007 First Light scores an 87 on Metacritic, IO Interactive's highest-rated game

James Bond is finally back in a game worth talking about. 007: First Light launched today on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and review scores confirm IO Interactive pulled it off. The game currently holds an 87 on Metacritic, matching Hitman 3 as the studio's highest-rated game ever.
Only one Bond game in history ranks higher. That tells you most of what you need to know.
IO Interactive goes full 007

If you played through the Hitman trilogy, you already know what IO brings to the table. Large, densely packed sandbox missions with clockwork NPC routines, multiple entry points, and a hundred quiet ways to make a problem disappear. They took that formula and wrapped it in a tuxedo.
007: First Light stars Patrick Gibson as a young James Bond on his very first 00 assignment. The opening drops him into a Grand Carpathian gala, with stakes centered on a former 009 agent gone rogue, and all the cinematic dressing you would expect from a Bond film. Reviews describe the prologue as pure cinema. That comparison to the films is intentional, and it lands.
What the critics said

The consistent praise across reviews covers three areas: stealth, story, and set pieces.
The stealth mechanics are called the best IO Interactive has built since the original Hitman reboot in 2016. The sandbox design carries over fully, with crowded locations full of shifting targets, overheard conversations, and creative solutions for every objective. You can go loud or stay invisible across every mission. Both feel like real choices supported by the design, not afterthoughts bolted on.
The story earns more credit than most Bond games manage. Patrick Gibson's take on a younger, less polished Bond lands well with critics, and the supporting cast gets specific praise across multiple reviews. The game does not demand Bond franchise knowledge but rewards it if you have it.
The weak spots that appear in a handful of reviews: some antagonists lack depth, and there are a few too many slow walking-and-talking stretches between action beats. Neither issue seems to damage the overall experience much, but worth knowing before going in expecting wall-to-wall action.
One reviewer called it "not just the best James Bond game ever made, it's the best game of 2026 yet" and gave it a 9/10. The Metacritic consensus sits at 87-88, which tracks with that kind of reception.
Where 87 lands in context

An 87 on Metacritic ties Hitman 3 as IO Interactive's personal best. It places 007: First Light above every Bond game released in the past two decades. GoldenEye 007 on N64 still holds the franchise record at 96, but that game came out in 1997 and carries a heavy nostalgia premium for most people who rate it today.
For a 2026 release competing in a packed year, 87 is a real achievement. It puts First Light in the same range as the best single-player action games released so far this year.
Getting the game

007: First Light is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Deluxe edition owners got early access on May 26. The standard edition launches May 27. If you shop around for a key, prices start at $52.73 on PC.
A couple of things to know before you buy: IO Interactive blocked preloading on Steam and Xbox ahead of launch, so PC and Xbox players had to download the full game on day one. PS5 kept its preload because Sony platform rules require it. The studio also added Denuvo DRM very close to release, which generated frustration in the PC community. On performance though, early reports are solid. One player confirmed a locked frame rate with zero stutters on an RTX 5070.
The community reaction

The response across social media was immediate. Streamers pivoted their schedules the moment Deluxe access went live. Players who put in a few hours on day one are already sharing positive impressions, with the opening mission and combat feel singled out as highlights.
There is also a fun detail buried in the campaign: Khaby Lame, the silent-reaction influencer with over 160 million followers on TikTok, appears as a character in a Vietnam-set mission. Whether that is clever casting or product integration is a fair question, but it is very 2026 energy for a 2026 Bond game to pull.
Why this matters

Bond games have been mostly forgettable for 20 years. GoldenEye 007 on N64 was one of those rare cases where a licensed game became a landmark for the medium. Everything since has been either a film tie-in riding on release timing or a mediocre product that shipped and was forgotten inside a few months.
IO Interactive making a full, original Bond game on their own terms, treating it as a proper sandbox title rather than merchandise, was a real risk. The franchise license is complicated territory with rights scattered across multiple parties and a long history of creative compromises baked into Bond games.
The early signs say the risk paid off. The bigger question now is what comes next. If player numbers match the critical reception, IO Interactive has a franchise on their hands rather than a one-off. Bond lends itself to a game series in a way few other licenses do, with a built-in global world and decades of story material to pull from. Whether they get to build on it depends on sales, contracts, and factors nobody outside the studio fully controls.
For now: if you like stealth games, Bond, or just a strong single-player release in a busy year, this is the obvious play this week. Prices start at $52.73 on PC if you compare stores before buying.