IO Interactive’s new PS5 Pro gameplay slice shows 007 First Light hitting its 60fps targets while chasing the look of a modern cinematic action blockbuster.
IO Interactive has finally put its money where its mouth is. After last year’s “007 FPS” memes mocked 007 First Light for choppy performance, the studio has returned with a new gameplay slice running on PS5 Pro, and the difference is obvious. Combat reads cleaner, camera moves feel controlled instead of juddery, and the whole presentation now sits much closer to the kind of cinematic benchmark IO is clearly chasing.
PS5 Pro: The “best on console” version
The new footage, highlighted by Push Square and others, comes from a PS5 Pro build and is paired with concrete targets. IO Interactive says 007 First Light runs at 60 frames per second on PS5 Pro, and that this is the console version the studio is clearly using as a showpiece.
On Pro, the gameplay reel shows dense particle work from explosions, heavy volumetric lighting in nighttime chase scenes, and complex crowd setups in public spaces, all while the camera swings aggressively around Bond’s acrobatic takedowns. The real takeaway is not one specific visual trick, but how confidently the game holds onto fluid motion while it all happens. You can actually follow the tiny tells in enemy animations, something that was harder to do in last year’s softer, blurrier footage.
Push Square leans into the idea that you “need” PS5 Pro to see First Light at its best, and that lines up with how IO is positioning this build. It is not just a higher resolution version of the base experience. It is the machine the studio is using to prove that its Bond game can sit credibly alongside the biggest cinematic action titles on the market.
Performance targets across consoles
Beyond the headline PS5 Pro build, IO has laid out a fairly standard but crucial set of targets across machines.
On PS5 Pro, the studio is committing to a 60fps target with visual settings that are closer to a traditional quality mode. Resolution and effects are clearly being pushed, yet the footage suggests the Pro’s extra headroom is being used first to lock performance and second to scale image quality.
On the base PS5, IO is offering two paths. Performance mode targets 60fps and is meant to bring console parity with what PS5 Pro players see in terms of motion clarity, while inevitably dialing back some resolution and high-end effects. Quality mode, by contrast, sits at 30fps and bumps fidelity back up, giving players the more filmic look at the cost of responsiveness.
IGN reports that Xbox Series X should land in a similar configuration to base PS5, though IO has not nailed down exact numbers in public yet. Series S is the real question mark. The studio has not committed to a specific performance target there, and given the game’s dense environments and heavy post-processing, it is likely to be the most compromised console version.
What is clear is that IO is very publicly staking its reputation on hitting 60fps on higher end hardware. After the early criticism, explicitly confirming those numbers for PS5 Pro and highlighting them in official clips is not just technical messaging; it is damage control and a bit of playful victory lap.
Cleaning up the “007 FPS” reveal
The original 2025 gameplay reveal for First Light became a minor social media punching bag. The mixture of heavy motion blur, unstable frame pacing, and an already cinematic camera style made everything look mushier than fans expected from the studio behind Hitman.
The new PS5 Pro slice feels like a direct response. Motion blur has been toned down in fast cuts so that image detail holds up when Bond breaks into a sprint or vaults over cover. The HUD has been pulled tighter to the edges so the center of the frame can function like a film shot instead of being cluttered with meters and icons. Animations have had visible touch ups, with smoother transitions between cover, melee and gunplay that make the increased frame rate easier to appreciate.
IO even leaned into the joke on social media, referencing the “007 FPS” nickname while confidently stating that First Light is now running at a proper 60 frames per second on PS5 Pro. It is a rare case of a big studio acknowledging criticism in the open, then bringing receipts.
Chasing the big-screen action look
Underneath the technical details, there is a clear visual thesis: 007 First Light is trying to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Uncharted and modern Tomb Raider school of blockbuster action design rather than the more systemic, sandbox feel of Hitman.
The PS5 Pro footage drives this home with sequences that feel built around set-piece spectacle. There is a high speed pursuit threaded through a busy city street where environmental destruction is not just background dressing; cars deform, glass shatters believably and debris lingers in the road instead of popping away. Lighting leans into high contrast compositions where Bond and his targets are framed against neon signs, burning wrecks or cold MI6 interiors that echo prestige TV spy dramas.
What keeps it from sliding into pure corridor shooter territory is IO’s systemic DNA. Even in tightly choreographed sequences, there are glimpses of alternate paths, side rooms and stealth routes. The PS5 Pro’s extra fluidity makes snapping between stealthy stalking and explosive gunfights less visually jarring. It sells the fantasy of Bond as both a precise infiltrator and a blunt instrument without the camera feeling like it is struggling to keep up.
In practical terms, this puts First Light in conversation with games like Uncharted 4, Control, and even the latest Resident Evil remakes. Those titles use higher frame rates and strong art direction to make complex lighting and destruction feel readable instead of overwhelming. IO seems to be following that playbook, using Pro hardware to support not just more pixels, but a more legible and cinematic image in motion.
Why PS5 Pro matters for First Light
The existence of a PS5 Pro skew has changed how late generation games are marketed, and 007 First Light is an early example of a third party studio openly naming that system as the “best” console home for its game. There is a clear subtext in IO’s messaging: if you want the most stable 60fps and the full suite of visual features on console, PS5 Pro is the target.
For players, that divides the experience into tiers. Pro users get the intended showcase version, base PS5 and likely Series X owners get flexible but compromised modes, and Series S sits in a wait and see category. On PC, of course, performance will scale with hardware, but it is the PS5 Pro footage that is doing the heavy lifting in selling the fantasy of playing a Bond film.
That is the strategic play here. 007 First Light is not just IO’s shot at building a new flagship franchise; it is Sony’s chance to point at a stylish, globally recognizable IP and say this is what the Pro hardware was made for. By using the upgraded console to erase the “007 FPS” stigma and broadcast a clean 60fps cinematic experience, IO is aligning the game with the modern action pantheon instead of fighting to escape meme status.
If the final release on May 27 can keep what the PS5 Pro footage promises, Bond’s origin story might end up being remembered less for frame rate jokes and more for finally giving the character a game that looks and moves like the films fans have in their heads.