Bandai Namco has quietly changed how Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is distributed on Steam with pre-orders of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, switching it from a promised standalone application to DLC that requires the main game to be installed. The alteration contradicts the original store listing and differs markedly from console versions, where The Belkan War is genuinely standalone, prompting significant backlash from PC players who feel misled about their purchase.

The practical implications are substantial: players must download and install approximately 135GB of Ace Combat 8 to access a 2006 game that weighs under 4GB, making it impractical for lower-spec hardware such as the Steam Deck—a particular frustration for those who pre-ordered specifically to play the re-release portably. As DLC, The Belkan War lacks its own achievements, cloud saves, and separate profile tracking; whilst the game technically launches independently, its installation remains bound to the new title's directory. The mixed reception on Steam (over 1,350 reviews) has been significantly shaped by this controversy, which currently dominates discussion on the Ace Combat subreddit and in negative reviews, overshadowing commentary on the game itself.