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Days Gone Remastered’s New Modes Explained: Horde Assault, Permadeath and Speedrun

Horde Assault brings score-focused survival and larger hordes; Permadeath adds whole-game or per-act restart rules; Speedrun times a story run. Here’s where each mode is available.
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Days Gone Remastered adds three distinct ways to play: Horde Assault is a score-chasing survival challenge, Permadeath adds a restart penalty to the story, and Speedrun puts a timer on a story playthrough. The modes are included in the PS5 remaster and the PC Broken Road DLC. Crucially, the larger hordes are exclusive to Horde Assault; Story mode’s hordes were not increased.

What are the new Days Gone Remastered modes?

Mode What you do What makes it different
Horde Assault Survive escalating attacks, complete side activities and pursue a high score. An arcade survival challenge with larger hordes and a separate set of runs.
Permadeath Play Deacon’s story with a death-triggered restart. Choose whether death restarts the entire game or only the current act.
Speedrun Play through the story against an on-screen timer. Records completion times separately by difficulty; the timer pauses during cinematics.

How does Horde Assault work?

Horde Assault is a survival arcade mode: stay alive as long as possible while increasingly difficult enemies attack, and aim for a high score. Bend Studio describes a run that begins in the Cascade with a sidearm. You fight your way to a Drifter bike, search scattered Supply Boxes for weapons, and take on Side Jobs for resources and XP. The mode includes more than 20 weapons, including a flamethrower unavailable in Story mode. Supply Box drops are random and reset when you start a new run.

When does the Ultimate Horde appear?

According to Bend Studio, surviving for 30 minutes on any map brings on the Ultimate Horde. The studio says Horde Assault can be played immediately after boot, without a previous save or Story progress, even though it is framed as endgame content. Bend estimates the mode adds 10 hours of gameplay; that is the developer’s estimate, not a guaranteed or independently measured playtime. Bend Studio’s Horde Assault overview explains the mode’s activities and progression.

Are the bigger hordes in Story mode?

No. The increased horde sizes apply only to Horde Assault. Bend Studio Creative & Product Lead Kevin McAllister contrasted the story’s old sawmill horde of 500 Freakers with Horde Assault hordes of up to 800. Those figures describe the developer’s comparison; they do not mean the story’s sawmill encounter or other campaign hordes were enlarged. McAllister’s interview gives the comparison, and Bend Studio’s FAQ confirms the scope is limited to Horde Assault.

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How does Permadeath work?

Permadeath applies to Deacon’s story journey. You can set the consequence of dying to one of two restart points:

  • Whole game: Death deletes the save and sends you back to the beginning, so the entire campaign must be replayed.
  • Per act: Death restarts the current act, preserving progress through earlier acts.

McAllister says Permadeath can be played on any difficulty. He recommends cautious play and regular scavenging, and specifically suggests Tucker’s camp as a way to access better weapons earlier. That is the developer’s advice, rather than a tested guarantee that a particular strategy will prevent a death. Read the mode interview for McAllister’s explanation of the settings.

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What does Speedrun mode change?

Speedrun is a separate way to play the story, not an endless survival challenge. A timer stays visible during play and pauses during cinematics. The game records completion times by difficulty and provides a detailed end-of-run graphic that players can share. It can be played on any difficulty. These details come from Bend Studio’s interview with McAllister.

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Where can you play the new modes?

The modes launched with Days Gone Remastered on PS5 on April 25, 2025. They are also available on PC through the Broken Road DLC for Days Gone on Steam and the Epic Games Store. Bend’s PC update lists Horde Assault, Permadeath, Speedrun and Enhanced Photo Mode among the Broken Road DLC contents. See the remaster announcement and Bend Studio’s PC update for platform details.

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At announcement, PlayStation listed the PS5 remaster at $49.99 USD and an upgrade for PS4 owners at $10 USD; Bend listed the PC Broken Road DLC at $10 USD. These are historical U.S. announcement prices, not verified current prices, and prices may differ by country. Check the relevant store for current availability and pricing. The announcement described the PS5 remaster as digital-only.

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