The wait is over. 007 First Light is live worldwide today, May 27, opening to the general public on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC after pre-order holders got a 24-hour head start on May 26. And the headline writes itself: IO Interactive has delivered the best-reviewed James Bond game in three decades.
The studio behind the modern Hitman trilogy traded Agent 47 for a 26-year-old James Bond, and critics have responded in kind. As the embargo lifted, the launch trailer set the tone for a release that has quickly become one of the highest-rated games of 2026.
A near-unanimous critical verdict
007 First Light currently sits at 88 on Metacritic for the PS5 version, drawn from 47 critic reviews, with the PC build close behind at 87. Over on OpenCritic the game is rated 'Mighty' with an 89, placing it in the top 1% of all titles on the platform and recommended by 100% of critics. The spread is overwhelmingly positive: roughly 96% of reviews land in the positive column, with a handful of mixed scores and, as of launch, no outright negatives.
Outlets have been reaching for the same comparison all week, calling it the strongest Bond game since Rare's GoldenEye 007 in 1997. For a franchise that has spent the better part of thirty years searching for a worthy interactive successor, that is no small claim.
Origin story, IO style
First Light is an original, standalone reimagining of Bond's early career rather than an adaptation of any film. Patrick Gibson plays a younger 007 who has just been offered a place in the newly revived Double-0 programme and has to earn his licence. The supporting cast is stacked, with Gemma Chan among the ensemble and Lenny Kravitz cast as the villain, while Lana Del Rey performs the game's theme song.
Mechanically, this is unmistakably an IO Interactive game. The studio's signature systemic, mission-based design is here in full, letting players approach objectives loudly through gunplay and car chases or quietly with stealth, disguises and gadgets. The difference is scale: First Light layers bigger, more cinematic Bond moments over that sandbox foundation.
The one recurring caveat in reviews concerns the more scripted action sequences, which some critics feel pull against the freedom of the studio's sandbox roots. It is a minor knock on an otherwise glowing reception.
007 First Light is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version still slated to follow later this summer.
