007 First Light

IO Interactive has long proven itself as a maker of excellent stealth sandbox games through its Hitman series, so the idea that the studio would make a game based on one of the most famous spies in the history of fiction felt like a better combination than peanut butter and chocolate. Thankfully, that's more than just an idea, and we got out peanut butter and chocolate combination when IO Interactive revealed its James Bond game, 007 First Light. You can learn everything you need to know about the game in this roundup.

007 First Light Release Date, Platforms, Pricing

First revealed back in 2020 as Project 007, we knew right off the top that it would be a current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S game because IO confirmed it would arrive on "modern systems and platforms." After reports of a few more details, like the fact that it would be an original story that would also be a James Bond origin story and that the gameplay would be a third-person action sandbox game, IO Interactive finally unveiled the game's official title in June 2025, with a cinematic reveal trailer shown off days after.

007 First Light was initially set to arrive in March 2026 on all current-gen platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2. IO Interactive announced a March 27, 2026, release date for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2 back in September 2025, but that release date would not hold. In December 2025, IO announced that it would push the release date back, with a delay to May 27, 2026, for all platforms.

But even that release date did not hold across the board. 007 First Light will still be arriving on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 27, but it will not arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 at the same time. That version of the game has been delayed to "later this summer," and at the time of this writing is without an official release date. We'll update this article once IO Interactive properly confirms the fate of the Switch 2 version.

Pre-Order Editions

So, focusing on just the versions arriving on May 27, 007 First Light is available in one edition ahead of launch, and two editions after launch. If you pre-order the game, then you get the base game, along with an upgrade to the Deluxe edition for free, simply for pre-ordering the game.

Which means that the price of the standard edition, which is $69.99 USD, is also the price of the Deluxe Edition ahead of launch. Afterwards, the two will likely be split into different prices with an upgrade from one edition to the other also available.

While the standard edition just includes the game, the deluxe edition includes:

• 24hr early access to start playing on May 26 instead of May 27
• Four exclusive outfits for James
• One weapon skin
• Four gadget skins

The other variant of the standard edition is the Specialist Edition, which is seemingly just a different version of the base game, at the same price, but only available at retail locations as a physical edition, and the only difference is that it comes with a special Tuxedo skin that, for some reason, none of the other editions come with.

There is also an incredibly expensive Legacy Edition you can swing for, which will run you a whopping $299.99 USD, which includes a Golden Gun Figurine, a steelbook case for the game, which will indeed come with a disc and not just a game code inside the box. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity to prove your expensive purchase to the people you show off this stellar edition to, and two exclusive digital skins, one for your pistol and one for James, on top of the other digital goodies that come with the Deluxe Edition.

If your blood isn't exactly that rich, but you still want to grab a special edition of 007 First Light that isn't just the standard version, you can also get a slightly less expensive Collector's Edition, which doesn't include a golden gun, but does include a life-size mask replica of a mask featured in the game, along with a copy of the game physically and all of the other goodies that come with the Deluxe edition, plus the Collector's Edition exclusive Obsidian Gold skin for James. It'll also have a certificate of authenticity, all for a more reasonable $199.99 USD.

007 First Light Genre and Setting

007 First Light is a third-person action-adventure sandbox-style game that incorporates stealth, third-person cover shooting, exploration, and melee combat into a linear narrative that follows the infamous James Bond in a globe-trotting adventure that will also set out to explain how he got his '00' status within MI6.

The game takes you to multiple locations across the world, two of which have already been revealed by IO Interactive to be Slovakia, Africa, and, of course, England. The game's official website teases that there are more locations you'll get to visit in-game, but at the time of this writing those are being kept under wraps to avoid spoilers.

007 First Light Gameplay Features and Mechanics

It's not entirely clear at the moment how each mission will play out, but in the bits of gameplay we've seen, we know that you'll follow different objectives based on what's happening in the story, but have the freedom to approach completing those objectives in different ways. For example, you could be tasked with infiltrating a guarded area.

How you get in that area, whether through a nearby window, or using a disguise, or distracting the guards watching the door, or by some other means, is up to you, and you'll have a host of gadgets and gameplay mechanics with which to execute your decision.

There are also going to be times when stealth doesn't get the job done, and you'll have to punch and shoot your way out as a last resort, which leads to some third-person melee combat and cover shooting. The game also includes a number of driving sections, where you'll be taking Bond's classic Aston Martin Valhalla for a spin.

When it comes to the cover shooting and melee combat though, IO Interactive have stressed that those elements are not the core of the game. Bond is only punching his way through something if he's run out of options. The fun in 007 First Light will seemingly more often be found in finding new and creative ways to complete your mission undetected, through clever use of the environment, your cutting-edge MI6 gadgets, or just some classic British charm.

You'll also be able to replay missions after the fact to try and find new paths you didn't try before in classic IO Interactive fashion.

007 First Light Tech and Specs

In a world seemingly determined to make PC gaming components as expensive as possible, you'll be happy to know that IO Interactive's minimum and hardware requirements for 007 First Light are not at all too dire.

They shouldn't force anyone to run out and upgrade their system, and you should, even with aging hardware, be able to have a more than reasonable time with 007 First Light without any performance issues (unless of course it launches with a lot of bugs).

It'll also support NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 with Multi-Frame Generation and Path Tracing, so for players who aren't worried about checking hardware requirements because they know they have top-end machines, you should be able to get a pretty stellar image when you jump into this James Bond adventure.

On consoles, PS5 Pro owners will be able to take advantage of the game's support of PSSR (though it's just PSSR 1.0 for now) and play the game at a Pro-only Quality mode which targets 60 FPS with enhanced visual features.

Players on base PS5 and the Xbox Series X will be able to take advantage of a lesser Quality mode that keeps the visual enhancements but drops the frame rate down to 30 FPS. There's also a Performance mode that bumps the frame rate to 60 FPS while the visual fidelity takes a hit. On Xbox Series S, you can expect the same kinds of options between a 60 FPS Performance mode and a 30 FPS Quality mode, just with lower starting resolutions for both.

Obviously, we don't know what the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game will look like yet, but when IO Interactive is ready to release it, we'll update this article with better specifics on each console's different visual modes.

007 First Light Review

We have now published our review of the game, which received an 8.5 out of 10 rating:

007 First Light is one of the greatest James Bond games ever made. IO Interactive crafted a great third-person adventure game that mixes linear and open-ended levels and delivers an Oscar-worthy narrative to support it all. There's still room for improvement in the already-confirmed sequel (the credits close with 'James Bond will return'), but Bond's origin story is already a must for genre fans.