A horde of improvements
By Paul Hunter
When Days Gone launched on PS4 in 2019, I wasted no time diving in—and I loved every minute of it. The vast open roads, the captivating story centred on Deacon St. John, and the nerve-racking encounters with zombie hordes in Oregon kept me hooked. Despite a few initial technical hiccups, the game’s compelling loop kept me coming back, and it ended up being one of my favourite experiences that year.
Now, six years later, Days Gone is getting a second wind. Bend Studio has returned with a remastered version for PS5, and this time around, it’s a smoother, sharper, and more polished experience. For those of us who backed Deacon’s journey from the start, this feels like a well-earned moment of recognition. And if you missed out the first time, this is the version you’ll want to try.
While we probably won’t be seeing a sequel anytime soon, this release still matters. It gives new attention to a game that slipped under the radar for some and gives longtime fans a version that finally realizes the original vision. With new content, better performance, and DualSense controller enhancements that weren’t possible on PS4, Days Gone has found new ground to stand on in 2025.
So, is it time to give this biker tale another ride? Let's take a closer look!
Days Gone follows Deacon St. John, a drifter and former biker trying to survive in a world overrun by infected humans known as Freakers. Set in a broken-down version of Oregon, the story begins two years after a global outbreak. Deacon believes his wife Sarah is dead, and spends his days taking on mercenary work, hunting Freakers, and sticking close to his best friend, Boozer.
The narrative starts slow, focusing on small jobs and local conflicts, but gradually pulls back the curtain on a larger mystery. Along the way, you’ll come across scattered survivor camps, hostile factions, and military remnants tied to the outbreak’s origins. Deacon’s search for purpose gives the story its emotional core, blending personal loss with survival. While it takes a while to hit its stride, the journey builds toward something more meaningful the longer you stick with it. It’s a bleak world, but not entirely without hope.
Days Gone mixes open-world exploration with third-person action, built around survival and motorcycle travel. You’ll take on story missions, bounty hunts, and camp jobs while managing resources like fuel, ammo, and crafting supplies. Riding your bike isn’t just for show—it’s your lifeline. You’ll upgrade it over time, repair it when damaged, and constantly hunt for gas. It’s a simple loop, but it kept me hooked as I moved between objectives, especially when ambushed by Freakers mid-ride.
Combat shifts between stealth and gunplay, depending on how you approach situations. Clearing out enemy camps or swarms of infected gives you room to breathe and more routes to travel safely. Melee combat can feel a little stiff at times, but ranged weapons handle well, especially once you unlock better gear. Crafting items like Molotovs or spike bats adds a bit of planning before each encounter.
One standout mechanic is the horde system. These are massive crowds of Freakers that move as a single, overwhelming threat. You can sneak past them—or take the risk and try to wipe them out using traps and explosives. In one late-game moment, I lured a horde into an abandoned sawmill and picked them off with napalm and tripwires. It was chaos, but rewarding.
With added modes like the PS4 Challenge Mode DLC and the new Horde Assault, there’s more to do once the main story wraps up. Each option gives you reasons to keep testing your skills long after the credits roll.
Days Gone Remastered runs well and looks sharper across the board. On PS5, you can pick between Performance Mode at 1440p and 60fps, or Quality Mode at native 4K targeting 30fps. On PS5 Pro, there's a third Enhanced Mode that uses PSSR upscaling to 4K while aiming for 60fps. Each setting offers smoother performance and better visuals than anything seen on PS4.
Character models look cleaner, environments load quicker, and the game world—already one of the more rugged takes on post-collapse America—benefits from upgraded lighting and textures. On PS5 Pro, small details like flickering campfires or swaying vegetation come across more clearly, and Freaker hordes animate more smoothly even when they flood the screen.
DualSense support adds even more immersion to the experience. You’ll feel the rattle of your motorbike through haptic feedback, especially when bouncing over rough roads or smashing through debris. Rain taps lightly through the controller while you ride, and adaptive triggers offer some resistance when firing weapons. It’s subtle in places, but it all contributes to a more reactive experience.
Taken together, all the improvements add up. It’s not just cleaner looking—it feels more complete and polished than it did back in 2019.
Days Gone Remastered doesn’t just upgrade the original game—it adds new ways to test your skills. The standout addition is Horde Assault, a score-based survival mode built around the game’s most chaotic encounters. You’re dropped into various open-world zones and tasked with surviving waves of Freakers. You’ll collect gear, upgrade weapons, and unlock perks for future runs, all while trying to earn achieve a top score. Some hordes can reach up to 800 enemies, making these showdowns the most intense the game has ever been.
Permadeath mode is another new addition, offering a serious challenge for anyone confident in their survival skills. One mistake and you must either try again from the beginning or the start of the second act if you enable that option. It’s not for everyone, but the risk makes each encounter feel meaningful, especially during longer story missions.
Speedrun mode also makes its debut, encouraging you to move quickly through objectives while shaving seconds off your time. Leaderboards track your best runs and give completionists something extra to chase. It’s surprisingly fun revisiting familiar missions with speed in mind, finding new shortcuts and approaches.
None of these modes reinvent the game, but they’re solid additions that give you fresh ways to test your skills. Whether you’re hunting high scores, aiming to survive the long haul, or just seeing how fast you can burn through missions, there’s more here than before—and it all runs more smoothly on PS5.
Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Developer: Bend Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Action Adventure
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
When Days Gone launched on PS4 in 2019, I wasted no time diving in—and I loved every minute of it. The vast open roads, the captivating story centred on Deacon St. John, and the nerve-racking encounters with zombie hordes in Oregon kept me hooked. Despite a few initial technical hiccups, the game’s compelling loop kept me coming back, and it ended up being one of my favourite experiences that year.
Now, six years later, Days Gone is getting a second wind. Bend Studio has returned with a remastered version for PS5, and this time around, it’s a smoother, sharper, and more polished experience. For those of us who backed Deacon’s journey from the start, this feels like a well-earned moment of recognition. And if you missed out the first time, this is the version you’ll want to try.
While we probably won’t be seeing a sequel anytime soon, this release still matters. It gives new attention to a game that slipped under the radar for some and gives longtime fans a version that finally realizes the original vision. With new content, better performance, and DualSense controller enhancements that weren’t possible on PS4, Days Gone has found new ground to stand on in 2025.
So, is it time to give this biker tale another ride? Let's take a closer look!
Days Gone follows Deacon St. John, a drifter and former biker trying to survive in a world overrun by infected humans known as Freakers. Set in a broken-down version of Oregon, the story begins two years after a global outbreak. Deacon believes his wife Sarah is dead, and spends his days taking on mercenary work, hunting Freakers, and sticking close to his best friend, Boozer.
The narrative starts slow, focusing on small jobs and local conflicts, but gradually pulls back the curtain on a larger mystery. Along the way, you’ll come across scattered survivor camps, hostile factions, and military remnants tied to the outbreak’s origins. Deacon’s search for purpose gives the story its emotional core, blending personal loss with survival. While it takes a while to hit its stride, the journey builds toward something more meaningful the longer you stick with it. It’s a bleak world, but not entirely without hope.
Days Gone mixes open-world exploration with third-person action, built around survival and motorcycle travel. You’ll take on story missions, bounty hunts, and camp jobs while managing resources like fuel, ammo, and crafting supplies. Riding your bike isn’t just for show—it’s your lifeline. You’ll upgrade it over time, repair it when damaged, and constantly hunt for gas. It’s a simple loop, but it kept me hooked as I moved between objectives, especially when ambushed by Freakers mid-ride.
Combat shifts between stealth and gunplay, depending on how you approach situations. Clearing out enemy camps or swarms of infected gives you room to breathe and more routes to travel safely. Melee combat can feel a little stiff at times, but ranged weapons handle well, especially once you unlock better gear. Crafting items like Molotovs or spike bats adds a bit of planning before each encounter.
One standout mechanic is the horde system. These are massive crowds of Freakers that move as a single, overwhelming threat. You can sneak past them—or take the risk and try to wipe them out using traps and explosives. In one late-game moment, I lured a horde into an abandoned sawmill and picked them off with napalm and tripwires. It was chaos, but rewarding.
With added modes like the PS4 Challenge Mode DLC and the new Horde Assault, there’s more to do once the main story wraps up. Each option gives you reasons to keep testing your skills long after the credits roll.
Days Gone Remastered runs well and looks sharper across the board. On PS5, you can pick between Performance Mode at 1440p and 60fps, or Quality Mode at native 4K targeting 30fps. On PS5 Pro, there's a third Enhanced Mode that uses PSSR upscaling to 4K while aiming for 60fps. Each setting offers smoother performance and better visuals than anything seen on PS4.
Character models look cleaner, environments load quicker, and the game world—already one of the more rugged takes on post-collapse America—benefits from upgraded lighting and textures. On PS5 Pro, small details like flickering campfires or swaying vegetation come across more clearly, and Freaker hordes animate more smoothly even when they flood the screen.
DualSense support adds even more immersion to the experience. You’ll feel the rattle of your motorbike through haptic feedback, especially when bouncing over rough roads or smashing through debris. Rain taps lightly through the controller while you ride, and adaptive triggers offer some resistance when firing weapons. It’s subtle in places, but it all contributes to a more reactive experience.
Taken together, all the improvements add up. It’s not just cleaner looking—it feels more complete and polished than it did back in 2019.
Days Gone Remastered doesn’t just upgrade the original game—it adds new ways to test your skills. The standout addition is Horde Assault, a score-based survival mode built around the game’s most chaotic encounters. You’re dropped into various open-world zones and tasked with surviving waves of Freakers. You’ll collect gear, upgrade weapons, and unlock perks for future runs, all while trying to earn achieve a top score. Some hordes can reach up to 800 enemies, making these showdowns the most intense the game has ever been.
Permadeath mode is another new addition, offering a serious challenge for anyone confident in their survival skills. One mistake and you must either try again from the beginning or the start of the second act if you enable that option. It’s not for everyone, but the risk makes each encounter feel meaningful, especially during longer story missions.
Speedrun mode also makes its debut, encouraging you to move quickly through objectives while shaving seconds off your time. Leaderboards track your best runs and give completionists something extra to chase. It’s surprisingly fun revisiting familiar missions with speed in mind, finding new shortcuts and approaches.
None of these modes reinvent the game, but they’re solid additions that give you fresh ways to test your skills. Whether you’re hunting high scores, aiming to survive the long haul, or just seeing how fast you can burn through missions, there’s more here than before—and it all runs more smoothly on PS5.
The Verdict
Days Gone Remastered delivers the definitive version of Deacon’s journey, offering enhanced graphical fidelity, faster load times, and enhanced PS5 Pro performance. The game’s core loop of bike management, scavenging, and horde combat remains just as satisfying, while new modes like Horde Assault, Permadeath, and speedrun challenges extend the experience in fun ways. The story is the same as before, but smoother pacing and refined mechanics make it more enjoyable. It's a rare instance of a game getting a well-deserved second chance, and this remastered edition is the one to play for both newcomers and returning fans.Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Days Gone Remastered details
Platform: PS5Developer: Bend Studio
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Genre: Action Adventure
Modes: Single-player
A key was provided by the publisher.