There are games you keep half an eye on for years, quietly convincing yourself the wait will be worth it. IO Interactive announced they were making a Bond game back in November 2020, and since then it’s been the sort of slow-burn anticipation that only a secret agent origin story probably deserves. Well, May 27th is nearly upon us, and 007 First Light is finally about to land on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
This is a proper origin story, following a 26-year-old James Bond (voiced and likened by Patrick Gibson, of Dexter: Original Sin fame) as he claws his way from naval air crewman through to earning his 00 status. It’s an entirely original narrative, developed in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios, and crucially, Bond’s appearance isn’t lifted from any previous film actor — the first time that’s happened since Agent Under Fire back in 2001. The supporting cast is rather tasty too: Lennie James as Bond’s reluctant mentor Greenway, Priyanga Burford as M, and Lenny Kravitz as the gloriously named villain Bawma, who the official materials cheerfully describe as a “Pirate King.” Sure. Fine. Absolutely.
IO Interactive’s Hitman DNA is all over the gameplay, which is very much a good thing. You’ll approach missions as a classic sneak-past-everyone-using-a-dart-phone-em-up (it’ll catch on), but you can go loud whenever the mood takes you. Bond can bluff his way past guards in a way Agent 47 never really could, and the levels are apparently designed to show off opportunities naturally rather than having you squint at a minimap. There’s hand-to-hand combat, car chases, gadgets and explosive set-pieces too. It looks, frankly, like the Bond game we’ve been pestering the universe for.
So in brief, here’s what we can’t wait to do:
- Bluff our way past an entire room of armed guards with nothing but a dubious cover story and a straight face
- Find out exactly what made Lenny Kravitz suitable casting for an arms-dealing Pirate King (and not question it further)
- Tear through the countryside in a DB5 on the wrong side of a high-speed chase
- Knock out a guard with the Dart Phone and feel unbearably smug about it
- Find out whether young Bond is actually likeable before he becomes… well, Bond
Can’t wait.
007 First Light releases May 27, 2026, on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Nintendo Switch 2 version to follow later in the summer.
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