007 First Light

007 First Light is perhaps the closest a game has ever come to making me feel like I’m starring in a Bond film. IO Interactive takes the stealth sandbox of Hitman, the intense thrills of Uncharted, and experimental spycraft of Batman: Arkham, and reshapes them into a globe-trotting cinematic spy thriller filled with covert missions, explosive action, and cool gadgets. While the immersiveness of the campaign occasionally lags, this stylish origin story still feels like a triumphant return for the most iconic secret agent.

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. Very few fans get to play in the sandbox of their obsession like IO has here. As far as Bond video games go, nobody has done it better.

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.

007 First Light, in a lot of ways, feels like IO Interactive’s magnum opus–the game the developer has been inching towards for years. With one of the best Bond stories in history, a stellar cast of characters (minus the villains), a clever blend of stealth and action, and a ton of replayability, 007 First Light is the first true Game of the Year contender for 2026, in my opinion.

For a character who has spent years absent from the medium, or reduced to something flatter than he deserved, that is no small thing. 007 First Light does not merely bring Bond back. It restores his mystery, his danger, his humanity, and most importantly, his flexibility.

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.

With a great cast of characters, tons of imagination and just the right amount of player agency and replayability, this is 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.

Not only an extremely authentic Bond adaptation but a masterful action adventure in its own right, that manages an impressive balance of storytelling and cinematic spectacle.