SSD vs HDD Requirement
SSD explicitly requiredAn HDD does not meet Ace Combat 8’s official PC minimum because Steam explicitly requires an SSD in addition to 125 GB of free capacity.
Confirmed evidence
The additional notes say the game requires an SSD. The requirement is about storage technology, not capacity alone. Steam does not state that the SSD must be NVMe, does not publish a minimum sequential speed and does not exclude SATA SSDs.
How to make the decision
Move the installation to an SSD even if a large HDD has ample room. Buying an NVMe upgrade solely for this game is not justified by the current table if an existing SATA SSD meets capacity and the rest of the system meets minimums.
Evidence boundary
Load-time comparisons, asset-streaming behavior, DirectStorage support, minimum read speed and external-SSD compatibility are not documented. A fast HDD benchmark cannot override the listed requirement.
Practical procedure
Identify the physical drive behind the Steam library, confirm it is an SSD, verify more than 125 GB free and choose that library before preload. Keep any HDD only for backups or unrelated files.
Verification checklist
- Identify the physical drive behind the Steam library, confirm it is an SSD, verify more than 125 GB free and choose that library before preload. Keep any HDD only for backups or unrelated files.
- Keep mode, platform, edition and account entitlements separate when applying this answer.
- Recheck the linked primary source after a store update, online-mode reveal or launch patch.
SSD vs HDD Requirement FAQ
What is the direct answer for SSD vs HDD Requirement?
An HDD does not meet Ace Combat 8’s official PC minimum because Steam explicitly requires an SSD in addition to 125 GB of free capacity.
What should not be inferred yet?
Load-time comparisons, asset-streaming behavior, DirectStorage support, minimum read speed and external-SSD compatibility are not documented. A fast HDD benchmark cannot override the listed requirement.