007 First Light

007 First Light is a third-person stealth and action-adventure game developed and published by IO Interactive, the Danish studio behind HITMAN, in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios. It tells an original James Bond origin story, casting him as a 26-year-old Royal Navy recruit spotted by MI6. It launched on 27 May 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store); the Nintendo Switch 2 version is announced for 18 March 2027. This page is a sourced analysis: we have not played the game, and every observation below is attributed to its source.

A young Bond from the makers of HITMAN

According to IO Interactive, Bond (played by Patrick Gibson) catches MI6's attention after a dangerous situation in Iceland. M (Priyanga Burford) backs him, while John Greenway (Lennie James), a former 00 agent and the programme's instructor, distrusts his improvised style. The rogue return of 009 becomes the 00 programme's first real test and takes Bond from the Carpathian Mountains to the black market of Aleph and into the lair of Bawma, played by Lenny Kravitz.

Gameplay: stealth, action and freedom of approach

The studio highlights its "Creative Approach": objectives can be tackled through stealth, direct action or a mix of both, with gadgets, disguises, hand-to-hand combat and chase sequences. Eurogamer (4/5) finds it less cerebral and less replayable than the World of Assassination trilogy, but praises "excellent fistfights and oodles of charm". GameSpot (8/10) says it "wisely repurposes what works in both universes" while ditching what doesn't.

What critics liked

Reviews are very positive. IGN (9/10) calls it "the best Bond game I've ever played". Tom's Guide (5/5) sees it as the finest James Bond game in nearly 30 years, and VGC describes a roughly 14-hour globetrotting epic full of spectacle, humour and action. Hardcore Gamer (4/5) enjoys the gunplay and stealth, while noting the game has its share of faults.

What critics are less sure about

PC Gamer (65/100) is the most visible low score: the Bond world shines, it says, but not enough to make up for a very familiar game. Eurogamer points to lower replayability than recent HITMAN games, and GameRant (8/10) calls it a mostly great but "not perfect" start for this new Bond.

Post-launch support

IO Interactive announced 4 million copies sold in three months (press release, 20 August 2026). Several updates have followed, most recently 1.3.2 (29 October 2026), adding among other things a photo mode, New Game+, path tracing on PC, free content and new Tactical Simulation (TacSim) missions, according to the official site.

Prices and languages

Prices checked on 10 November 2026: €69.99 on Steam for the standard edition, with no discount. On the French PlayStation Store, the standard edition is also €69.99, and the Deluxe Edition is discounted to €39.99 instead of €79.99 until 21 November 2026, 00:59 Paris time. On Steam, French is available for the interface and subtitles but not for voice acting (full audio in English and Turkish). Steam lists it as suitable for ages 16 and up.

Who is it for?

James Bond fans and players who enjoy HITMAN-style stealth, in a more linear and more cinematic adventure. Players looking for levels to replay again and again, as in the World of Assassination trilogy, will find less to chew on according to Eurogamer. Switch 2 players will have to wait until March 2027.

Press review summary

The score shown at the top of this page is the press average calculated by TricknFix from three reviews of the PlayStation 5 version, checked on 10 November 2026: Push Square (8/10, European standard PS5 version, reviewed 29 May 2026), PSX Extreme (9.5/10) and Rapid Reviews UK (4.5/5). It is not a review played by our team.