007 First Light Earns Rave Reviews, Hailed as Best Bond Game in Years
IO Interactive's new James Bond title, 007 First Light, has launched to widespread critical acclaim. The game is praised for its compelling origin story, blending stealth, action, and cinematic presentation. Many critics are calling it the best James Bond game since GoldenEye, with some even considering it a Game of the Year contender.
Coverage across 18 outlets
Game Reviews
DSOGaming has published a review for the game 007 First Light on PC. The review likely covers gameplay, graphics, and overall impressions of the title.
007 First Light: How IO Interactive Gets Bond Right
IO Interactive's "007 First Light" successfully captures the essence of James Bond, offering a compelling "year-one" origin story. The game excels in its characterization, particularly through Patrick Gibson's portrayal of a younger, developing Bond, and its modern, critical take on contemporary issues like artificial intelligence and corporate excess.
007 First Light review – YOLT
007 First Light, developed by IO Interactive, offers a compelling adventure focusing on a younger James Bond's early days at MI6. The game blends stealth, action, and player choice with a variety of gadgets and stunning global locations. While some missions can feel linear and the story takes time to develop, it successfully captures the essence of the 007 franchise.
007 First Light Review – From Hitman With Love
007 First Light is a highly acclaimed James Bond game that successfully blends explosive action, clever stealth, and spy gadgetry. Developed and published by IO Interactive, the game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC, and is praised for its compelling new take on the iconic spy, engaging globe-trotting narrative, and satisfying mix of gameplay styles, despite minor criticisms regarding its opening hours and some game systems.
Poll: Is 007 First Light a Game of the Year Contender?
007 First Light, developed by the creators of the modern Hitman games, has been released on PlayStation 5 and is being considered a Game of the Year contender for 2026. The game blends gunplay, close-quarters combat, stealth, and subterfuge with a linear action-adventure structure and an expansive storyline, drawing comparisons to Uncharted. The review highlights its quality, seamless integration of sandbox and linear moments, and cinematic presentation.
007 First Light Review
IO Interactive's "007 First Light" offers a cinematic, guided experience that evolves their "Hitman" formula with a focus on action and stealth. The game introduces a new James Bond, portrayed by Patrick Gibson, and features strong performances from the supporting cast. Despite some serviceable driving sections and less engaging long-range gunfights, the game provides a roughly 15-hour single-player campaign with engaging melee combat and a robust post-launch "Tactical Simulations" mode.
007 First Light Review
007 First Light is a triumphant return for James Bond in gaming, offering a reimagined origin story by IO Interactive. The game features a compelling narrative, engaging third-person shooter and stealth gameplay with impressive improvisation combat, and strong character performances, though driving mechanics are a minor drawback. Despite the absence of multiplayer, it stands as one of 2026's best titles.
Game Reviews
The Wand Report has published a review for the game 007 First Light. The review covers the game's various aspects and provides an overall assessment.
007 First Light Review 🍸
007 First Light offers a promising start to a new James Bond game series, blending stealth and action with a focus on environmental interaction and visceral melee combat. While the game features impressive location variety and fun gadget use, it suffers from repetitive linear segments, unimpressive graphics, and a lack of checkpoints. Despite these drawbacks, the approximately 15-hour campaign provides enjoyable moments that feel true to the franchise.
007 First Light Review – Worthy of the Title
007 First Light is a compelling action-adventure that brilliantly blends bombastic set pieces with stealth-forward spycraft, introducing a new take on James Bond. The game's narrative focuses on Bond's early career and his journey to becoming a 00 agent, featuring a timely anti-AI theme and modern spy gadgets. While the gameplay offers varied approaches through stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and shooting, and features strong performances, the villains are somewhat underdeveloped, and the game experiences some drag towards the end.
007 First Light Delivers The Stealth-Driven Bond Game We Always Wanted
007 First Light by IO Interactive is a highly praised stealth-driven James Bond game that excels at capturing the espionage aspect of the universe. The game blends linear sections, explosive set pieces, and methodical stealth gameplay, allowing players to approach encounters with gadgets, dialogue, or direct action. It is considered one of the best games of 2026, offering a cinematic and engaging superspy experience.
Game Reviews
007 First Light is a flowing spy thriller that incorporates occasional sandboxy elements into an exotic rollercoaster ride. The game offers a blend of stealth and action gameplay.
This Week in Switch 2 - 007 First Light review & Bloomberg busts its own Nintendo (NTDOY) FUD
This episode features a review of the game 007 First Light and discusses recent Nintendo news. It also addresses a report from Bloomberg concerning Nintendo.
After 007 First Light, can we ease up on parry prompts and ledge-climbing?
007 First Light is lauded as James Bond's greatest game to date, praised for its cinematic presentation and sandbox dynamism that immerses players in the role of the spy. While the game excels in its pacing and action sequences, some design elements like repetitive parry prompts and overly obvious visual signposting detract from its overall sophistication.
007 First Light Review – Finally James Bond Got the Game He Deserves | Invision Game Community
007 First Light successfully captures the essence of James Bond by blending espionage, social stealth, and cinematic action, a feat achieved through IO Interactive's refined design philosophy. The game stars Patrick Gibson as a younger, more reckless Bond, offering an original origin story that feels authentic to the character and the franchise. While occasionally leaning too heavily into scripted action sequences, the game's strengths lie in its detailed environments, strong soundtrack, and the successful implementation of spycraft mechanics, making it a standout title for Bond fans.
007 First Light Review | TheXboxHub
007 First Light is a cinematic action-adventure game that successfully rebooted the James Bond franchise with a compelling origin story and impressive production values. Developed by IO Interactive, the game features strong performances, particularly from Patrick Gibson as Bond, and blends stealth, action, and vehicle segments effectively. The game offers a substantial single-player experience with added replayability through its Tactical Simulation mode.
007 First Light (PS5) Review: License To Thrill
007 First Light offers a fresh take on the James Bond franchise with its stealth-focused gameplay, drawing heavily from IO Interactive's Hitman series. The game introduces a new, less experienced Bond and weaves together familiar franchise staples like exotic locales and gadgets into a polished package. While the stealth mechanics and narrative are strong, the resource management for gadgets and larger combat encounters can feel limiting.
Buy 007 First Light | Xbox
007: First Light offers a reimagined origin story for James Bond, following his journey from a naval recruit to a Double 0 agent within MI6. Players can experience a thrilling espionage adventure with iconic vehicles and gadgets, choosing between stealthy infiltration or direct combat across breathtaking locations. The game is available on PC and Xbox Series X, with cloud playable options via Xbox Game Pass.
007 First Light Video Review
This article is a video review of the game 007 First Light. The content primarily discusses privacy settings and cookie preferences related to website functionality and user tracking, rather than the game itself.
007 First Light review roundup: 'The best James Bond game since GoldenEye'
A roundup of reviews for IO Interactive's new James Bond game, 007 First Light, indicates a highly positive reception, with many critics hailing it as the best James Bond game since GoldenEye. While some noted minor flaws like pacing issues or less free-form gameplay compared to Hitman, the consensus praises its narrative, cinematic presentation, and successful reimagining of the iconic spy character.