20. Dam Agent 0:52 -- Barely any luck, an easy-to-learn trick, and it doesn't even need boosts anymore. This being GoldenEye's "classic level" should incentivize anyone to play for the time over the next records too.

19. Surface 2 Agent 0:46 -- Again, very little luck, but there is an awkward sequence of button presses that needs to be learnt, and an ending that needs to be clutched.

18. Cradle Agent 0:33 -- Straightforward short level with a lot of luck that tests your patience.

17. Bunker 2 Agent 0:20 -- A level that's benefitted greatly from not needing to pause at the start anymore since you can get more attempts in per session, and the pace is much more forgiving than 0:23 old strat. Some movement is a little awkward to learn, like the tape room and fast R-lean plus warp at the start, but it's otherwise short, simple, straightforward, and fun to play.

16. Depot Agent 0:23 -- Getting the warp seems intimidating if you haven't played the level before and are simply trying to wing attempts. There's three things to know: the location of the "crack", the sharpness of the turn into the crack, and the weapon switch timing. Then being able to consistently execute the movement needed. But once you figure all of this out, you'll know when you have good warp attempts, which makes the time feel cuspy. 0:23 isn't tight, as there's been runs with missed trainshots.

15. Streets Agent 1:11 -- This record can be hit or miss with how grindy it can be depending on your guard luck, but it's a simple strafing level with relatively good GL odds. Even if you get unlucky with guard boostage, it's good to know the record is always within grasp.

14. Frigate Agent 0:22 -- Probably the first "OCB" heavy level in the list, with good movement technique and aiming needed to get fast kills and a quick bug throw. The odds of completing the hostages are quite good, so if you're consistent at failing 22s this should come pretty quickly.

13. Bunker 1 Agent 0:16 -- Probably the first "high" luck level on the list. This can be hit or miss depending on how lucky you get with the boostage, and not being pushed out of the level early.

12. Archives Agent 0:15 -- Another level that requires clean, robotic movement, but it's fairly short and the movement surprisingly isn't as difficult as it seems once you learn how to get clean beginnings. It can be far meatier grind than anything before it, though.

11. Jungle Agent 0:49 -- Clean time that de facto requires 2.x, but you can tell the movement required isn't as strong as on the levels ahead of it. Anyone with 0:50 should be capable of getting this with more effort, figuring out a few tricks, and then eventually clutching a run together.

10. Aztec Agent 1:20 -- I'm not sure how many people have seriously given the crouch strategy a try, but the pace isn't that strong. Players with good OCB and quick guard judgement will benefit the most from this level, since they'll need fewer successful glass opens to make the time doable. It can be a hellish, demoralizing level when you get pinball'd around a lot, so this still ranks higher than many other records.

9. Egypt Agent 0:43 -- Not as tight as 0:45 "back in the day", since you can likely achieve this without needing the fastest death for bost Barons, which mitigates luck quite a lot, but this does need 2.x capability and patience. Fairly overdue, since it is a pretty fun level to play and could definitely be multi-tied.

8. Runway Agent 0:21 -- Learning the "nade volley" is probably intimidating and too boring for many, but now the trick has been figured out, it's mostly a case of learning it and playing the level to death until you finally see a 0:21. Depot Agent on steroids in that sense.

7. Surface 1 Agent 1:01 -- This one probably isn't as strong as it seems and just hasn't been played much by players capable of achieving the time since it's boring to play and there isn't much incentive to slay the record over the other stronger Agent untieds.

6. Caverns Agent 1:00 -- It's hard to accurately place this one just yet and all past unsuccessful and successful grinds point to it being a very strong time. But as grindy as it is, it's a straightforward level and a handful of players with 1:01 could give it a real shot. What puts it weaker than the records ahead of it is the overall "volume of chances" players seem to get; multiple 1:00 paces in one session isn't unheard of.

5. Statue Agent 2:17 -- 2.x val strafing makes this a lot less accessible to many, and realistically you'll need at least a dozen fails on runs with at least one boost so unless you're insane this could feel hopeless.

4. Silo Agent 0:59 -- A very cool record to get. Zero ties in the past 3.5 years (at the time of this post) despite being a very competitive and fun level to play, where even many players can get 59 pacers to the cam pause shows how difficult it can be to clutch the ending. It's just too easy to get trolled by guards especially with the lag and nerves.

3. Control Agent 3:55 -- Just a very solid record all around that ideally needs a warp out of the very first door.

2. Facility Agent 0:42 -- An untied for over 2000 days on arguably GoldenEye's competitive level says it all. Putting aside the precise movement required to eke out the tenths needed to get from a low 43 to a 42, you'll likely need the vent boost, which makes the labs more unpleasant with all the extra lag, and then you'll need to get lucky with a gT on a 0:42 pacer. Consistency matters so much here. The level doesn't have as much action as Train Agent, but it might require a lot more physical stamina since getting good for this record will probably require doing long sessions. I do think 2.x might make this record more accessible, though.

1. Train Agent 0:55 -- It's debatable which record between this one and Facility 0:42 is the best and that might be require a blog post of its own. The OCB required is so strong that this time will never be accessible to almost every player. Even a skilled player has to be "in the zone" and requires incredible consistency plus focus for the locks (how many people have that these days?), whereas it's always possible for a top OCB player to get back into form for Facility within days after taking a prolonged break. 2.x is almost certainly useless here, and no amount of ties would take away from how good this record is.

Agent CHANGELOG

29 Nov 2025:
(17 → 6) Caverns A 1:00 (bumped everything in between its old and new tier by one as a result)
Swapped S1 1:01 & Statue Agent 2:17

20. Runway Secret Agent 0:22 -- Lookdown nades have reduced the luck and uncertainty to get this time. Very accessible to new players getting into 2.x.

19. Cradle Secret Agent 0:33 -- Certainly harder to get the WR on this level than has ever been, but it's simply doing the same straightforward action until you get lucky with a Trev kill and nade drop. By the time you get your first kill you'll probably have perfected the movement needed to get 0:33, after which the record requires patience more than anything else.

18. Archives Secret Agent 0:53 -- While this record isn't too bad and requires good 2.x skills, there's more leeway for errors and missing out on boosts compared to its Agent counterpart, and it just doesn't stand out compared to other SA WRs.

17. Egypt Secret Agent 0:44 -- Easy to pace and achievable with different combinations of strats, so picking whatever is most comfortable for you makes the level more tolerable to play. Compared to Agent the 2nd Baron is slightly harder and a headshot on the 3rd Baron is pretty tricky here, so the time could take a while depending on luck and your consistency. It doesn't need the best deaths and there's many records much stronger than this one, though.

16. Depot Secret Agent 0:38 -- One of the most fun 2.x levels makes this record fun to play for and a 0:38 will always be good to watch, but the record just doesn't stand out in 2025.

15. Statue Secret Agent 2:17 -- 2.x val strafe probably makes this out of reach to many, and like with Agent, it'll likely need a lot of fails. It is a simple strafing level and boosts aren't too bad to come by on SA.

14. Streets Secret Agent 1:54 -- A solid "pure strafing" level that requires a lot of patience to finally get a golden boost ratio, especially if you're not capable of 2.x val strafing. If you can 2.x val strafe it certainly becomes a more interesting and tolerable challenge.

13. Dam Secret Agent 1:15 -- An underplayed strat on an otherwise fun level. Familiarizing yourself with the strat, ideally after using a practice ROM, will make the record a lot easier to get since it is much easier to pace than 1:16 the standard way. I may rank this lower if that practice ROM does come to light someday.

12. Caverns Secret Agent 1:10 -- Pretty high OCB level with a chaotic ending that certainly feels like it's getting the "PD treatment" with one guy lowering each record and the rest being content after landing on a 95–97 pointer. Can certainly be tied by a top OCB player who commits to the grind, and there's potential for improvement with faster strats used on the TAS.

11. Facility Secret Agent 0:51 -- Getting a fast lure, Doak, and good Trev on the same run is more painstaking than you'd imagine, but the pace for this is fairly simple to achieve, especially for those who already have 0:43 on Agent. Could definitely see more ties. 0:50 would be a lot stronger.

10. Surface 2 Secret Agent 0:46 -- Quite usual from the high OCB levels this record is surrounded by at this rank. This record requires a lot of patience and practice with a practice ROM, and then just becomes a matter of grinding it out. It certainly is a bore, which is still accessible to many players if they decide to put in the effort.

9. Silo Secret Agent 1:07 -- The first half of the level (until the 2nd catwalk) is fun to play, but unfortunately that's where the level actually starts and becomes hell to play with the chaotic lag, absurd crate hall, consoles blowing up, and guards rolling around and blocking your way, making any sort of "otherwise normal" movement often fail, which can be incredibly frustrating. There's probably a reason this level has only seen two 1:07s the past decade, despite being pretty competitive.

8. Aztec Secret Agent 1:25 -- The two ways to get this record (running start and BA or safe start no BA) are both equally underratedly difficult, and it's easy to lose runs even after getting a successful crouch glass open on Secret Agent since you can get stuck in the guards or shot several times during the guidance insert. There are several little insidious things you start to see the more you play the level too, making it harder to commit to this level.

7. Jungle Secret Agent 0:51 -- This is a great time, but it's really just a modern version of the 53/54s from back in the 2007–2008 days with all the new tricks. Good players are probably content with 0:52 and then move on, which is probably why the record hasn't been contested 5 years later.

6. Surface 1 Secret Agent 1:46 -- A great time but the movement on this level plus nade boosting is so fun to do. There's no complex movement required, so I definitely see this as the weakest of the strongest records and accessible to players with good strafing ability. If you can get 1:47s fairly consistently this should be a fun record to play for.

5. Frigate Secret Agent 0:57 -- A high OCB level that requires clean movement all around, fast reaction and guard judgement to evade guards, and ultimately consistency failing 0:57s. This could be weaker than S1 1:46, since in theory it's flukable on a first fail.

4. Control Secret Agent 4:01 -- This record is waiting to get tied with one of the newer glass tricks, but we're only talking tenths, so you'll still need a great first room, good crates, a good Natalya backup, and of course nothing to go wrong during the protect and at the end. Any top player will probably bag a number of "decent 4:02 dupes" since 4:01 is just tighter everywhere in the level.

3. Bunker 2 Secret Agent 0:37 -- This level has become a lot more chaotic, laggy, and OCB-heavy with the cell-warp plus lure, and there's always the relentless last cam and 2 guards at the end that can screw you over once you finally get a run past the clipboard guard, which makes the grind frustrating even if you can pace WR.

2. Train Secret Agent 1:21 -- This has always been a heavy OCB level, but the now-required Ouro shot and subsequent need to do the locks even faster now adds an extra layer of skill complexity making this a very strong record. If you're not consistent with the level, then better hope you don't leave the Train a frame or two too early!

1. Bunker 1 Secret Agent 0:19 -- Requires high OCB to pace 0:19 legit fails, but taking it several steps further with every camera shot and not getting trolled at the ending is underrated. It's extremely easy to get frustrated after nailing all 4 cameras and seeing the "A complete" message only to get shot into the glass door half a second later for the 5th time in a row. Then you also need to get lucky with not getting shot while taking the camera picture, not getting backboosted by the guards at the end, and not getting boosted out of the door. Still, tough to really pick #1 between this and Train SA. They are close.

--

Secret Agent CHANGELOG

26 Nov 2025:
(2 → 2) Train SA 1:22 → 1:21
(6 → 3) B2 SA 0:38 → B2 SA 0:37
(3 → 4) Control SA 4:01
(4 → 5) Frigate SA 0:57
(5 → 6) Surface 1 SA 1:46

20. Cradle 00 Agent 0:33 -- Same as SA: certainly harder to get the WR on this level than has ever been, but it's simply doing the same straightforward action until you get lucky with a Trev kill and nade drop. By the time you get your first kill you'll probably have perfected the movement needed to get 0:33, after which the record requires patience more than anything else.

19. Archives 00 Agent 0:53 -- Again, same as SA if not easier since boosts are easier to get and more effective.

18. Egypt 00 Agent 0:44 -- As with SA, easy to pace and achievable with different combinations of strats, so picking whatever is most comfortable for you makes the level more tolerable to play. Compared to Agent the 2nd Baron is slightly harder and a headshot on the 3rd Baron is pretty tricky here, so the time could take a while depending on luck and your consistency. It doesn't need the best deaths and there's many records much stronger than this one, though.

17. Streets 00 Agent 1:54 -- Much more accessible than its SA counterpart with how crazier boostage is, with 9:0s not being unheard of here. Should be simple with 2.x val strafe. A grind if you get unlucky, but it's still less intimidating to pick up and play than almost every other 00 Agent level. :)

16. Aztec 00 Agent 1:33 -- An incredibly weak record with potential to shave off over 5 seconds, but the reason it's still the record is perhaps because of how intimidating it is to play the level with the crouch strat since you'll have the same problems as on SA except multiplied by a large troll factor that can very easily frustrate you even just minutes into a session. That's no excuse to keep it high though, and any decent completion by players of varying skill levels should be able to beat this record. Just a matter of time...

15. Statue 00 Agent 2:17 -- Similar to SA, except boosts are easier to get and more effective.

14. Frigate 00 Agent 1:03 -- Random lag and occasional "pixel-stretching" stucks can make this level annoying to play, but generally speaking if you know what you're doing and use the new lure tricks the hostage escape odds aren't too bad anymore. The pace isn't anything crazy either.

13. Runway 00 Agent 0:27 -- This record really comes down to the level's steep learning curve. It's a good record but if there's ever a practice ROM that spoonfeeds you exact details of when and where to R-lean, the time will become accessible to many players since there's no complex movement at all. An invisible barrier, if you will, and Runway 00 Agent has always been in that "gatekept" space. Still, nailing every R-lean in a throw isn't simple and the record does deserve credit for remaining untied several years later.

12. Surface 2 00 Agent 1:18 -- Although it's a "long stretch of simple, boring movement" level, it's so much more fun now that a nade isn't required. Though it can be tough to clutch everything in one run, it's a "cuspy" level without any complex mechanics and many players have a shot at the record if they committed to a grind of yolo'ing fast cameras every try.

11. Depot 00 Agent 0:45 -- This level can hook you in hard with how fun the start is, but becomes a shitshow when you play long enough and realize how often you can get unlucky with missing the trainshot, getting backed at the end, and failing the ammo dump objective. Low 0:39 pace which isn't free by any means either. There's always the fast rocket shot, which makes 0:44 more realistic and even 0:45 salvageable on slow starts, and the level is relatively popular, making the record fairly accessible.

10. Dam 00 Agent 1:54 -- A classic level that requires moderately good OCB and endurance, since you'll need to wait out a good basement boost ratio (which matters much more than trying to eke out tenths from a yolo bug throw, fast lockshot, or 2.x), and then clutch the last couple of alarms. Waiting out a good boost ratio can be a bore after doing the start so many times, which can make the level unappealing to play. Nowhere near as insane as 1:55 the old way, but only two ties in almost 5 years by two excellent players says a fair bit about this record.

9. Bunker 1 00 Agent 1:00 -- Boris running always felt enigmatic years ago, but improved knowledge of the strat and the potential to complete runs without a nade (or a late nade) has made the level more stimulating and interesting to play. A solid run that has everything in the 1:01s without the stucks and the much needed modern "early shot" makes the record be where it should be, but the level doesn't require insane movement ability, and has faster early running strats that make sub 1:00 a reality. It rewards headshots too which can make early running no nade runs realistic.

8. Surface 1 00 Agent 1:47 -- My run proves that this record is doable going behind the hut, which effectively eliminates a lot of the uncertainty, luck, and lag that made this revolting to play for. That still requires incredible OCB with 2.x to eke out the tenths needed to get from a low 1:48 to a 1:47, so this deserves a good spot on the list.

7. Facility 00 Agent 0:51 -- This record is still decent with the Doakless lure, since ammo can still be problematic, guard boosts can still push you "too hard", guards are just... more troll, and still needs solid 0:44–0:45 pace. With how elusive SA 0:50 has been, this record could remain at 0:51.

6. Caverns 00 Agent 1:28 -- Effectively requires 2.x mastery. It's important to know the level really only starts from the B area since there isn't much luck involved at the start. It's more or less about not getting backed to hell from there all the way to the very end, which can be extremely frustrating and take forever.

5. Jungle 00 Agent 0:52 -- A solid run, but this is where the WR should be. The beginning (till bridge) isn't difficult to do, but getting a good Xenia kill and having a good ending could take ages. Getting backed by the crate guards at the end isn't rare either.

4. Silo 00 Agent 1:20 -- I may be biased with how awful my 1:20 grind was, but it's telling that there has been only one 1:21 in the past... 10 years despite how much the level has been played since. This level has what I call an extremely high "layered luck factor", where there are just layers of luck on top of each other (particularly guard luck): not getting shot past the 2nd room stairs, getting a fast 3rd room door open, not missing the catwalk door warp just before the crate hall, not getting stuck on the guard before the crate hall, not getting backed three times in the crate hall, surviving, and not lagging behind Ouromov at the end. The further in you get the further you'll be conscious of your run, which makes clutching the ending all the more harder.

3. Bunker 2 00 Agent 0:49 -- The first half of the level is really fun to play, but the level really begins once you're past the keycard guard. The "new" clipboard lure also makes the level harder to complete in two ways: it's confusing to kill the second safe key card, since his location can vary, and the clipboard area becomes nigh impossible with how many guards (including the clipboard one) now appear just in front of the 4th cam, causing your auto-aim to screw up the shots needed to kill the clipboard guard and get the 4th cam almost simultaneously. Although the pace isn't insane, and the new lure isn't difficult, the record is hard by virtue of trying to get everything right in the same run, including the last cam and evading the almost inevitable backs from the two guards by the glass.

2. Control 00 Agent 4:02 -- Similar to Secret Agent, which requires high skill to consistently get fast runs out of the first room, except the crates are worse and living is much more problematic with the glass strat here. You'll often have little health during the protect, and have to be a lot more vigilant and smarter to evade guard hits while also paying attention to the Nat backup shots if you're down to your last bar of health. Rewarding good intuition during the protect makes both this record and the SA one feel very satisfying to achieve.

1. Train 00 Agent 1:47 -- High-skill level with the far Ouro shot effectively needed on 00 Agent now, which also means needing WR pace locks on 00 Agent to make it out of the Train in time. Nerves are usually high when you do make it outside on a pacer, but dying, getting shot into the end trigger, or leaving a few frames too early isn't even uncommon, so good luck if you're not consistent at pacing WR. This record also requires 0:35 quitout pace, which isn't easy when you can get backed and generally shot around in the first few cars (especially the 2nd!) often. Out of reach for almost all players, especially with how frustrating the level can get when you're having a bad session.