The best James Bond games are those that manage to utilise as many of the franchise’s core strengths as possible, while also respecting its 70-year legacy.
When you boil it down to its basics, the 007 series is about driving fast cars, using cool gadgets, and using spy skills to complete the mission through any means necessary.
Video games featuring James Bond have often incorporated these elements into their gameplay, but some have done it better than others.
And with 007 First Light out this week, you may be wondering where it ranks on the list of the best James Bond games.
Here’s our list of the best 007 games you can play, ranging from some long-forgotten PS2 gems to some that are often considered some of the greatest games of all time.
The list is being presented in reverse order, starting with the seventh best and working down towards the very best. If you’re curious about what the best 007 game of all time is, read on.
7. Agent Under Fire
We’re kicking off the list with an underrated classic from the PS2 era: Agent Under Fire. Although it got mixed reviews at launch, the game has aged rather well as a successor to GoldenEye 007’s mix of stealth and action.
Originally developed as a video game tie-in to The World Is Not Enough, delays set the game back and gave Electronic Arts the chance to revamp it into its own original story. What followed was a pretty fun James Bond story, albeit a little short.
Electronic Arts
6. From Russia With Love
The final James Bond released by EA would be From Russia With Love, an adaptation of the 1963 film of the same name.
It featured the return of Sean Connery, his first time playing the role since 1983’s Never Say Never Again, and also brought together other aspects of his era of the franchise, such as the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger and the jet pack from Thunderball.
Ultimately, it does a reasonable job at adapting each of the major plot beats from the original film, splicing them alongside some very ‘video-gamey’ levels and a brand new ending which feels like something leftover from Brosnan’s era.
Electronic Arts
5. Blood Stone
Daniel Craig’s reign as a video game avatar Bond was almost exclusively relegated to adaptations, with Quantum of Solace, GoldenEye 007 (2010) and 007 Legends all being rather naff Call of Duty clones.
His one original Bond adventure, on the other hand, stands out as one of the best games to come out of his era. 007 Blood Stone is held up by an interesting original plot, some fun action sequences, and voice acting by Craig, Judi Dench, and Joss Stone.
Although a sequel was planned, low sales later led to its cancellation. We’re sure it releasing on the same day as the GoldenEye remake probably didn’t do it any favours, despite it arguably being the better title.
Activision
4. Nightfire
Whoa, we’re getting into pretty good territory now. Building on the strengths of Agent Under Fire, Nightfire‘s mix of first-person shooter levels and driving set pieces quickly became many gamers’ entry point to the 007 franchise.
In particular, it’s powered by the GoldSrc engine, which leads it to feel almost like Half-Life at certain points, especially with regards to its tight shooting, a problem that I’m sure nobody has any complaints about.
While Nightfire is a great game, it’s certainly not the best Brosnan-led 007 game on the list.
Electronic Arts
3. Everything Or Nothing
Or as I like to call it, Pierce Brosnan’s fifth James Bond film. While the actor’s likeness had been used in previous 007 games, this was the first and only time he’d lend his voice to the character.
Everything Or Nothing is notable for its inclusion of a star-studded Hollywood cast, including Willem Dafoe as the villain Nikolai Diavolo, with Heidi Klum and Shannon Elizabeth filling out supporting roles alongside Judi Dench and John Cleese returning as M and Q, and there are even a few appearances by Richard Kiel’s Jaws.
Everything Or Nothing raised the bar for what a James Bond game should be, with a load of fun gadgets and cinematic set pieces decking out the game’s rather lengthy playtime. Similar to Blood Stone, its plot and script was also penned by Bruce Feirstein, who wrote Brosnan’s first three 007 outings.
Electronic Arts
2. 007 First Light
The most recent entry on the list, 007 First Light’s focus on the procedural elements of Bond’s work life, as well as a greater emphasis on gadget use and social stealth, makes it one of the best James Bond games.
An origin story for the character, the game takes you to exotic locations like Vietnam, Slovakia, and Malta as Bond earns his licence to kill through the recently re-established 00 program.
As I said in my 007 First Light review, it’s “an exquisite taste of slick spy action and blockbuster storytelling, and is fully what a Bond game should be, but rarely is.”
007 First Light, IO Interactive
1. GoldenEye 007
It’s really no surprise to see this at the top spot. GoldenEye 007 is not only an incredible movie, but spawned one of the best first-person shooters of all time.
It’s difficult to understand why the game was so revolutionary if you’re looking at it from a 2026 lens, but in 1997 this was about as good as console multiplayer shooters would get for a number of years.
Coming just one year into the Nintendo 64’s lifespan, the easy to pick up controls, solid level design and four-player splitscreen is what gave the game the extra push to become a household favourite among console gamers.
Even revisiting late last year, I found the game to hold up incredibly well. There’s a level of polish here that wasn’t seen in other Nintendo 64 releases of the time, and thanks to the multiplayer, cheat codes, and bonus content, it gives you plenty of reasons to replay it.
GoldenEye 007, Rare