Sony’s Days Gone Remastered: How to Upgrade and What You Need to Know

Days Gone Remastered was officially announced at Sony’s recent State of Play, offering an updated version of Bend Studio’s open-world zombie game featuring biker Deacon St. John. Despite it being a relatively new game, the news has gone down well, largely thanks to Days Gone’s reputation increasing over the years since release. For $10 you get quite a few upgrades and new content. However, not everyone is eligible for that price. Here’s what you need to know.

How to Upgrade Days Gone to Days Gone Remastered

As part of the announcement, it was revealed that players who already own the game will be able to pay $10 to get the new, upgraded version (which includes updated graphics and new content) when it launches on April 25. Simply head to the PlayStation Store and search for Days Gone and it’ll be right there.

If you don’t already own the game then you’ll have to pay the regular full price of $49.99, and the original version of the game will presumably be removed from sale much like how Sony did when it launched Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered earlier this year.

Days Gone Remastered is already available for pre-orde on the PlayStation Network Store. You can find it here.

What About On PC?

For PC owners, the process will be a little different. First, all the technical improvements will be added to the game for free. Just let it update and voila; you’ll have the best version of Days Gone possible.

If you want the new content, you’ll need to pay $10 for the Broken Road DLC.

What’s New In Days Gone Remastered?

🎮 Gameplay & Modes

Horde Assault Mode
An arcade-style survival mode where players face massive Freaker hordes and hostile survivors across familiar regions, earning rewards like new characters and cosmetics.
Permadeath Mode
A high-stakes challenge requiring players to complete the game in a single playthrough without dying, with options for full or Act-Based Permadeath.
Speedrun Mode
A time-based challenge mode where players aim to complete the game as quickly as possible, with completion graphics to share on social media.
Enhanced Photo Mode
Upgraded photo tools including time-of-day settings, a three-point lighting system, and new logo options for capturing in-game moments.
Expanded Accessibility Features
New settings such as High Contrast mode, Game Speed adjustments, UI Narration, and a Field of View slider to accommodate a wider range of players.

🖥️ Visuals & Performance

Dynamic 4K Resolution & 60 FPS
Offers two display modes: Performance Mode at 1440p re-scaled to 4K with 60 FPS, and Quality Mode at native 4K resolution.
Improved Lighting & Shadows
Enhanced lighting effects and shadow quality for a more immersive visual experience.
Higher Draw Distances
Increased draw distances for a more expansive and detailed world.
Faster Loading Times
Optimized for PS5’s SSD, resulting in significantly reduced loading times.
VRR Support
Variable Refresh Rate support for smoother gameplay on compatible displays.
Tempest 3D Audio
Enhanced spatial audio for a more immersive sound experience.

🎮 DualSense Features

Haptic Feedback
Provides tactile sensations for various in-game actions, enhancing immersion.
Adaptive Triggers
Offers variable resistance in triggers to simulate different weapon types and actions

What if I Got Days Gone via PS Plus?

But what if you own the game without ever having actually paid for it? Sony has also confirmed some bad news: if you own Days Gone via PS Plus you are not eligible for the $10 upgrade scheme, again exactly like what happened with Horizon Zero Dawn.

The important text can be found in the small print on the bottom left.

“PS4 game redemptions via PlayStation Plus are not eligible for upgrade,” states the official image from Sony.

In this instance, Days Gone was previously given out as part of the PS Plus Collection, a bundle of free games made available to claim by PS Plus subscribers. That bundle was shut down last year, sadly. Days Gone was also given out as a “free” monthly Essential game back in April of 2021. If you got the game via those methods, you will currently not be able to pay $10 to upgrade.

There is a way around this, depending on your circumstances – if you own a PS5 with a disc drive you could snag a physical copy of Days Gone on Ebay for far cheaper (around $20, probably) and then pay for the upgrade. That’d save you about $20.

Unsurprisingly, the news has been divisive. Both sides actually make some valid points, though. On the one hand, the first camp argues that it makes sense Sony wouldn’t want to offer upgrades to people who got the game for free, as that doesn’t make a lot of business sense. And they also point out that we already knew this was likely going to be how Days Gone was handled, since this is exactly how Sony did the $10 upgrade idea in the past.

The other camp argues that Sony is leaving a lot of $10 upgrades on the table, as plenty of people who got the game for free would probably be happy to hand over such a small amount. However, those same people likely aren’t going to be willing to buy a game they already own for $49.99 and will instead just ignore the remaster entirely.

Personally, I think both sides have a strong case here. I did own a copy of Days Gone on disc back in the day but sold it. I now own a digital copy I was given via the defunct PS Plus Collection, which means I’m not eligible for upgrade. That’s a shame because I’ve been meaning to go back and play Days Gone again and the remaster announcement actually got me excited as it was the perfect opportunity to play it again in an even better form. But I don’t see myself rebuying the game for $49.99 when I have a perfectly good copy in my library, bearing in mind that Bend Studio released a very solid PS5 patch for the game.

Presumably, Sony has already crunched all the numbers from Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and are perfectly fine with the upgrade scheme as it is, though.

What do you think? Is Sony leaving money on the table, or is it perfectly fair of them to only offer upgrades to people who actually bought Days Gone?