007 First Light has received a rather substantial free upgrade, with Extended Operations now available, adding a collection of new features designed to give Bond veterans plenty of reasons to return to the MI6 training programme.
Available today, the update introduces New Game+, a brand-new 00 difficulty, a full Photo Mode, fresh TacSim missions and improved weapon handling. There’s even an Aston Martin Valhalla to get behind the wheel of, because no Bond adventure would be complete without an appropriately glamorous set of wheels.
At A Glance
- Game: 007 First Light
- DLC: Extended Operations
- Developer/Publisher: IO Interactive
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
- Release Date: 1st October 2026
- Price: Free
- Key Additions: New Game+, 00 difficulty, Photo Mode, new TacSim missions and gameplay improvements
New Game+ Turns Up The Heat
The biggest addition for anyone who has already completed Bond’s origin story is undoubtedly New Game+.
Once the campaign has been completed on any difficulty, players can replay it from the beginning or jump back into any completed checkpoint while taking their unlocked outfits and gadgets along for the ride.
That means there’s now a little more freedom to dress Bond for the occasion, whether you’re revisiting a favourite mission or simply fancy tackling the campaign again with all of the equipment you’ve earned.
Completing the campaign also unlocks the new 00 difficulty, although you don’t have to commit to the toughest settings to enjoy the other New Game+ additions.
00 Difficulty Means Business
IO Interactive isn’t simply sticking a higher damage multiplier on the existing difficulty and calling it a day.
On 00 difficulty, enemies react faster to bodies and disturbances, tougher guard variants appear and gadget use is restricted while you’re in a guard’s line of sight. Combat is also considerably less forgiving, with two-hit kills, tighter parry and side-step timings and reduced agency during fights.
For those who want the challenge without abandoning the customisation options, outfits and gadgets can still be carried into New Game+ on Easy, Normal or Hard.
Bond Gets Behind The Wheel
The Valhalla Protocol TacSim content is now playable as part of Extended Operations.
It sends Bond to the Slovakian Mountains and puts the Aston Martin Valhalla firmly in the spotlight. Across four missions, players can drive the car during both day and night, with different challenges to tackle along the way.
This isn’t just a sightseeing tour either. The Valhalla comes equipped with the weaponry Bond uses during the main campaign, allowing players to take down targets, earn time bonuses and chase the best possible results.
Bond also heads back to The Pearl in Vietnam for another TacSim mission. This time, the objective is to infiltrate a heavily guarded villa and retrieve classified documents. The entire property can now be explored as part of the mission, including its rooftop, while the villa interior has been redesigned to create more opportunities for stealth.
TacSim missions have also received access to the full arsenal from the main campaign, opening up more options when replaying this additional content.
Say Cheese, Agent Bond
One of the most requested additions since launch has finally arrived in the form of a proper Photo Mode.
Players can freeze the action at any moment and compose their own Bond shots, with tools covering character posing, UI visibility, camera positioning, lens adjustments, brightness, filters, backgrounds and logos.
That should provide plenty of opportunities to capture everything from Bond’s quieter moments around the Grand Carpathian to the neon-lit streets of Aleph. It’s a particularly fitting addition for a game that puts so much effort into recreating the feel of a cinematic Bond adventure.
A Few More Tricks Up Bond’s Sleeve
Extended Operations also brings some smaller gameplay changes that could make a noticeable difference.
Weapon handling animations have been refined to provide greater fidelity to Bond’s movements and the way his weapons behave while being handled.
There’s also a rather amusing change to the game’s environmental takedowns. Being thrown off a ledge is no longer something that only happens to Bond’s enemies. The spy himself can now suffer the same fate, so getting too close to that convenient-looking drop is suddenly a little more dangerous.
A Free Reason To Return To First Light
We gave 007 First Light a perfect 5/5 in our review, praising IO Interactive’s obvious affection for the franchise and the way it managed to create a new Bond adventure while retaining the details that make the character so recognisable.
We described it as: “The start of a new era for Bond, which will leave you shaken, not stirred.”
Extended Operations certainly gives that new era a little more room to breathe. Between a tougher way to replay the campaign, additional TacSim content, a flashy Aston Martin and the long-requested Photo Mode, there’s plenty here for players who have already completed Bond’s first assignment.
And best of all, Extended Operations is available as a free DLC update from today.
