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Perhaps more so than any other Sony game of the PS4 generation, time has been kind to Days Gone. What was once a mocked, borderline broken open worlder is now stable, expanded, and backed by enthusiasts.

The chances of those in love with Deacon St. John and his Oregon adventure ever receiving a sequel are pretty much rock bottom. However, in Days Gone Remastered, it feels like Bend Studio is still willing to recognise what it eventually achieved. One for the fans, this PS5 remaster gives closure to Days Gone, handing it a definitive console version everyone can be proud of.

Following its lukewarm launch back in 2019, there’s a chance you never stayed up to date with how the developer righted the ship. First and foremost, the base game is in a significantly better place. It was updated for months after launch, fixing glitches and ironing out crashes.

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Alongside those patches were content additions, which took the form of New Game+, extra difficulty levels, and most importantly: challenge mode. Offering time trials, combat tests, and even fun twists on Crazy Taxi, the bonus mode offered enjoyable distractions separate from the main game. Leaderboards track your final score, and there are even clothing patches and items to unlock for use in the campaign.

Days Gone Remastered upgrades both the original game and all these extra modes through base PS5 and PS5 Pro enhancements. The visuals and frame rate have been improved across a few different options, the DualSense controller receives support, and yet another mode named Horde Assault betters one of the game’s biggest and best features.

On the base PS5, you can pick between a Performance Mode and a Quality Mode. The former renders at 1440p and targets 60 frames-per-second while the latter uses a 4K resolution and aims for 30fps. On PS5 Pro, which this review has been conducted on, there’s a third Enhanced Mode. This renders at 1584p and uses PSSR to output at 4K, with the intention of hitting 60fps. In addition, the Performance and Quality Modes output at higher resolutions on PS5 Pro.

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Since there was already a PS4 on PS5 backwards compatibility patch for Days Gone, these technical enhancements aren’t revolutionary for the game. You’ll certainly notice a difference if you go from a base PS4 to the PS5 Pro in one jump, but anyone who’s followed the title’s journey over the years likely won’t be all that impressed.

Still, Boozer’s bald head has never shone brighter on a console, and that counts for something. The difference between the game’s original PS4 launch and its remastered PS5 version is night and day, as Days Gone ships structurally stable and having never looked better. Its character models and vegetation are proper standouts on PS5 Pro, as top-of-the-line visuals depict the most beautiful of post-apocalyptic universes.

The campaign is the same as you remember it: the opening few hours remain a struggle to get through, Deacon still mutters questionable things to himself, and the story takes its time to open up and formulate. However, as anyone who persisted with the campaign will know, Days Gone gets better and better the more you play.

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Its gameplay loop of zombie slaughter, scavenging, motorbike management, and story missions is at its best in the second half of the story, but those earlier moments at least feel better now through effective DualSense implementation.

Haptic Feedback works to emulate the feel of riding a motorbike across bumpy terrain, adding a constant rumble to the PS5 controller. As the bike goes through the gears and overcomes hills, rugged roads, and zombie corpses, you’ll feel every jerk and motion in your palms.

This extends to the environment around you and your inventory. The pitter-patter of rain is emulated through the pad, adding to the atmosphere and tense nature of lugging your motorbike through the mud when it breaks down. With an undead horde on your tail, haptic feedback adds to the intensity when the game is at its best.

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The controller’s Adaptive Triggers also receive some support by adding weight and tension to weapons when pulling the trigger, though their implementation isn’t as impressive as what Haptic Feedback offers.

With better visuals, improved frame rates, and DualSense support, this is a fairly run-of-the-mill, straightforward remaster from Bend Studio. It’s not the sort of transformative update Bethesda just gave to Oblivion, but then it never needed to be — Days Gone is still a competent PS4 title in 2025. With Days Gone Remastered, the developer has polished and enhanced efficiently for PS5.

In Horde Assault, though, it does have something new to offer. Building on the zombie horde mechanic from the base game, the team has crafted an additional mode that tests your survival skills against the biggest crowds of zombies the title has ever had.

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You must stay alive for as long as possible, fending off waves of zombies and human enemies while completing objectives, all to earn a high score once you’re eventually killed. Along the way, you can craft gear, find new and better weapons, and level up and unlock new perks for future attempts.

Large chunks of the open world have been converted into maps for the mode, with four to earn bronze, silver, and gold medals in. The unlocks will keep you coming back for more, but it’s an enjoyable bonus on top of the base game. It’s the best place to test your skills against bigger zombie swarms, which can reach up to 800-strong in Horde Assault.

Conclusion

For the love of the game, Bend Studio has proudly brought back Days Gone with a PS5 version that truly shines on Sony’s current-gen system — and even brighter on PS5 Pro. It’s shrugged off the original PS4 launch to prove the title has always been great, and now with Horde Assault, it delivers a comprehensive package coursing with quality. If the original game released like this, perhaps we really would have a sequel by now.