007 First Light launched with ray tracing but didn’t include path tracing at launch. Now, during the GeForce On Community Update for Gamescom 2026, we finally have a new trailer and release date for the 007 First Light path tracing update.
007 First Light Path Tracing Update Launches in September
007 First Light’s Path Tracing update, which also includes Ray Reconstruction 4.5, is launching on September 15, 2026. Check out the new trailer showcasing path tracing in all its glory below:
The trailer includes a few comparisons, and the presentation is clearly improved, especially in interiors with lots of reflective surfaces. Vehicles also get a nice touch-up, and while the lighting is definitely more realistic in outdoor scenes, the game’s existing lighting was already quite convincing, so the difference isn’t exactly that obvious.
You can safely ignore the framerate numbers in the trailer, though, and I wish NVIDIA were a bit more specific about what hardware these are being achieved on, and with what settings.
007 First Light launched with DLSS 4.5 and DLSS Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, but this update will finally introduce the highly demanded path tracing option. This is obviously limited to the PC release, and I’m interested to see how demanding it is in action.
I know a lot of people have been waiting for this update, but honestly, the game already looks excellent. Sure, this will improve the lighting, but I don’t think players should expect a massive difference in every single scene. Also, path tracing is always expensive, and you’ll need upscaling for a performant experience.
That said, the timing suits the update. NVIDIA’s recent Ray Reconstruction 4.5 update dramatically improves denoising in path tracing, and since 007 First Light launches with it, it shouldn’t show obvious artifacts.
007 First Light is one of my favorite releases of the year, and this Path Tracing update just gives me another excuse to replay it. In my review, I called it the best Bond game yet, and with news of more content in development, I can’t wait to see what IO Interactive has planned next for the title.
