How to Play GoldenEye 007 Today

When you buy through links on this page we may earn a commission. It never decides what we write. How we work.

Rare’s GoldenEye 007 came out in 1997 and, nearly three decades on, it can still be played in several ways, some of them free if you already own the right subscription. Here is every legitimate route, what each one gives you, and what the old cartridge costs now.

The 1997 game and why it matters

GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter for the Nintendo 64, developed by Rare and published by Nintendo, based on the 1995 film with Pierce Brosnan’s Bond. It reached North America on 25 August 1997 and went on to sell about 8.09 million copies, making it the third-best-selling game on the console, behind Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64.

In May 2025 The Strong National Museum of Play inducted it into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. The museum singled out the four-person multiplayer mode and said it is still considered one of the best multiplayer experiences on a Nintendo system, with an influence on later console shooters including Halo. For the film behind it, and where Brosnan sits among the actors, see our guides to the films and the Bonds.

Xbox: Game Pass and Rare Replay

Rare released a remastered version on 27 January 2023. Xbox describes it as running at native 16:9 up to 4K Ultra HD, with a consistent refresh rate, a full set of Xbox achievements and modern control options including dual analogue sticks. The four-player split-screen mode is still there.

It is available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S as part of Game Pass, and the Xbox Store lists it as cloud-playable with Game Pass Premium and Ultimate. If you have a digital copy of Rare Replay on your Xbox account, you can download it free, with or without Game Pass. Xbox Wire is explicit that physical copies of Rare Replay do not work in the same way. The Xbox Store listed Rare Replay at US$29.99 at the time of writing.

Online multiplayer is the gap. The Xbox Store lists local multiplayer for two to four players and does not list an online mode, and Xbox Wire’s launch announcement does not mention one either. If you want to play with friends who are not in the room, this is not the version for it.

Nintendo Switch Online and the Expansion Pack

The other official route is Nintendo’s. GoldenEye 007 is part of the Nintendo 64 library for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. Nintendo’s US price for the Expansion Pack tier is US$49.99 a year for an individual membership, at the time of writing in October 2026.

Nintendo describes a two to four player multiplayer mode, and its Nintendo 64 library page mentions online play for up to four players, which is the headline difference from Xbox. Nintendo also says the game is fully playable with its Nintendo 64 controller for Switch, sold separately and not required. The version on Switch is the Nintendo 64 game itself, rather than a remaster, so the visuals are the original ones.

Original hardware and cartridge prices

The oldest route is also the most direct: a Nintendo 64, a controller and the cartridge. Prices are low for a game with this reputation. PriceCharting’s tracked eBay sales between 29 August and 11 September 2026 show a loose US cartridge selling for roughly US$19 to US$30, one cleaned near-mint copy at US$69.95, and a complete copy with box and manual at US$54.60. The cheaper PAL cartridge sold for US$12.74 in the same period.

Collector variants are another matter. A Not for Resale copy is listed on the same site at about US$650, and a factory-sealed copy sold for US$699 in July 2023. Regional versions exist, so check that the cartridge matches your console. You can search eBay for it, and we would buy a tested loose cartridge rather than a sealed one unless you intend to keep it on a shelf.

Connecting an N64 to a modern TV

The console outputs analogue video, and modern televisions do not like it. There are three broad options. The simplest is the console’s own composite cable into a TV that still has the old inputs, which works on some sets. The second is a plug-in HDMI adapter that sits where the console’s AV cable would go. The third is an external scaler: the RetroTINK 2X, for example, is commonly recommended for connecting an unmodified console to a new TV. We have not tested any of these devices, so read current reviews before you buy one.

Emulation, and the legal position

Emulators, the software that imitates a console, are generally legal to download and use. The games are a different matter. A ROM is a copy of the game itself, and downloading ROMs of games you do not own is generally not legal, in the sense that it is copyright infringement. Nintendo’s own support pages list ROM files under online piracy and discuss emulator software in its piracy FAQ, and it invites reports of ROM sites and emulators through its support pages.

The position most often cited is that making a copy of a cartridge you own, for your own use, is the only legitimate way to get a ROM. That depends on where you live, and circumventing copy protection can raise its own problems, so treat it as a question to check for your own country rather than a guarantee. This is general information, not legal advice. With GoldenEye 007 on Game Pass and Nintendo Switch Online, there is a licensed route to the game that does not need any of this.

What changes between versions

The three official versions are not identical. The Xbox remaster changes the picture and the controls: 4K output, achievements and dual analogue sticks. The Switch version keeps the Nintendo 64 game as it was, and adds online play. The cartridge is the original in every respect, including the way it looks on a modern screen. If the multiplayer is what you are after, the practical test is who you are playing with: Xbox and the cartridge are for people in the same room, and the Switch is the only one of the three that lists play over the internet.

Which route we would take

For a first play in years, the Switch route is best if you want to play online, and the Xbox route is best if you already have Game Pass or Rare Replay and want the 4K picture. The cartridge suits the player who wants the original feel and the hardware, and the cost is time spent on adapters. Emulation is best left for those who own the cartridge and are prepared to check their own legal position first.

A new era: 007 First Light

The Bond of the games now has a new chapter. IO Interactive’s 007 First Light, the studio’s first Bond game, came out on 27 May 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It is not a film adaptation but an original origin story: a young recruit in MI6’s Double-0 programme who has not yet earned the number, working with a reluctant mentor to expose a conspiracy. The Standard Edition lists at US$69.99, and Omega has made a real watch for it, the Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph 007 First Light, at US$9,400 on its US site. It is a long way from four players sharing one screen in 1997. Our watches section has the rest of the Omega story.

Shop the story

GoldenEye 007 (Rare, Nintendo 64, 1997)View the piece007 First Light (IO Interactive, 2026)View the piece007 First Light Collector’s Edition (IO Interactive)View the pieceOmega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph 007 First Light (210.32.44.51.01.002)View the pieceDualSense Wireless Controller 007 First Light Limited EditionView the piece