Days Gone Remastered gains visual improvements, larger hordes, and darker nights on PS5

With just a few days left for the re-release of Days Gone Remastered, the excitement is already at its peak — especially for those who want to revisit the world infested with freakers with the benefits of the new generation. Set to release on April 25, 2025, the remaster will arrive on PlayStation 5 and PC, promising visual and performance updates that go beyond the obvious.

During an interview with the PlayStation Blog, Kevin McAllister, creative and product leader at Bend Studio, commented enthusiastically on the changes brought by the PS5 hardware — and guaranteed that players will notice the differences as soon as they start the game.

"The graphical enhancements we made... You will see the difference," McAllister said.
"There are improvements in lighting, shadow quality, and fog depth. For example, the night is now darker, and the moon looks more natural. The blue sky also looks more natural. Days Gone is a very realistic game. And we take it to a new level with the PS5."

The visual leap becomes even more impactful with the new Photo Mode, which allows for lighting adjustments, as well as instant switches between day and night — a perfect feature for capturing the devastated landscapes and menacing forests of post-apocalyptic Oregon. McAllister highlights:

"It seems perfect for the new and improved Photo Mode of the remaster."

But the remastering is not only about pixels. Bend Studio also used the power of PS5 to enhance the most iconic part of Days Gone: the freaker hordes.
 

"The first thing that comes to mind are the larger hordes," explained the director.
"This is very specific to the new gameplay mode, Horde Attack. And these hordes get big. But how big? The largest horde in history, for example, is the Old Sawmill horde, which is a mission with 500 Freakers. In Horde Attack, we have some with up to 800 Freakers. They take up the entire screen, for sure."

The Horde Attack mode will be one of the major highlights of the new edition, bringing an even more intense challenge for veteran players, and a test of endurance for newcomers.

Days Gone, originally released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, was a divisive title at first, but it won over a legion of fans over time, especially after post-launch improvements and the port to PC. Now, with Days Gone Remastered, Sony tries to reignite interest in the franchise — even without any announcements about a sequel as of yet.

Whether the visual update, the expansion of hordes, and the new photo mode will be enough to justify returning to the handlebars of Deacon St. John, remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: when the sun sets in Days Gone Remastered, the night not only arrives... it engulfs you.