The reviews are in for 007: First Light, IO Interactive's James Bond origin story, and they're about as glowing as reviews get. With a Metacritic score of 88 and an OpenCritic score of 90, critics are already calling it one of the best games of 2026.

Early access went live today for eligible pre-orders, and the full game drops May 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is also confirmed for later this summer.

The Review Scores

Four outlets gave 007: First Light a perfect 10/10: VGC, Gfinity, The Guardian, and ComicBook.com. That is not a typo. Four perfect scores from four different publications across different corners of games media.

Metro, DayOne, Collider, GameSpew, Shacknews, ScreenRant, GAMINGbible, and Dualshockers all landed at 9. The lowest scores are 8s from CGM, TechRadar, Eurogamer, and GameReactor. The aggregated numbers are MC 88 and OC 90. For context, that puts it in genuine GOTY conversation right from launch day.

What Is 007: First Light?

This is IO Interactive's take on a James Bond origin story. The same studio behind the modern Hitman trilogy decided to make a Bond game, and based on the reviews, they knew exactly what they were doing.

The game is set before Bond earns his 00 status. You play as a younger James Bond working his way through the intelligence world on a globetrotting series of missions. Think Hitman's methodical mission design applied to Bond's world of style and action.

The JackSepticEye Cameo

In probably the most unexpected piece of news around this game, YouTuber JackSepticEye makes a cameo appearance in 007: First Light. A tweet about it from @SynthPotato (confirmed by Dexerto) hit 10 million likes and over 390 million views in a matter of hours.

The details of the cameo are still being discovered by players in early access, but the reaction tells you how many eyes are on this game right now. This is not a quiet release.

Platforms and Price

007: First Light launches May 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The standard Steam price is $69.99. If you want a deal, it is already down to around $58 at some third-party key retailers like Instant Gaming and Green Man Gaming.

Pre-orders of the Deluxe Edition include 24-hour early access, so if you bought in, you can play right now. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is also planned for later in summer 2026.

Worth Buying Day One?

With MC 88 and OC 90, four perfect scores, and a developer who already has the Hitman trilogy on their resume, the case for day-one purchase is pretty solid. Even if Bond is not your usual thing, the reviews consistently say the gameplay holds up on its own terms.

IO Interactive bet big on a licensed Bond game and it looks like it paid off. Whether it ends up taking GOTY in December is a conversation for later, but today it has a very strong case. Full launch is tomorrow, May 27. If you were waiting on review scores, they are in.