What was announced
IO Interactive and Amazon MGM Studios announced on November 5, 2026 that a Free Starter Pack is available now on PC via Steam and Xbox Series X|S. It covers the game's opening mission in Iceland at no cost. Notebookcheck names that chapter "Against the Odds."
The Starter Pack comes to PlayStation players on November 10. Progress in either the pack or the trial carries into the full game after purchase. For anyone on the fence, that means you don't replay the opening if you buy.
The Xbox and PC details
The Xbox Store listing is the most useful source for Microsoft-ecosystem readers. It shows the following:
- The listing is labeled "Free+" and says it is optimized for Xbox Series X|S.
- It carries the Xbox Play Anywhere badge.
- "Play with" lists both Xbox Series X|S and PC.
- It is marked single-player.
- Its release date reads November 4, 2026. IO Interactive's press release is dated November 5, so the store date and the announcement date differ by a day.
- The store text says upgrading to the full game gives access to the entire story, Challenges and Tactical Simulations mode, with progress carried over.
The listing doesn't explain how Play Anywhere licensing or cloud saves work for this pack. I'd treat cross-device save sync as unconfirmed until you test it on your own account.
On Steam, Notebookcheck reports that the pack supports Steam Achievements and Steam Cloud. The same outlet says the full PC game needs 80 GB of free SSD space and Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). That requirement is for the full game. The pack's own install size wasn't in the material I reviewed. Check the store page before you clear a drive.
How long is it?
The sources disagree here, and the studio hasn't given a figure.
- GAMINGbible says the mission runs somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes. It also compares the pack to IO's free starter pack for Hitman: World of Assassination.
- PlayDay says the pack gives around an hour of gameplay.
- IO Interactive's announcement gives no running time.
Plan on roughly an hour, but expect it to vary with how you play.
The PlayStation Plus trial is a separate offer
IO Interactive says PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers get an exclusive one-hour Timed Trial. GamingBolt's headline and report say Premium and Deluxe subscribers can use it. The developer names only Premium. If you're a Deluxe subscriber, don't count on access until Sony or IO Interactive confirms it.
GamingBolt also says the one-hour cap means players may not reach some of the deeper mechanics. In its words, those open up once the first full mission starts. That is the outlet's characterization, not the studio's.
In short, the Starter Pack is defined by content, meaning the opening mission. The PS Plus trial is defined by a clock. MonsterVine makes the same distinction: one offer limits play by time, the other provides the opening mission.
Sale prices and dates
IO Interactive listed these discounts, all starting November 5:
| Platform | Discount | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | 40% | November 9 |
| Xbox Series X|S | 40% | November 15 |
| PlayStation 5 | 50% | November 30 |
The Xbox Store snapshot showed the Standard Edition at $41.99, down from $69.99. That matches a 40% cut. The Deluxe Edition Upgrade add-on showed $11.99, down from $19.99. Store prices change and vary by region, so check the live listing.
GamingBolt's November 4 report put the US PlayStation Store price at about $42 after a 40% discount. That doesn't match the 50% PS5 figure from the studio's November 5 announcement. The likely explanation is timing, since the GamingBolt report predates the studio's announcement. I can't confirm that from the material I have. The studio's schedule is the better source for the promotion terms.
Why it matters
Free demos from big publishers are rarer than they used to be. A trial that lists both Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Play Anywhere on the listing, is worth noting for people who play across a console and a Windows machine. It's also a low-risk way to see how the game runs on your own hardware before paying.
To try it:
- Open the Xbox Store (console or PC) or Steam and search for "007 First Light - Free Starter Pack."
- Install it. It is a separate listing from the full game.
- Play the opening mission.
- If you buy the full game later, the studio and store say your progress carries over.
One caveat: the studio's press release says the Nintendo Switch 2 version arrives "later this Summer 2026." That is clearly stale next to the November date. Other outlets report March 18, 2027 for Switch 2. This doesn't affect the Xbox, PC or PlayStation offers above.