007 First Light's special State of Play is promising a gameplay deep dive – here's what I'm hoping to see, and how you can catch the show

• The 007 First Light State of Play airs on September 3
• IO Interactive has confirmed the broadcast will be 30 minutes long and feature a playthrough of 007's first mission as an M16 recruit
• We can expect "high-speed car chases to on-foot stealth sequences and shootouts"

A special State of Play has been announced for this week, which will offer a new look at IO Interactive's next game, 007 First Light.

The broadcast is scheduled to air on September 3 at 11am PT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST and can be watched on PlayStation’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

According to IOI, the broadcast will be 30 minutes long and feature a playthrough of Bond’s first mission as an MI6 recruit. The gameplay will consist of "high-speed car chases to on-foot stealth sequences and shootouts", and will be followed by insights from IO Interactive on the intense espionage gameplay.

007 First Light is easily one of my most anticipated action games of 2026, so I'm hoping these 30 minutes of gameplay will deliver on some questions I've had about the game since its initial reveal trailer.

Will stealth be different from Hitman?

First and foremost, I'm looking forward to more insight into how action will differentiate from IOI's Hitman series, particularly how environmental stealth will play a part in mission progression. Will it be more tactical and require the player to map out their actions like Agent 47, or will each mission be scripted with predetermined outcomes?

Gimme those guns and gadgets

I'm also looking forward to seeing what the weapon loadouts for 007 will look like. As an agent, I'm expecting pistols and a silencer during stealth, along with other iconic gadgets we've previously seen in the films, and maybe even some brand new inventions for the game.

All action hero?

Similarly, I'm hoping for some all-out action like we saw in the teaser trailer with automatic rifles and melee combat, which seemed more Uncharted-like than Hitman from the brief look we got.

IOI mentioned that the footage will also include a look at "high-speed car chases," so I'm eager to see if these will be isolated sequences in specific locations like we see in the trailer, or if they will be large-scale narrative moments, again, similar to Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

We'll have to wait and see, as well as if IOI is ready to share a release date. For now, we know 007 First Light launches in 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

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