In December 2022, the Japanese company Argus released what was expected to be one of the killer apps on the NerveGear - ACES Online. A follow up to the VR mode for Ace Combat 7, developed into its own game, with a true multiplayer online experience, and a campaign set in the Strangereal world... No one expected to be forced to fight for survival in the game.

In a world not so unlike our own, where from the earliest days of the modern era Air Power has dominated the battlefield, a version of Kayaba Akihiko unveils his masterpiece, and a version of Kirigaya Kazuto sets his feet upon the path to becoming an Ace.