Story

0:05 007 First Light tells how James Bond earned his number: a 26-year-old "promising but rebellious Royal Navy air crewman" gets noticed by MI6 after a mission in Iceland goes wrong, is recruited into the newly revived 00 program, and is still a recruit when the rogue former agent 009 resurfaces. IO Interactive calls it a "fully original, re-imagined origin story", set in the present day, and it stands apart from the films. The top of this page is spoiler-free; the full plot sits under a heading that says "Spoilers", and the ending has a page of its own, Ending Explained.

Quick facts

Sources: IOI and Amazon MGM Studios press release, Feb 12, 2026; Kotaku review, May 26, 2026; IOI 1.3.0 patch notes, Oct 1, 2026; Beebom missions list, May 27, 2026; GamingBolt, May 26, 2026; Insider Gaming, May 6, 2026.

What is the story of 007 First Light?

0:12 IOI's own line is to follow Bond as "a young, resourceful, and sometimes reckless recruit" in MI6's training program. The story opens in Iceland, where Bond infiltrates "a government research site overtaken by a ruthless band of hostiles" against orders, and those exploits draw MI6's attention. M, played by Priyanga Burford, sees in him an agent "who can take control of desperate situations".

6:21 Bond joins the revived 00 program late, six months behind the other recruits, and trains in Malta under John Greenway (Lennie James), a former 00 agent who goes by the book and clashes with Bond's improvising. The other recruits include Cressida Bright and Lennox Monroe (Cast and Characters). Q (Alastair Mackenzie) equips him from the Q-Lab, Moneypenny (Kiera Lester) runs his support, and Dr. Selina Tan (Gemma Chan) runs the training simulations that became TacSim.

2:05 Then the program is thrown into its first real operation. IOI's story trailer release says the return of 009, a rogue former British operative, becomes the program's "first true field test", and that Bond and Greenway must work together despite their differences. Kotaku's review frames the wider question as whether the 00s should exist at all. The hunt runs from a chess championship in Slovakia to a pirate black market in Mauritania, run by Lenny Kravitz's Bawma, and on to a London gala, a Vietnamese resort and Antarctica.

Is 007 First Light canon?

No. Insider Gaming reports that IOI and Amazon MGM Studios talked about tying the game to the films early on and decided it "would live alongside the future of 007" without an overt connection (May 6, 2026; neither company is quoted directly). This Bond is a new version with his own beginning, not the young Connery, Craig or any other film Bond, and nothing in the game links him to Amazon MGM's next film. Familiar pieces return in new forms: M, Q and Moneypenny (M, Q and Moneypenny), the Q-Lab gadgets (Gadgets), and the Legacy Items hidden in each mission (Collectibles).

Where does it sit in the timeline?

6:32 Kotaku places it in the present day, in modern London and European settings, with a tone that follows the Daniel Craig films. Inside the game the order is simple: Bond is a naval airman in Iceland, a recruit in Malta and London, and a field agent from Slovakia on. MI6's headquarters still goes by its old cover, "aka Universal Exports" on IOI's site. The game has a single, predetermined ending (GamingBolt, May 26, 2026); interrogation and dialogue choices along the way do not change it.

Spoilers: the full plot

Everything below gives the plot away, mission by mission. Chapter numbers are the guides' 17 (PowerPyx's), with IOI's mission numbers in brackets for the played chapters; Missions List explains the two numberings.

Iceland and recruitment

Chapter 1, Against the Odds (IOI 00). A routine reconnaissance in Iceland turns into a national security crisis. Bond starts unarmed on a beach, takes a disguise, finds that "the foreign object" has already been taken from the camp, survives a disorienting agent and frees the captives. Chapter 2, In His Majesty's Secret Service, is a cutscene: Bond is summoned to MI6, not knowing whether he will be rewarded or punished.

Training in Malta and London

Chapter 3, The Needle's Eye (IOI 01). Bond joins M's training in Malta, loses a fight to Monroe on arrival, and goes through basic training. M explains THEIA, MI6's AI, which had given him less than a 1% chance of success in Iceland. Chapter 4, The Heart of the Matter, shows political tension inside MI6 over his evaluation, and Chapter 5, A New Home, moves him into advanced training. Chapter 6, A Night Out (IOI 02): a recruits' night out at a London club turns into a field exercise.

The hunt for 009

1:45 Chapter 7, A Matter of Considerable Delicacy. M suspends the exams and assigns the recruits to an operation against 009. Chapter 8, All the Time in the World (IOI 03): undercover at the World Chess Championship at the Grand Carpathian Hotel in Slovakia, Bond is put on chauffeur duty, finds a bomb plot, and a second device explodes. Into Indie Games reports that Monroe is killed in the blast. Bond chases 009 to his plane and plants his Q-Watch on it as a tracker. A mystery woman hands him a gun along the way; GamingBolt identifies her as Isola Vale, posing as the DGSE agent Charlotte Roth.

Chapter 9, Out of the Ashes. The failed operation becomes a diplomatic disaster, and THEIA tracks 009 to Aleph. Chapter 10, The Past Never Dies (IOI 04 and 05): Bond and Greenway buy their way into Bawma's black market, win an auction for 009's location, and find 009 dead in his cabin. A photo marked "Remember This" points to the Transworld ship, where 009 left a case with the note "Here's your evidence, Greenway."

The Webbs

Chapter 11, Uninvited (IOI 06). MI6 closes the 009 case and confines Bond. One of the Murto twins attacks him at home, and the trail leads to a Webb Industries gala at a Kensington museum, where an earpiece points to Sir Nicholas Webb. Bond is drugged, wakes tied up beside Isola, and escapes in a cargo truck. Chapter 12, Knightfall (IOI 07): Bond and Greenway break into Webb Industries' headquarters in the City of London and record Nicholas and Damien Webb, but come back without the evidence M wants.

4:01 Chapter 13, Going Old School. Bond learns that THEIA's failures were hidden, Greenway resigns, and M sends Bond on a black operation. Chapter 14, Time to Die (IOI 08): alone at The Pearl resort in Vietnam, Bond protects three targets, is captured, and is saved when Greenway arrives as a sniper. After the chase through a quarry, Greenway dies; GamingBolt reports his last words as "Don't let it change you."

Going rogue and the finale

Chapter 15, Man of the Hour. MI6 negotiates with Sir Nicholas Webb and grants him immunity, and Bond, sidelined, steals a Q-Watch, gadgets and a pistol from the Q-Lab. Chapter 16, Wave of the Future (IOI 09): Bond and Isola infiltrate Webb's Antarctic research facility to shut down HYPERION; Isola shoots Webb and runs with the core, and Bond stops her. Chapter 17, For England (IOI 10): Damien attacks MI6 in an armored suit, stabs Moneypenny and takes THEIA's core; Bond fights him through the building in Q's armed Aston Martin Valhalla and pushes him into the water.

Who was behind it

2:47 The real villains are Sir Nicholas Webb and his son Damien, not 009. GamingBolt's reading is that Webb, who created THEIA, planned the bombing to cover up THEIA's failures, and that 009 was wrongly marked as a mole. At Greenway's grave M offers Bond a number, and he takes 007. The details, and the threads left open, are on Ending Explained, Nicholas Webb and John Greenway.

Does the story continue after launch?

Not yet, as of Nov 4, 2026. The free Extended Operations update (Oct 1, 2026) added no new campaign story. IOI's Aug 20, 2026 post said players will uncover new intelligence about Webb Industries and that an "unexpected alliance" between MI6 and Bawma will send Bond on a sensitive mission, with no name or date (Year One Roadmap). The closing card, "James Bond Will Return", is the only promise of more; see Sequel.

Frequently asked questions

What is 007 First Light about? 007 First Light is an origin story: a 26-year-old Royal Navy air crewman named James Bond is recruited into MI6's revived 00 program after a mission in Iceland, and the return of the rogue agent 009 becomes the program's first field test.

Is 007 First Light canon with the James Bond movies? No. Insider Gaming reports that IO Interactive and Amazon MGM Studios chose to have 007 First Light live alongside the films rather than connect to them, so its Bond is a new version with his own beginning.

When is 007 First Light set? 007 First Light is set in the present day, in modern London and locations across Europe, Africa, Asia and Antarctica, before Bond earns his 007 number.

How old is James Bond in 007 First Light? Bond is 26 in 007 First Light, a Royal Navy air crewman at the start of the story, played by Patrick Gibson.

Does 007 First Light have multiple endings? No. 007 First Light has a single, predetermined ending; dialogue and interrogation choices change scenes, not the outcome.

Who is the villain in 007 First Light? 007 First Light presents the rogue former agent 009 as the threat; who is really behind the attacks is a spoiler, explained on the Ending Explained page.

Sources

• 007 First Light, IO Interactive, undated, read Nov 4, 2026
• IO Interactive and Amazon MGM Studios Unveil New Story Trailer for 007 First Light, Launching May 27, 2026, IO Interactive and Amazon MGM Studios, Feb 12, 2026
• 007 First Light Adds Another Star to Its Ensemble Cast With Gemma Chan, Xbox Wire, Sep 25, 2025
• 007 First Light: The Kotaku Review, Kotaku, May 26, 2026
• Is 007 First Light Canon In James Bond? 007 First Light Vs Bond Movies, Explained, Insider Gaming, May 6, 2026
• 007 First Light, 15 More Things to Know Before Launch, GamingBolt, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Missions List - How Many Chapters Are There, Beebom, May 27, 2026
• 007 First Light Against The Odds Mission Walkthrough, Beebom, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Ending Explained, Beebom, May 26, 2026
• 007 First Light Ending Explained - The Sequel Setup You May Have Missed, GamingBolt, Jun 5, 2026
• 007 First Light - The Needle's Eye Walkthrough, Into Indie Games, May 28, 2026
• 007 First Light - The Past Never Dies Walkthrough, Into Indie Games, May 30, 2026
• 007 First Light - Beyond The Grave Walkthrough, Into Indie Games, May 31, 2026
• 1.3.0 Game Update, IO Interactive, Oct 1, 2026
• 007 First Light Free DLC Out Now, IO Interactive, Oct 1, 2026
• 007 First Light reaches 4 million copies sold, IO Interactive, Aug 20, 2026
• 007 First Light - Story Trailer | PS5 Games, PlayStation, Feb 12, 2026 (video)
• 007 First Light - Gameplay Reveal, 007 First Light, Sep 3, 2025 (video)
• Beyond the Light Episode 2 - Cast & Character Dev Diary, 007 First Light, Mar 4, 2026 (video)
• Beyond the Light Episode 3 - Story Dev Diary, 007 First Light, Apr 7, 2026 (video)
• 007 First Light Ending Explained And How It Sets Up A Sequel, GamingBolt, Jun 4, 2026 (video)