007 First Light: the best James Bond game since Goldeneye

Philipp Rüegg

26.5.2026

Translation: Megan Cornish

Pictures: Philipp Rüegg

After 30 years, Goldeneye’s finally retiring. With 007 First Light, IO Interactive – the masters behind Hitman – delivers the ultimate Bond experience that fans have been waiting for since the N64 classic.

«Bond, James Bond.» When this iconic phrase is uttered after almost ten hours of gameplay, I grin like a villain in his volcanic lair. I’ve waited a long time for a game to finally do justice to this franchise again.

After a dry spell with flops including 007 Legends, Danish studio IO Interactive have created a real masterpiece. The game perfectly captures the spirit of the films, from the nostalgia of the classics to modern action cinema, all wrapped up in a gripping spy adventure.

Back in London, Bond learns from M that the Secret Service is relying on digital support of quantum computer Theia. Theia’s calculated that Bond’s ruthless approach has a minuscule one per cent chance of success, which convinces M that the human element is still needed. She sends him to Malta, where he’s set to join six other aspiring agents in training.

The Malta section serves as a tutorial, but it drags on like a Spectre interrogation. The game could’ve taught Bond’s skills during the missions themselves. At least you get to know your comrades. The trio that forms around the aspiring agent gets into a charming sparring match – both verbal and physical.

Irish actor Patrick Gibson puts in a brilliant performance as the young daredevil. His mischievous grin, in particular, perfectly captures the essence of the character. As expected, this Bond has the perfect quip for every tense situation. While he doesn’t quite equal Craig’s stoic charm or Moore’s dry wit at first, he becomes increasingly stylish as the film progresses.

A spy’s playground

As the aspiring agents receive their first assignment on their night out, the game slowly picks up speed. Instead of celebrating their evening off, they have to work together and track down a specific person. You can move freely around the club.

The first step’s infiltrating the VIP area. This is where IO Interactive’s Hitman expertise shines. There are countless ways to do it. You can gather a lot of information through classic espionage: eavesdropping on guests and staff, learning code words and finding out where the entry stamp pad’s hidden.

I opt for the discreet approach. This is where Q’s gadgets come in. I could inject the cashier with poison using my watch, causing a brief distraction. However, she’s charming, so I decide to tamper with the sound system instead. A brief moment of confusion is all it takes, and I’m inside – without anyone noticing a thing.

In the VIP area, I quickly locate the target and extract their data with a phone hack. They can’t be more than a few metres away for this to work. Just before the hack’s complete, the person slips away to an even more exclusive area. So, I rely on Bond’s greatest weapon: his powers of persuasion. With the Focus points I’ve accumulated, I calmly blag my way past the security guards. I could also have disguised myself as a waiter or snuck through the warehouse entrance – the missions offer plenty of player freedom.

The location’s a huge estate on multiple levels with a garden and cellar. To track down the bellboy, I need to gain access to the event. As a chauffeur, I’m not allowed in. The most direct method would be to shoot a poisoned dart at the security guard and sneak past them – boring. Besides, I’d have to collect chemicals afterwards to recharge my ability.

Instead, I use a railing to make my way past the smoking guards and throw a lighter into a bucket full of leaves. I use the resulting fire as cover to calmly stroll through the entrance.

What’s particularly refreshing is that mistakes don’t immediately mean game over. After distracting a guard with a vacuum cleaner in the laundry room and sneaking past him, I walk right into his colleague. Before I even realise I could’ve saved myself with a clever line or two, fists are already flying. Instead of resetting me to a checkpoint, the game continues. While enemies can call for backup and I’m usually eventually overwhelmed, the mission goes on for the time being.

The delightfully well-placed shootouts – where Bond’s granted a licence to kill – are even more challenging. Enemies surround you, blast through your cover and throw grenades at you, putting you under considerable pressure. The classic sit-and-wait-for-them-to-lift-their-head-up tactic doesn’t work. You can use the environment to your advantage here too. Q’s gadgets can transform fire extinguishers or electrical cabinets into deadly traps. Or you could shoot at the numerous red barrels and canisters, which henchmen seem to have in abundance. Who can blame them?

Once the room’s cleared, the game continues without immediately putting the entire castle on high alert. While this isn’t always logical, it keeps the gameplay flowing. However, the AI isn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, and enemies sometimes don’t even flinch when a colleague falls over a railing a few metres away. The insurance company can deal with that.

• Bond: I like women who experiment.
• Moneypenny: Jesus, James!
• Bond: Because she’s a scientist.

Right up my alley. Before missions, I make a detour to Q’s lab, where MI6’s chief inventor shows me his latest creations. True to form, I can’t resist wandering around and touching everything. I trigger an ejector seat, crash a multimillion-pound drone and nearly blind a colleague when I switch on his desk lamp, which is actually a stun grenade. Why exactly haven’t I been sacked yet?

For each mission, I choose three – later four – Q gadgets. My favourites are the dart phone to make enemies nauseous, the laser attachment to pick locks and the missile-launching pen.

Equipped with this, the journey continues from Slovakia – via a spectacular plane chase – to a black market in Mauritania. The drive there in the Jeep through red dunes reminds me of the visual power of Uncharted. It includes an impressive moment when we drive over a hill and a vast ship graveyard opens up before us, repurposed as a reloading point by arms smugglers, drug dealers and other shady characters.

Again, I can move freely through a huge crowd. To gain access to an exclusive auction, we need both an invitation and cash. It’s my job to procure the latter. There are various options available, from simple shooting or fighting contests to multistage cryptocurrency thefts.

The game’s pacing is perfectly balanced, blending calm, open-ended missions largely devoid of action with frantic rooftop chases. The story – which isn’t as predictable as I initially thought – escalates steadily.

Tactical challenges test you further, allowing you to replay missions under more difficult conditions. This is where you can unlock new suits – from classic tuxedos to Halloween costumes – and weapon skins. There’s also a leaderboard for the global agent competition.

Technically, the PC version I tested is excellent. Aside from minor bugs – such as bodies appearing where they shouldn’t – the game runs flawlessly. Visually, IO Interactive pulls out all the stops. The environments are so lavish and detailed I could spend hours in them.

007 First Light’s available from 27 May for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. A version for the Switch 2’s due to follow later this summer. I tested the PS5 version, which was provided by IO.

In a nutshell

From Denmark with love

007 First Light has everything a good James Bond game needs: larger-than-life villains, plenty of spectacular locations, humour, gadgets and wild chases. Most importantly, though, it really makes you feel like the world’s most famous secret agent. The action isn’t the main focus; it’s a well-deserved reward at the end of a mission. Before that, you get to feel like a real spy.

In the expansive missions, IO Interactive shows it’s perfectly blended the legacy of Hitman with the Bond DNA. The game worlds are vibrant sandboxes where you achieve your objectives with style and intelligence – always with a witty remark at the ready.

The variety is excellent: it’s all there, from a high-tech heist to relaxing on a Vietnamese beach or a wild chase through London in a bin lorry. Aside from the lengthy Malta section, IO Interactive’s created the perfect Bond adaptation – and I’m convinced it won’t be the last.

Pro

• Varied missions
• Plenty of gameplay freedom
• Perfectly captures the James Bond feel
• Lots of humour

Contra

• Tutorial mission a bit bland

Video games

IO Interactive 007 First Light

PC, Windows, DE

4

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles. more

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