Years after it was first revealed as Project 007, IO Interactive’s James Bond game, 007 First Light has been showing off a lot more of what to expect throughout 2025. A 007 stealth game by the developer of Hitman was always something to be excited about, but recent announcements give an idea of how similar and how different the two secret agent simulators will be.
A new 007 First Light State of Play showcase has been announced for September 3, where IO Interactive will show off 30 minutes of gameplay. Ahead of that preview, here’s everything we know about the upcoming game.
When is the 007 First Light release date?
One of the biggest questions left unanswered about 007 First Light is when it will be available. We do know that it’s slated for release some time in 2026, and that it will be available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Is there a 007 First Light trailer?
An announcement trailer in 2025 showed off not only 007 First Light’s impressive visuals, but also a bit about what makes this James Bond different from others and what players can expect from the game. The Bond seen in the game is young, brash, and reckless, described by his superiors as “a bullet without a target.” The trailer shows explosive shootouts and chase sequences both on foot and behind the wheel, while hinting at a few of Bond’s new gadgets. In typical 007 fashion, he also ends up captured and beat up by his target quite a bit, which could make for some interesting escapes to play through.
What is the 007 First Light setting and story?
007 First Light is set in the modern day and, as you would expect from any James Bond story, takes place across multiple locations around the world, though IO Interactive hasn’t said exactly where we’ll be going.
The reason for Bond’s globe-trotting mission is a search for 009, a rogue agent who’s described in the trailer as a “master manipulator.” Other than that, it’s not clear exactly what he’s up to. As for Bond himself, he’s a rich kid who was orphaned at 11 years old when his parents sacrificed themselves to save him on a mountain-climbing expedition. After finding his own way back to safety, Bond attended prestigious boarding schools around England and joined the military. At the beginning of the game, he’s a new recruit to spy agency MI6, having led a brave, unauthorized, and so far mysterious rescue on a mission in Iceland.
IO Interactive has also said that the game isn’t part of the same canon as the James Bond film series, but instead, exists in its own world.
How will 007 First Light gameplay be different from Hitman?
Despite being developed by the same studio, Hitman and 007 First Light look like very different games. Hitman is all about moving through the world unseen or unrecognized until you’re in a perfect place to take out a target — or leaving a trap to do it hands-off. 007 First Light is also a stealth action game, but it looks like it will lean heavily toward the action side, complete with firefights and car chases. You’ll definitely do some skulking around and eliminating foes from the shadows, but that looks to be more of an opening for more straightforward action sequences than the way you’ll be expected to handle every encounter.
This being a James Bond game, there will also be plenty of gadgets to play around with. The game’s announcement trailer shows a motorcycle shooting flames out the back, and while it’s not shown in gameplay, I sure hope it will actually be usable. In actual gameplay sequences, we do see Bond using a souped-up laser pointer to disable an enemy and a scanner to gain information about the environment, like a technological version of Geralt’s supernatural Witcher sense.
