Summary
- James Bond 007: From Russia With Love recreates the iconic movie with Sean Connery reprising the role one last time.
- GoldenEye 007 reshaped the shooter genre, influencing many games today with its realistic gunplay.
- Everything Or Nothing presents a cinematic quality close to a fifth Pierce Brosnan Bond movie, blending action with an ambitious plot.
Everyone’s favorite super spy, James Bond, has had just as much of a presence in video games as he has in movies. There are thirty-seven video games featuring Ian Fleming’s iconic character, and the upcoming 007 First Light in 2026 will mark the thirty-eighth. As technology has evolved, developers have strived to deliver gaming experiences that feel like a James Bond movie or book.
007 First Light: 6 Characters Confirmed To Be In The Game
IO Interactive's 007 First Light is set to introduce familiar characters like M and Moneypenny and new ones like the villainous 009 and John Greenway.
From classic titles on older consoles to modern hits, these games feature engaging stories that embody the essence of the legendary spy. Some are reimaginings of popular movies, while others tell original tales that utilize the famous franchise as a backdrop for both outrageous and realistic narratives, ideal for those anticipating the release of 007 First Light.
10 007 Legends
Fan Service Is The Best Part Of The Game
007 Legends
- Released
- October 7, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- FPS
During Daniel Craig’s peak popularity as James Bond, his face was omnipresent in the franchise, including video games like 007 Legends. On the one hand, playing through iconic movies from the Sean Connery era to Timothy Dalton as Daniel Craig is a nice way to give fans a way to celebrate fifty years of the franchise in one game, featuring remakes of Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Moonraker, and Die Another Day.
The familiar storylines in 007 Legends provide some novelty, but the game mostly feels like an overdone shooting gallery, lacking key spy thriller elements. It resembles a less impressive Call of Duty campaign. Despite its flaws, it holds significance as the last James Bond game before 007 First Light.
9 James Bond 007
James Bond As An Effective Zelda Clone
James Bond 007
- Released
- December 15, 1998
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy
Often forgotten due to being an exclusive title on the Nintendo Game Boy, James Bond 007 is essentially a clone of The Legend of Zelda, from the top-down perspective to having two items at once. At first, it’s an odd choice, but it not only delivers on action-packed gameplay but also on telling an original story featuring classic villains like Oddjob and Jaws.
In the handheld title, James Bond goes across the globe to China, London, Kurdistan, Morocco, the Sahara Desert, and Tibet. It’s far from a complicated storyline in James Bond 007, with the famous agent going from location to location, defeating villains to unravel a plot to destroy and conquer the world, which feels like an homage to classic Bond movies.
8 GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
A Fun Companion Piece To The Original Game
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
- Released
- November 1, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Due to its immense popularity, Activision made the bold decision to completely remake the influential first-person shooter GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, which inspired their Call of Duty games. This remake features then-modern visuals and technology, and utilizes Daniel Craig’s likeness and voice, similar to the approach taken in 007 Legends later on.
In many ways, GoldenEye 007: Reloaded captures the feeling of the original game and movie, but updated to the modern era. However, it also falls short due to playing almost identically to a Call of Duty game, which makes the more dramatic story beats feel more hollow as a result. However, it’s still a worthy follow-up to the original game that any Bond fan will enjoy.
7 James Bond 007: From Russia With Love
Sean Connery Came Back One Last Time
James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
- Released
- November 1, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- EA Redwood Shores, Rebellion Developments
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo GameCube, PS2, PSP, Xbox (Original)
It’s the same concept as GoldenEye: Reloaded, taking a beloved James Bond adventure and remaking it, but James Bond 007: From Russia With Love stays true to the original, even to the point of bringing back the first James Bond actor. This is Sean Connery’s final performance as James Bond, and that’s half the joy of the game, especially when combined with the third-person gameplay.
There is less emphasis on shooting, with segments that allow players to be immersed in the James Bond storyline. Like the movie it's remaking, it follows James Bond as he fights the criminal organization SPECTRE in Istanbul to save a defecting agent and retrieve a Soviet decryption device. To fit a video game format, some sections are modified, but it is regarded as a loyal adaptation of the film.
6 The World Is Not Enough
The Proper Sequel To GoldenEye
The World Is Not Enough
- Released
- October 17, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Eurocom
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64
After Tomorrow Never Dies tried to change things by going to a third-person action game, The World Is Not Enough went back to the first-person shooter style of GoldenEye 007. The result is a game that is often considered on par with its predecessor, with plenty of shooting, usage of fancy gadgets, and traversing environments for players to experience.
The World Is Not Enough mostly follows the same plot as the movie it's based on, with James Bond balancing the protection of Elektra King and the oil pipeline owned by her family, which leads him down a rabbit hole of conspiracies. Much like the movie, the story itself is divisive among the fanbase, but it still delivers on the thrills that come from Bond adventures.
5 GoldenEye 007
A Classic Game That Reshaped The Shooter Genre
GoldenEye 007
- Released
- August 25, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
When it comes to James Bond video games, most people will think of GoldenEye 007. Even if somebody has never played it, they have at least heard of it and its legacy in gaming history. It changed first-person shooters forever thanks to its gunplay, which used realistic swaying and swiveling to make the animations more dynamic. It would go on to influence many shooters seen even today.
Storywise, GoldenEye 007 stays loyal to the film it's based on, with a rogue Russian force using a weapon known as GoldenEye to create chaos that could potentially plunge the world into war. It has many of the same twists and turns, especially regarding the main villain, so movie fans can enjoy it while newcomers can enjoy an action-packed adventure, even if they aren’t spy fans.
4 James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire
An Original Adventure Featuring Cloning Technology
007: Agent Under Fire
- Released
- November 13, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo GameCube, PS2, Xbox (Original)
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire marked a significant point in the timeline of the James Bond games, as it was the first time that the big-budget games told their own story rather than being based on a movie. This allowed the developers at Electronic Arts to go as fantastical as they wanted, featuring a plot involving an evil organization making clones of world leaders, allowing them to infiltrate and conquer the world.
Clones and the perils of genetic tampering were a big topic in the late 90s and early 2000s, which made the game feel relevant, despite being over-the-top, akin to the Pierce Brosnan movies. The story of Agent Under Fire takes the player across the globe, from Romania to a submarine in the South China Sea, which leads to some of the most diverse levels seen in a Bond game.
3 James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Could Be Considered A Canon Daniel Craig Story
James Bond 007: Blood Stone
- Released
- November 2, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bizarre Creations
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360
Since the Daniel Craig era of James Bond embraced a more grounded take on the universe, James Bond 007: Blood Stone did the same. It took away outlandish villain plots and high-tech gadgets to create a grittier gameplay style that took heavy inspiration from popular spy espionage games at the time.
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James Bond goes after an organization of terrorists that attack the G20, which gets the MI6 agent tangled up in a web of bioterrorism, creating a storyline that feels scarily realistic. With Daniel Craig reprising the role and Judi Dench as M, Blood Stone properly matches the style of the movies to make it feel like it could be a canon adventure between movies.
2 James Bond 007: Nightfire
The Ultimate Love Letter To The Movies And Games
James Bond 007: Nightfire
- Released
- November 18, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen
- Developer(s)
- Eurocom, Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PC, macOS, GameCube, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox (Original)
Electronic Arts culminated their first-person shooter saga of James Bond games with James Bond 007: Nightfire. It has the setup of a classic James Bond story, with the agent going up against an industrialist who turns out to be a megalomaniacal and over-the-top villain hellbent on taking over the world. It even feels like a love letter to the movies with elements from GoldenEye, You Only Live Twice, and Moonraker.
James Bond 007: Nightfire boasts an ambitious storyline and incorporates gameplay elements from previous first-person shooters like Agent Under Fire and GoldenEye. This blend results in a smooth and satisfying adventure, featuring stealth, action, and a compelling narrative. As a result, Nightfire received positive reviews from both gamers and critics.
1 James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
Pierce Brosnan's Final Outing Predicted Future Movies
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
- Released
- February 17, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- EA
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, PS2, Xbox (Original)
Long before it was the main villain's plot in No Time To Die, nanotechnology was first implemented in James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing. It is often praised by the fanbase as being the closest representation of a fifth James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan. Additionally, it features Willem Dafoe as the main villain, which enhances the cinematic quality of the game.
This was the first time the James Bond games embraced a Splinter Cell-like third-person shooter, mixing stealth and cover-based action, which would carry on to From Russia With Love and Blood Stone. The gameplay, combined with an ambitious storyline, results in Everything Or Nothing being a fan-favorite title that was refreshing after a long line of first-person shooters.
Actors That Would Make A Great James Bond
Who will be the next James Bond? Nothing's confirmed yet, but there are plenty of actors who are up to the challenge.