If you’ve seen headlines like this before, you’re not imagining things: yet another late-period Sony PS4 title is receiving the remaster treatment for PS5. This time, the spotlight shines on Sony Bend’s not-so-ubiquitous 2019 treasure, *Days Gone*. But unlike recent remasters that merely offer resolution boosts or frame-rate enhancements, this remaster significantly transforms the game’s ambiance with new lighting effects. So, does *Days Gone* truly shine on PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles? Can Sony Bend enhance the original PS4 code while avoiding visual setbacks?
*Days Gone Remastered* presents a more profound redesign than what we usually witness from Sony’s remastering schemes. One of the most striking improvements is the game’s lighting—particularly during nighttime sequences. The original version featured unnaturally bright nights, whereas the remaster embraces a more authentic approach, incorporating deeper shadows and less ambient light. Your trusty motorcycle now casts more pronounced and dramatic lighting, creating an atmosphere that feels more grounded. Even the safe zones exhibit darker tones under artificial lights, while the post-apocalyptic sky glimmers with countless stars, making for a much more immersive experience.
However, this lighting can sometimes blur the distinction between the original and remastered versions, depending on various conditions and light sources. The game intentionally avoids true darkness outdoors, so players can easily spot enemies in Freaker encounters. Overall, visibility remains user-friendly.
Cutscenes now receive a more extended leash, often exhibiting darker tones enhancing character shadows. The backlighting and key light intensity produce a sophisticated translucency effect over skin textures. Although assets and animations remain largely similar between the two versions, the revamped lighting profoundly alters the tone of these cinematic moments.
This isn’t the sole improvement; Sony Bend, in collaboration with Climax Studios, has revamped the game’s lighting simulation for various conditions. The developers shifted from RGB sky scattering calculations to a 16-band spectral model, allowing for richer effects like ozone absorption. Consequently, the sky occasionally displays a more vibrant shade of blue behind cloud cover, influencing how indirect lighting plays across scenes. While some changes are dramatic, others are subtly noticeable only through direct comparisons—overcast scenes show the most significant shifts.
Additional lighting changes include adapting screen-space global illumination from the PC version, which significantly affects how interior scenes are lit and how objects relate to their surroundings. This evolution from the PC code enhances the overall visual quality. The outdoors also benefit, particularly in grassy areas where the shadows now appear lighter at the base.
The shadow resolution has also seen a twofold increase, leading to sharper silhouettes, although some environmental shadows remain quite pronounced, like chain-link fences casting strong light-blocking outlines.
Texture resolution has improved, along with enhanced texture streaming capabilities, now accommodating the game’s amplified memory. Screen space reflections have also become noticeably more precise, although some puddles exhibit bugs. Additionally, Deacon now sports a flashlight attached to his chest—a logical addition for gameplay purposes. However, most visual upgrades mainly stem from the significant lighting revision.
One puzzling change is the introduction of a configurable field of view (FOV), which should aid comfort. Yet, the default setting is 70 degrees—down from the original setting closer to 76 or 77. Why this was altered remains unclear. Even more peculiar, cutscenes have a reduced FOV, while in-game settings don’t affect these scripted moments, which consistently appear slightly zoomed compared to the original.
From a visual standpoint, *Days Gone Remastered* is largely a triumph, but it also raises questions regarding image fidelity. The PS4 code on PS5 maintained approximately 60fps at a roughly 4K resolution through checkerboarding techniques. While this method had its flaws, such as visible artefacts in foliage and hair, it offered decent clarity. In contrast, the base PS5’s performance mode drops to 1440p without any temporal upsampling (like FSR 2), resulting in a somewhat softer and less defined image compared to the prior code. Dynamic resolution scaling (DRS) exists in other modes, though its evidence was minimal during gameplay.
Your display type and seating distance will affect how noticeable this clarity drop feels, but side-by-side comparisons reveal a considerable loss in detail relative to the previous version. Although image stability remains comparable, image sharpness notably suffers. There are slight advantageous elements—like a reduction in checkerboarding artefacts for screen-space effects—but overall, it appears to be a downgrade in image quality.
Frame rates do exhibit improvement compared to the older PS4 version. The original wasn’t a solid 60fps, frequently experiencing frame drops during extensive open-world sections or larger combat scenarios—especially against massive Freakers during challenges. Unfortunately, VRR cannot assist here, as it remains disabled for PS4 software.
On the native PS5 version, small stutters have been eliminated, leading to a smooth experience throughout the post-apocalyptic landscapes. This marks the most significant frame rate enhancement during typical gameplay. Although sporadic drops still occur during intense Freaker combat, these are less severe than in prior versions. Smaller Freaker groups, like those in the newly introduced Horde Assault mode, experience no issues whatsoever. While the PS5 does not feature unique VRR modes, displaying settings can benefit from enabling VRR to help mitigate any frame drops.
Loading times have shown improvement, albeit modestly. Across three load tests, the game starts up roughly 10-12 seconds faster than its PS4-originated counterpart. While this isn’t the lightning fast loading seen in current-gen titles like *Forspoken*, it isn’t excessively slow either. Once players are in the game, loading is otherwise minimal, save for fast travel and between certain cutscenes.
In quality mode, image clarity significantly improves, typically rendering at native 4K. It manages a sharper output compared to both performance mode at 1440p and the PS4 version, even stabilizing against any checkerboarding issues. In my experience, this mode vividly showcases fine foliage details among other improvements. Other major optimizations remain unchanged—like foliage draw-in—but the uptick in resolution enhances the existing details. While the clarity comes at a cost of a 30fps frame rate cap, it maintains a smooth experience. Many players find such a compromise unfavorable, yet the availability of this option is appreciated.
When examining *Days Gone Remastered* on the new PS5 Pro console, players gain access to three distinct modes: a performance mode, a quality mode, and an enhanced mode utilizing PSSR. The performance mode essentially mirrors the base PS5 performance setting, with the only difference being a resolution bump from 1440p to 1800p—slight but noticeable in terms of clarity and stability. The original code running at 4K with checkerboarding continues to excel in detail, but the PSSR effects certainly enhance the experience.
The enhanced mode maintains a 60fps output with an internal resolution of 1584p upscaled to 4K using PSSR. Expect some blurriness during movement or foliage, as low-resolution edges can show through, but the sharpness is appreciated, making it worth a try. Regardless, both modes lock to 60fps except during those colossal challenge mode encounters.
The quality mode on PS5 Pro targets a full 5K resolution—2880p—downscaled to 4K, providing a marginally cleaner image when compared to the PS5’s equivalent quality mode. However, the dip to 30fps may deter many players from opting for this setting.
| Load Times | PS4 code on PS5 | Native PS5 |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Load | 42.4s | 32.3s |
| Drowned Them Like Rats mission | 27.6s | 15.4s |
| Ascending from the Underworld mission | 42.6s | 32.2s |
Reflecting on the original *Days Gone*, it’s stood the test of time exceptionally well. It’s considered one of the more visually impressive Unreal Engine 4 titles, showcasing lush forests, crisp screen-space shadows, and superb lighting within its expansive world—all running smoothly on the older PS4 hardware. While it faced some limitations with lighting quality in interiors and occlusion issues due to shadow methods, advancements in real-time rendering techniques have pushed the boundaries beyond what *Days Gone* initially offered.
As a narrative-driven single-player journey that uses its open world as a backdrop for side activities, *Days Gone* still holds its own admirably. This is particularly true on PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles, where players can easily achieve a solid 60fps, significantly enhancing gameplay mechanics. Additionally, cruising around on your in-game bike remains an enjoyable endeavor, especially post-upgrades.
Overall, the remaster succeeds in many aspects but may not stand out as ground-breaking. The lighting adjustments and elevated settings enhance the presentation, while improved hardware boasts better performance. Nevertheless, a notable trade-off in image fidelity exists, particularly on base PS5 consoles. The Pro does better in this regard, yet its performance modes still don’t surpass the original checkerboarding solution, flaws aside. Excitingly, a 40fps mode across both consoles with additional VRR options is in the pipeline for a future patch.
At an enticing $10 price point, *Days Gone Remastered* offers a worthwhile experience for those familiar with the original and presents a more appealing choice for newcomers compared to the PS4 version. While it isn’t the most essential remaster we’ve seen, it certainly makes several improvements worth exploring.
