20 hours is the perfect length for 007 First Light

I finished 007 First Light in about 20 hours, and that runtime feels exactly right. Released May 27 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, the game marks the first James Bond title in 14 years and has been called the best since GoldenEye. It’s reviewing well, selling well, and has entered GOTY conversations.

The debate over whether a shorter game is “worth” its price flared up well before launch. A widely viewed tweet from YouTuber Deez Games and posts on the game’s subreddit — one saying it “was fun but not $70 fun” — fueled the chatter. Economic pressures like inflation and stagnant wages help explain that anxiety, but measuring a game’s value purely by hours treats it as a product rather than a work of art.

For a cinematic action game with high production values, a 20-hour main campaign is common. Recent well-regarded titles land around that mark: God of War at about 20.5 hours, The Last of Us Part II near 24, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order around 22, Uncharted 4 about 18, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider roughly 23.

first light, james bond, playstation 5, windows pc, xbox, 20 hours, goldeneye, deez games, subreddit, goty