007 First Light is the best Bond game ever made — sorry, GoldenEye

007 First Light is a rare game that had me thinking, “I cannot wait to replay this” before my first run was even over. Developer IO Interactive has created the best James Bond game of all time. And yes, I’m fully aware that N64’s GoldenEye is a juggernaut of the shooter genre.

Anchored by a younger Bond, brilliantly brought to life by Patrick Gibson, First Light is the most essential piece of 007 media in two decades. Not since Daniel Craig first donned the tuxedo in 2006’s “Casino Royale” have I been this enamored with the spy espionage series.

By combining the blockbuster spectacle of games like Uncharted and the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy with the player freedom found in IO’s own Hitman: World of Assassination series, 007 First Light offers a cinematic and gripping globe-trotting adventure. And while it modernizes the character in smart ways, it never loses classic James Bond’s soul in the process.

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007 First Light is everything a Bond fan could want, and as somebody who has seen all 26 of 007’s big-screen outings, it’s something of a dream game for a longtime fan like me. There’s no question it’s a Game of the Year 2026 contender, and a game worth experiencing whether you’re a Bond veteran or a newcomer to the suave spy. Read on for my full 007 First Light review.

007 First Light: The Basics

• What is it? 007 First Light is a third-person action-adventure title that sees you play a young James Bond taking his first steps into the world of spycraft and international espionage.
• Who is it for? Bond fans couldn’t ask for more, but even newcomers looking for a thrilling and cinematic gaming experience will find themselves swept up in 007 First Light.
• What's the price? 007 First Light costs $69 at Amazon. Or you can spring for the pricy $299 Legacy Edition, which includes a prop replica of the series iconic Golden Gun and some DLC goodies.
• What other games has the developer made? 007 First Light comes from IO Interactive, the creators of the popular Hitman series. The Danish developer also made Kane & Lynch and Mini Ninjas.
• What games is this similar to? Comparison to Uncharted is obvious, but 007 First Light also takes DNA from IO’s Hitman: World of Assassination series, combining the two into a supremely strong mix.

Becoming James Bond

Unlike the recent Daniel Craig-fronted movies, which largely presented Bond as a grizzled veteran, 007 First Light casts players as a fresh-faced spy. In fact, this spin on Ian Fleming’s character is so new to the world of espionage that he hasn’t even earned the 007 title yet.

The search for the next big-screen Bond is underway, but in the gaming space, IO has nailed the casting with Patrick Gibson, who provides his voice and mocaps the protagonist. Gibson’s Bond has all the hallmarks of the character — he’s charming, headstrong, and the right amount of arrogant — but he’s also a little naive and prone to overestimating his abilities.

The narrative setup is classic Bond fiction, with rogue agents, shadowy organizations, and world-ending stakes. Plus, 007 First Light’s 15-hour campaign takes you all over the world, from Slovakia to Malta, Iceland to Mauritania, and naturally, there are several levels set in London, England. This strong diversity of locales keeps the campaign exciting throughout.

No Bond story would be complete without a suitably menacing villain, and while to reveal the ultimate big bad would be a spoiler, I’ll say First Light’s foe(s) are also excellent. Smartly, the story keeps these cards close to the chest, with the antagonist often shrouded in shadows. This makes the reveal of who is behind the conspiracy at the story's heart very satisfying.

First Light dedicates a surprising amount of time to scene-setting. After an exhilarating opening mission, you’ll spend a couple of hours with Bond in MI6 training. Rather than sap momentum, these intro sequences flesh out the supporting players (including Q, M, and Moneypenny), making me actually care about the larger cast, not just the star.

Tricks of the spy trade

Actually playing 007 First Light is a joy. Levels typically see you starting in a larger hub-style area, looking to gain the intel necessary to enter restricted zones, where you need to sneak past hordes of guards. If you’re spotted? Time to break out the fists, or if the situation is truly dire (and Bond’s life is threatened), whip out a firearm, as you’re granted a License to Kill.

It’s no surprise that the stealth gameplay is superb. 007 First Light comes from the developer of Hitman, after all. You’re given plenty of options to avoid detention. Whether it’s using your Q-Watch to make a laptop short circuit, drawing attention away from your position, or making use of nausea-inducing darts hidden within a power bank.

Before each mission, you must select your gadgets, and while I did find a few more useful than others, it’s fun to experiment with the on-brand gizmos at your disposal.

As noted, when a fight breaks out, Bond first relies on his fists, and the brawls are a blast. The combat system takes inspiration from the Batman: Arkham series, with a focus on single-button counters, and the creative ways you can use your environment never get old. For example, if you’re fighting a thug next to a glass cabinet, Bond will smash the goon into it, dealing extra damage, and maybe even making you wince just a little bit.

Firefights are no less thrilling. Ammo counts are sparse, forcing you to move around the battlefield to pick up new weapons or gain a positional advantage. Each shootout feels like a real battle for survival. And it’s a small thing in the grand scheme, but 007 First Light has some of the most satisfying headshots in any third-person action game in recent memory.

007 First Light truly comes into its own when it combines these three gameplay states across levels. You’ll leap between stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and intense shootouts in a matter of minutes, and when you survive intact, you really do feel like a world-class superspy. Throw in a few high-speed car chases and a handful of fun but simplistic boss battles, and 007 First Light plays as good as it looks. And it looks pretty darn incredible!

James Bond crossed with Agent 47

While 007 First Light often funnels you down linear paths or into restrictive cinematic set pieces, IO Interactive hasn’t abandoned the open approach to level design seen in Hitman. This spin on Bond appears to have taken a leaf out of Agent 47's book!

Throughout the campaign, you are regularly dropped into small but dense sandboxes, given a task to complete, and it’s your job, as Bond, to figure out the best route forward. These include amassing enough money to buy your way into a criminal auction at a seedy market in Mauritania or gaining access to a locked CCTV room during a swanky gala at a London museum.

Objectives can be completed in multiple ways. Take, for example, the museum instance mentioned above. You could pose as a photographer to gain access to the upper balcony, or convince the security personnel you’re their no-show colleague, or you can just opt to pickpocket a keycard and sneak in via the back door. The choice is yours, and having so many options has me already itching to replay several levels to try different strategies.

These sections allow IO to flex some of its crowd technology muscles. The first open level is set in a dingy nightclub, and I spent several minutes marveling at how many NPCs were crammed onto the dance floor. I was even more impressed when I moved across the room, and each clubber responded with vague annoyance when my Bond bumped into them.

More cinematic than a Bond movie

There’s no better way to describe 007 First Light than cinematic. Some levels ramp up the Blockbuster action to such a degree that they put Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to shame. One of my favorites feels like a winking tribute to “Casino Royale” as Bond runs along a skyscraper-sized construction crane while a rooftop sniper takes shots from down below.

Even when you think you’ve experienced the game’s biggest and best set-piece moment, another one comes along soon after. I must have declared “okay, this is my favorite level” more than half a dozen times across my playthrough. Ask me to pick the very best one, and I'd be here all day.

The game’s cinematic quality extends beyond set pieces as well. The appropriate mood is set right out of the gate with a phenomenal Bond theme performed by American singer Lana Del Rey, and that’s just the start of the epic musical score. Even the main menu gets you right into the Bond mood, with a bombastic orchestral track that is simply note-perfect.

In fact, 007 First Light is so slick that the very few clumsy moments stick all the more. Transitions between cutscenes and gameplay don’t always flow smoothly, and there are a couple of needlessly harsh cuts, like a scene where Bond is being slowly lowered into a pit of man-eating crocodiles. An awkward cut to black sucks all the tension from this particular moment.

Nevertheless, these never amount to more than extremely minor blemishes. Overall, 007 First Light looks and sounds incredible with phenomenal visuals on PS5 Pro and first-class audio design throughout.

007 First Light review: Verdict

We’re currently enjoying an era of excellent licensed games, from Hogwarts Legacy to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Even with this strong competition raising the bar, 007 First Light stands out as perhaps the finest example of a popular movie series being converted into a video game.

Almost 30 years after the release of GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64, there is finally a James Bond game to rival that legendary title. 007 First Light is a first-class spy adventure with a gripping espionage story, cinematic gameplay, and a commitment to authenticity that will delight superfans. 007 First Light might just be the best Bond has ever been.

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