After five years of development, 007 First Light, a brand-new and ambitious James Bond action-adventure game from Hitman developers, is almost here. The game is coming to various platforms on May 27 (the Switch 2 version will arrive later), shaping up as one of the biggest action releases of the year. Based on hands-on previews, sources say it can definitely join the GOTY 2026 race. Io Interactive’s rich expertise with the Hitman series is bearing fruit, making the studio a perfect fit for a new original take on Bond that combines stealth and action — one that could potentially launch an entire franchise spanning years.
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As Io Interactive has just kicked off its intense marketing campaign for the title, now seems like the perfect time to quickly recap the most important things revealed about the game. Even though die-hard Bond fans and action enthusiasts have likely been keeping a close eye on 007 First Light ahead of launch, the details below are only officially confirmed facts and information. They’re aimed at helping players who are still on the fence decide whether the game is worth picking up.
007 First Light Is an Origin Bond Story With Its Own Vision
No Ties to Existing Movies Aside From Nods and Easter Eggs for the Fans
007 First Light is a new origin story for Ian Fleming’s James Bond, with its own vision, characters, and themes. The developers have said that First Light will have no ties to any of the existing movies or past Bond versions — only references, nods, and small Easter eggs for the most die-hard 007 fans. Of course, given how many versions of Bond (and other recurring characters) exist in pop culture, comparisons are pretty much inevitable.
In 007 First Light, James Bond is performed by Irish actor Patrick Gibson, best known for The OA, Shadow and Bone, The Tudors, Before We Die, and Dexter: Original Sin. According to the devs, Gibson naturally embraces his own take on the character rather than feeling as if he’s cosplaying an existing version. Other actors involved in First Light include Gemma Chan, Lenny Kravitz, and Lennie James.
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Interestingly, the developers have repeatedly stated that they treat 007 First Light as the beginning of a long-lasting franchise akin to Hitman, with particular interest in making it a trilogy. If First Light proves successful, fans can probably expect a sequel faster than after another five years of waiting (though that remains speculation for now).
007 First Light Genre and Game Length Confirmed
Single-Player Narrative-Driven Adventure Will Offer Around 20 Hours of Play
The developers of 007 First Light have recently revealed how long the game is, stating that it will take around 20 hours on average to reach the end credits, spread across roughly 15 main missions. That works out to about one hour per major mission (excluding cutscenes). All in all, it’s a pretty beefy offering for a game of its kind, roughly the same length as watching up to 10 James Bond movies back to back. For instance, it’ll take you roughly 12 hours to marathon all five Daniel Craig movies.
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From the very beginning, Io Interactive has been straightforward about the kind of game it is making. 007 First Light is a classic linear, narrative-driven single-player action-adventure title, and not an open-world game. It features no free roam or free driving options (despite having vehicle sections). The story is fully predetermined, with no branches or dialogue choices, and it has only one canon ending (which could make it easier to continue from in a potential follow-up). The studio has also confirmed there is no multiplayer or co-op, and the game does not require an online connection to play through the story.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
007 First Light Tactical Simulator Mode Explained
Io Interactive has also revealed that 007 First Light will have no New Game+ mode, which is fairly typical for this genre. Given the lack of RPG elements and streamlined progression, there’s little reason to carry over unlocked gadgets for subsequent playthroughs. The studio also confirmed that First Light won’t have Photo Mode at launch, though the feature is planned to be added later.
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Players who want to spend more time with 007 First Light beyond its cinematic and lengthy story campaign shouldn’t worry, as the game will offer Tactical Simulator mode, an extra game mode focused on additional challenges. Tac Sim takes cues from Io Interactive’s own Hitman games, presenting a more flexible playground where players can tackle story missions with greater freedom, extra gear, bonus outfits, special modifiers, and challenge conditions. It requires mastering the gameplay mechanics, including action, stealth, bluffing, and more. While exact details on Tac Sim are still limited, the mode should let players stick with the game for well beyond 20 hours, which is excellent news.
007 First Light Is More Hitman Than Uncharted
Despite Some Apparent Comparisons, First Light Builds on Studio’s Past Expertise
Ever since Io Interactive began showing explosive set pieces from 007 First Light, including high-speed car chases, sequences like sneaking aboard and then falling from a destroyed plane midair, spectacular hand-to-hand combat encounters, and plenty of shooting and explosions, the game has often been compared to the Uncharted series, specifically Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. While there will definitely be some similarities (both are linear action-adventure games that take players across the globe to exotic locations), hands-on previews have universally stated that “007 First Light is more Hitman than Uncharted.”
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What this means is that the core pillars of 007 First Light are layered open environments with multiple approaches James Bond can use to achieve his goals, where action and open combat are often just one of the possible options. Bond is a spy, not an assassin, which puts greater emphasis on infiltration, investigation, eavesdropping, gathering clues, and creatively adapting and improvising when things go sideways. Of course, unlike the Hitman games, First Light will be much more action-oriented, featuring brand-new freeflow melee combat inspired by Batman: Arkham (among other things) and prioritizing seamless interactions with the environment to take down enemies in the most cinematic ways.
007 First Light Is Powered by Glacier Engine
Hopefully, the Game Will Avoid Most of the UE5-Associated Problems
Unlike many modern triple-A games, 007 First Light isn’t built in Unreal Engine 5. Instead, it is powered by Io Interactive’s own heavily upgraded Glacier Engine, which formed the core of Hitman: World of Assassination. Based on trailers alone, First Light definitely looks the part, promising to be one of the best-looking titles of the generation with realistic yet stylized visuals that help it stand out from the crowd in the modern gaming landscape. The game will also incorporate ray tracing and “fully dynamic” global illumination, as well as a brand-new volumetric smoke system.
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Based on how great the last Hitman games looked and ran, we can hope that 007 First Light will continue this trend and avoid most of the technical issues commonly associated with UE5-based games, like stuttering (shader compilation), high hardware demands, and performance inconsistencies even on high-end machines. Note that I used “we can hope” here, as some of the game’s earlier demonstrations definitely had uneven framerate that concerned some fans; however, that was months ago. In more recent news, the devs revealed that the game will run at 60 fps on PS5 Pro, with base consoles offering Quality (30 fps) and Performance (60 fps) modes. The studio has already revealed the PC specs, including an 80 GB free space requirement (likely in a comparable range for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).
007 First Light
- Released
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May 27, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Franchise
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James Bond
