007 First Light Sells 1.5 Million in a Day and Breaks the Bond Game Curse
IO Interactive's origin story for a 26-year-old James Bond became one of 2026's most acclaimed action games.
007 First Light sold 1.5 million copies in its first 24 hours, according to IO Interactive — roughly in line with Hitman 3's launch window, despite being a fresh start for the studio's Bond universe.
The result matters because Bond games had been commercially radioactive for more than a decade. 2012's 007 Legends landed with a 41 Metacritic score, and publishers largely walked away from the license. IO Interactive took it on in 2020, and critical scores for First Light have landed largely in the 8–9 range.
Hitman DNA, Bond style
First Light uses the Glacier Engine behind Hitman, adapting its disguise-and-stealth sandbox into a more cinematic, globe-trotting spy story starring Patrick Gibson as a young Bond. Players have praised its PC performance, while modders wasted no time swapping Bond for Agent 47.
For PC players, it is one of 2026's clearest picks for a story-driven single-player action game. Read our full review in the PC Games section.