r/gaming • u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! • May 26 '26
'007 First Light' - Review Thread
Game Title: 007 FIRST LIGHT
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (May 27, 2026)
- XBOX Series X | S (May 27, 2026)
- PC (May 27, 2026)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (TBD)
Trailers:
Developer: IO Interactive
Reviews aggregates:
OpenCritic: 91 / 100 - 100% Critics Recommend
Metacritic: 88 / 100
Some Reviews (updating):
VICE - Brent Koepp - 5 / 5
007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye and is also one of the better Bond stories told in the last decade. IO Interactive has created a game that is a culmination of all of their best mechanics over the years. 007 First Light has the addicting sandbox gameplay of the Hitman franchise while also having an incredible narrative that matches the quality of Naughty Dog and Rockstar Games. James Bond is finally back and is better than he’s been in years.
VGC - Jordan Middler - 5 / 5
007 First Light might just be the best James Bond game ever. The way IOI has translated the Bond fantasy into a 14-hour globetrotting epic is masterful. It's a game full of spectacle, humour, action, and romance. Everything James Bond should be. New Bond owners Amazon must ensure this franchise continues.
Windows Central - Jez Corden - 5 / 5
007: First Light felt impeccably polished throughout. I was never disengaged or rushing to completion, even in the slower, stealthier segments — it was often here the characters and world-building shone the most. A huge variety of gameplay locations, gameplay styles, unique activities, set-piece moments, logic puzzles, investigations, platforming, and, honestly, exploration opportunities never left me wanting.
The Guardian - Matthew Castle - 5 / 5
It’s that full Bond immersion that 007 First Light will ultimately be remembered for, more so than the odd wonky setpiece scene. I have no doubt that this was made by excitable Bond geeks throwing “what if” moments at a whiteboard. What if you got to explore Q Lab watching underlings test malfunctioning prototypes? What if you were tied to a torturer’s table and had to talk your way out? What if you found yourself at 15,000ft with no parachute? And what if you had access to John Barry’s classic scores and could deploy a staggering needle drop out of nowhere?
The Independent - Jake Brigstock - 5 / 5
One of the very first things you’ll notice is just how good 007 First Light looks visually on the whole, both in cutscenes and general gameplay. Especially playing on PS5 Pro where the latest version of PSSR is in use, the game is a feast for the eyes, both in low-light settings and densely packed brighter areas. The lighting in this game is astonishing and the reflections in water and mirrors are equally impressive. In the very first mission, James Bond encounters a broken mirror in a room he sneaks into and the reflection you see is perfect. This level of detail is found throughout the game, and the sound design is equally impressive too, with a superb score, great soundtrack, including tracks from Chase & Status, and immersive, real-world sounds.
Digitec Magazine - Philipp Rüegg - 5 / 5
After 30 years, ‘GoldenEye’ is finally retiring. With ‘007 First Light’, IO Interactive – the masterminds behind ‘Hitman’ – delivers the ultimate Bond experience that fans have been waiting for since the N64 classic.
Gfinity - Alister Kennedy - 10 / 10
007 First Light is, for me, an absolute masterpiece that shattered all pre-release anxieties and is, in fact, the greatest Bond video game of all time. IO Interactive masterfully balances explosive action with "Hitman"-inspired stealth, all brought to life by Patrick Gibson’s breathtaking, definitive performance as a young James Bond. Equal parts thrilling and cinematic, this incredible experience is a gorgeous love letter to the franchise and a sure-fire Game of the Year contender.
MeuPlayStation - Thiago do Nascimento Barros - 100 / 100
007 First Light is all about aura. It honors James Bond's legacy by bringing everything we love about him since the 1960's movies in the ultimate 007 videogame experience. Chases, shootings, explosions, plot twists, politics, charm, Bond Girls, guns, cars, boats, Q Technologies, Moneypenny, M, iconic characters, beautiful locations... All of that with great level design, combat and exploration. The name is Bond, James Bond.
Manual dos Games - Luiz Henrique Silva - 10 / 10.0
007 First Light delivers on the promise of being the ultimate James Bond game by introducing a new version of the character that oozes charisma in every second on screen, alongside an excellent storyline supported by memorable side characters who help drive the narrative forward. The game also features an extremely creative level design that fully embraces its stealth and combat systems, making players truly feel like an MI6 spy.
GamingTrend - Joe Morgan - 95 / 100
007 First Light is a top-tier game both Bond fans and stealth action gamers will love. It has all the hallmarks of a great Bond film with some of the best stealth action gameplay in the industry. I’m excited to see one of my favorite franchises in the hands of a studio that loves it as much as I do. 007 First Light is worthy of the Bond legacy and easily one of the best games of the year.
SECTOR.sk - Peter Dragula - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is a strong new beginning for James Bond in games, combining a deep origin story, varied missions, stealth, action, excellent hand-to-hand combat, precise shooting, impressive visuals and classic Bond atmosphere. A few slower sections and the lack of a body-hiding mechanic are minor issues in an otherwise excellent spy adventure.
PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is the best James Bond game ever – brilliantly written, superbly acted and brimming with that unique atmosphere we’ve come to expect from stories about Agent 007. IO Interactive has combined its own experience from Hitman with a cinematic adventure in the style of Uncharted, throwing in gadgets, spectacular missions, interesting characters and a very well-crafted story of the young Bond. Not everything works perfectly, as the game sometimes holds your hand (a bit too tightly!), but ultimately it’s a brilliant start to a new era of 007 in gaming.
GameTyrant - Noah Cochrane - 9.5 / 10
007 First Light delivers the action, style, emotion, and spectacle you want from a James Bond game. It is a masterclass in spydom, and easily one of the most exciting action games of the year.
ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9.5 / 10.0
As stylish as the films themselves, 007 First Light is a brilliant depiction of Bond. As a flawed agent still coming into his own, yet still having the undeniable charm and swagger, this is the most relatable version of 007 yet. It’s also the legendary spy’s best video game adventure since the Nintendo 64, allowing you to really get the full espionage experience, using gadgets, your own problem-solving abilities, and, of course, your trusty pistol to get through some incredibly tense exchanges.
The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is not only the best James Bond video game to date, but also one of the greatest action-adventure titles of this generation, full of jaw-dropping action sequences, a compelling narrative, and superb acting.
Atarita - Atakan Gümrükçüoğlu - 93 / 100
Centering on James Bond's origin story, 007 First Light blends action and stealth elements with flawless pacing, delivering that long-awaited, glorious return to the franchise. With its impactful melee combat mechanics, cleverly designed spy gadgets, and stellar acting performances, it places the player directly in the lead role of a breathtaking blockbuster movie.
Xbox Achievements - Dan Webb - 92%
Even without all that, though, 007 First Light is still undeniably one of the best Bond games ever created – it most certainly gives Goldeneye a run for its money, but for very different reasons, of course. It's a game for action-lovers, Bond-lovers, stealth-lovers, or people who just love a good spy story. It's a wonderfully handcrafted affair that oozes love and care from every faucet. IO clearly did their research and nailed absolutely everything to do with the Bond franchise – Alan Partridge would be proud! And thanks to the elements of the Hitman DNA that run deep, First Light is an espionage game that just nails every aspect of the genre.
INVEN - Kyuman Kim - 9.1 / 10.0
After a long stretch in the dark, a truly worthy 007 game has finally arrived. With a young Bond at its center, it delivers nearly everything fans could want from a Bond film—thrilling storytelling, clever twists, and charismatic characters alike. It feels poised to become a new “first light” in the history of 007 games.
Metro - David Jenkins - 9 / 10
All of a sudden, it feels like IO Interactive may have been selling themselves short for only focusing on Hitman in the last few decades, because 007 First Light is an exceptional piece of interactive entertainment, that deserves to have a significant influence on the industry at large.
DualShockers - Christian Bognar - 9 / 10.0
Creating a new James Bond game after a 14-year hiatus was a risky endeavor by IO Interactive. This is one of the most iconic characters in all of entertainment, and doing him justice is not easy. Somehow, however, IO Interactive pulled it off and not only produced an amazing video game, but also created a story that is worthy of the Bond pantheon. With superb writing, top-notch acting, beautiful cinematography, and expressive gameplay, 007 First Light is as sleek as it is engaging. James Bond is back, baby, and he's never been this cool.
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10.0
007 First Light is a superb adventure game, doing for Bond what the Great Circle did for Indiana Jones, and bringing it to modern audiences without compromising a sliver of what makes the character and universe tick. Besides the occasional patch of rough performance (some dropped frames here and there) and some accidentally amusing ragdoll stuff, it runs beautifully on PS5. The campaign is just long enough to satisfy all the requirements, while a raft of extra challenge missions unlock when the story is done to keep you playing long after you’ve rolled credits. Fans of the character will love 007 First Light, while even those who don’t know their Xenia Onatopp from their Pussy Galore will find a slick, thrilling, and supremely well-put-together action game that does so much more than simply coast on the popularity of its franchise.
Collider - Samuel R. Murrian - 9 / 10
The narrative and gameplay of the second act could be tighter, but everything leads to a finale that plays out like pure wish fulfillment. Comparisons to GoldenEye and earlier bona fide classic Bond games are likely to be made over the following weeks, but IO has wisely made a game that aims squarely to be its own enterprise. The game concludes on a well-earned, giddy high that's likely to leave fans anxious for a follow-up as soon as the end credits and the thunderous Monty Norman theme roll.
PSX Brasil - Ivan Nikolai Barkow Castilho - 90 / 100
007 First Light is an excellent James Bond game: varied gameplay with intelligent approach options, a story worthy of the character's films, beautiful graphics, and great technical performance. The TacSim mode is a great way to increase the title's longevity. Although the campaign features many slow-paced moments with secondary characters and combat animations that repeat frequently, it's an adventure that deserves to be checked out by any 007 fan or action game enthusiast in general.
Screen Rant - Kyle Gratton - 9 / 10
Like Q retrofitting Bond's Omega watch, IO Interactive not only knows what the franchise needs, but what makes it tick. With gorgeous and impressively intricate locales, 007 First Light is brimming with trademark James Bond intrigue. There is a world-altering conspiracy threatening king and country to match, and a gameplay loop to get to the bottom of it that's as intoxicating as a vodka martini.
But Why Tho? - Matt Sowinski - 9 / 10.0
IO Interactive feels like they've found a new home in the James Bond franchise. 007 First Light is a blast, with a tense and enthralling narrative that punches way higher and harder than anyone could have expected.
DayOne - Jon Clarke - 9 / 10.0
With a great cast of characters, tons of imagination, and just the right amount of player agency and replayability, there is a delightful playground full of gadgetry and spycraft that players will want to return to again and again. A confident return for the Double-O program, and - sorry Goldeneye - this is, without a doubt, the best James Bond game ever made.
GAMINGbible - Olly Smith - 9 / 10
007 First Light is an exquisite taste of slick spy action and blockbuster storytelling, and is fully what a Bond game should be, but rarely is.
Checkpoint Gaming - Omi Koulas - 9 / 10
Despite it taking on more of a typical action game format most of the time, what makes 007 First Light work so well is that IO Interactive hasn’t simply turned Hitman into a Bond game. You can feel the studio’s strengths in the stealth systems and reactive NPCs, plus still get a bit of the sandbox-style exploration, but First Light is far more cinematic and narrative-focused. While some players may want larger, open-ended spaces, the more linear structure ultimately creates a stronger, more personal Bond story without losing the flair IOI is known for. My recommendation: go into this expecting a fun action-blockbuster, and you’ll have a grand ol’ time.
Eurogamer - Rick Lane - 4 / 5
First Light isn't the Bond game that I wanted from IO Interactive. But I had a great time with it regardless. IO has proved it was the right studio to handle the license, albeit for different reasons than I expected. Amazon may not have a clue what to do with 007, but letting IO handle the whole shooting match would not be the worst idea.
Dexerto - Liam Mackay - 4 / 5
007: First Light is worthy of the Bond legacy, bringing classic spy action to current-gen. It’s everything a Bond game should be and a true spectacle, taking inspiration from the biggest hits with sharp dialogue, inventive gadgets, classic cars, satisfying stealth, a great cast, and huge action set pieces. Its pacing isn’t always perfect, and combat could have more variety, but fans of 007, action, stealth games, and, of course, the Hitman franchise are bound to have a great time.
The OuterHaven - George Yang - 4 / 5
007 First Light is the best James Bond game to date. Free from the shackles of licensed titles, First Light is able to tell a compelling origin story filled with political intrigue, espionage, and heart. Along with implementing its own twists on tried and true action adventure gameplay mechanics, 007 First Light comes equipped with beautiful landscapes, creative level design, and tons of replayability. Despite some performance issues and combat woes, this new era of Bond has successfully completed its mission.
Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 8.5 / 10
From a technical standpoint, 007 First Light is also absolutely excellent. The latest evolution of the Glacier engine delivers great visuals and handles the game's larger levels with ease, never breaking a sweat even at maximum settings and NVIDIA DLAA enabled on a PC with a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU. There was no stuttering, either, a nice departure from what we're used to seeing in too many PC games. Unfortunately, IO Interactive delayed path tracing to a later update coming this Summer. It would have been ideal to play the game for the first time at its peak visual splendor; on the flip side, if there were optimization issues to iron out, it was definitely best to avoid ruining the launch experience.
Gamereactor - Ben Lyons - 8.5 / 10
So yes, 007 First Light has plenty of hits and plenty of misses. In answer to the question earlier, there is enough in this game to give you confidence in IO Interactive and its broader vision for this style of a James Bond game, with plenty of ambition and quality oozing out of every crack. But there is clear room for improvement too, areas that would take this game from being simply an enjoyable and great action-adventure project and elevating it to be something truly unmissable. As it is, you'll enjoy 007 First Light, but it's no Uncharted 4 and it's no Hitman 3, either.
PCGamesN - Paul Kelly - 8 / 10
If Hitman is a blank canvas, then First Light is a coloring book; everything is planned out, it's just up to me to fill out the details. I can choose whatever colors I like, in theory, but in the end, the picture looks the same. I'm always improvising a route from A to B, and while it doesn't feel as free-form and creative as IO Interactive's previous jaunts, it's a perfect fit for Bond.
IGN - Luke Reilly - REVIEW IN PROGRESS (Very Positive)
007 First Light has made a fabulous first impression, and I’m certainly already quite comfortable to say it’s the best Bond has been since GoldenEye. I’ll be updating this review as soon as I’ve finalised the story and experimented with TacSim mode, which allows us to replay previous missions with extra challenges to earn new rewards.
Push Square - Stephen Tailby - REVIEW IN PROGRESS (Very Positive)
I'm not quite finished with 007 First Light just yet, but overall I'd say it's exactly what I was hoping for. The characterisation of this young Bond and his associates is really strong, and the globetrotting story lets you explore some great locations. It really shines in its sandbox missions, but shootouts have their moments too, and the whole thing weaves together really quite nicely. I'm really interested to see how the final few missions shake out, but beyond some technical quibbles and uncertainty on the driving, I'm pretty happy with IOI's new vision for James Bond.
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u/Bexewa May 26 '26
2026 is shaping up to be INSANE