading an unofficial executable. Changing virtual memory, resetting the configuration file, verifying Steam files, adjusting the FPS cap, and reinstalling your official GPU driver can all be done through Windows, Steam, or your GPU manufacturer's software.
I would exhaust those options before running an unknown program that claims to patch the game.
What if Ace Combat 8 Error 01 Still Isn't Fixed?
If your page file is already enabled, GameUserSettings.ini has been rebuilt, the game is capped at 60 FPS, files verify correctly, and your graphics driver is clean and current, you may be dealing with a game-specific compatibility problem rather than something wrong with your PC.
Error 01 is being reported across very different hardware, including systems well above the recommended specifications, so I wouldn't assume an RTX 40- or 50-series GPU and 32GB or 64GB of RAM automatically rules out the same underlying crash.
At that point, keep Ace Combat 8 and your GPU driver updated rather than stacking increasingly invasive Windows tweaks on top of one another.
Once you're actually back in the game, my Ace Combat 8 tips and tricks guide covers the campaign mechanics, aircraft spending, squadron commands, and other things worth knowing early.
