In Ace Combat Advance, Namcos long-running air combat sim takes flight on Nintendos Game Boy Advance. Presented as an overhead-view shooter, the game is set in the same near-future world as its console predecessors. Players become pilots for the United Air Defense, a military organization formed to stand against the oppressive General Resources, Ltd. and its elite enforcement squadron, the Air Strike Force.

The game features destructible buildings and terrain objects; in addition to shooting down enemy craft, some missions require pilots to bomb enemy installations. Expert performance can unlock new planes for use in future missions. The cartridge offers a dozen missions in all, with a total of ten flyable aircraft and two difficulty settings. Missions take place around the globe, over an assortment of terrain types including arctic, forest, dessert, and ocean.