Part of the appeal of a game like Days Gone Remastered is that it encourages players who haven't played the game since the release of the original Days Gone to dive back into the action. And with Days Gone Remastered's inclusion of all post-launch content from the original Days Gone, including the New Game + mode added in an update back in September 2019, returning players have even more incentive to pay the cost of the upgrade and import their save file. But it's also worth pointing out that, for some, New Game + might not be the best way to come back to Days Gone after more than 5 years.
The inclusion of a New Game + mode is something that a lot of games implement to encourage repeat playthroughs with all of a player's hard-earned progress carrying over. In the case of Days Gone Remastered, though, many of the game's best elements — namely, its survival mechanics and social systems related to building trust with the various settlements Deacon comes across — are rendered as inessential thanks to the surprising amount of progress that carries over from a save file. Factoring in Days Gone Remastered's new difficulty modes, New Game + might actually be one of the less-appealing ways to jump back into the game.
Days Gone Remastered: New Game Plus Guide
Players will get access to a lot of what they unlocked when first playing the main story of Days Gone Remastered - here's what carries over.
New Game + in Days Gone Remastered Almost Undercuts Key Gameplay Elements
Perhaps the biggest knock against returning to Days Gone via Days Gone Remastered's save file transfer and New Game + is how much carries over from a previous playthrough. Starting story mode in New Game + sees essential progression like camp trust levels and crafting recipes carry over, which actively works against some of the best gameplay elements that Days Gone Remastered has to offer. There's a strong case for the survival and crafting elements of Days Gone's gameplay being one of the game's main draws, and players can basically completely ignore engaging with those mechanics if they carry over an endgame file.
Similarly, building trust at the different camps is an important element that connects not only to the game's story and missions, but also to the upgrade paths for Deacon's bike and weapons. By starting a new story mode save file in New Game +, players no longer have any reason to carefully consider those mechanics, thanks to having their previously established trust levels carry over, along with any and all previously purchased upgrades. New Game + almost cheats returning players out of getting the most from a return to Days Gone via the remaster.
Returning Players Stand to Get the Most Out of Days Gone Remastered's New Gameplay Modes
Outside the mechanics that are made obsolete by New Game +, there's an argument that returning players should make the most of Days Gone Remastered's new difficulty modes. The addition of both Speedrun and Permadeath modes is arguably a more interesting way to experience the title a second time, which encourages players to readily engage with Days Gone's best and most unique systems. Days Gone's already great survival game mechanics were made all the more interesting thanks to post-launch difficulty modes like Survival and Survival II, and playing either Speedrun or Permadeath mode with those difficulty modifiers is an adequate challenge that makes playing Days Gone Remastered almost feel like a brand-new game.
New Game + in Days Gone Remastered is a great option for returning players who have played the original Days Gone more recently than in the year of its original release or for those who are looking for a quick and easy trek through the game's engaging story mode. But for those who have spent a considerable amount of time away from Days Gone and are jumping back in courtesy of the remaster, diving right into New Game + almost pales in comparison to the litany of other ways that returning players could experience a repeat playthrough.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 75%
- Released
- April 25, 2025
- ESRB
- M For Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Bend Studio
- Publisher(s)
- PlayStation Studios
