Gearbox Software has finally revealed the next mainline title in their looting series, Borderlands 4. After years of waiting on pins and needles, Borderlands 4 will be launching on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on September 12, 2025 (Nintendo Switch 2- October 3) and it seems like it could be the best-looking, most clean entry in the series yet.
A New Planet, A New Job
This time around, we’re off to Kairos, a dour prison planet run by the dystopian Timekeeper. The Timekeeper’s regime controls with implanted bolts, who can suppress and surveil the player. You’d have to admit that the setting is a dystopian battleground, especially when there is the moral dilemma of making a choice in Physical combat versus making combat ethical to save. While Vault Hunters were once looters, the player is now actively engaged in a revolutionary fight to protect change- you’re not just out to loot, you’re changing your player’s world-history!
With Four Vault Hunters, You Can Influence Combat Style
There are four brand new Vault Hunters, each with different abilities and archetypes which will expand the tactical breadth of play:
• Vex, the Siren
• Rafa, the Exo Soldier
• Harlowe the Gravitar (which crowds have loved from earlier hands on)
• Amon, the Forgeknight
These should grant gameplay and narrative, create explosive uniqueness and identity in every combat scenario, not to mention enhance the varietal depth of every combat scenario.
Movement is Madness
Gearbox changed traversal. The age of untrustworthy jumps is rerouted, as we are advaning with:
• Double jumps
• Glide and climbing
• Grappling hooks (pinpointer to pinpointer traversing)
• Dash, slide, zip lines
• The super slick DigiRunner hoverbike that you can call whenever/wherever you are.
As CEO Randy Pitchford has said – today’s hardware has finally reached the level of Gearbox’s imagination. It is no longer about loading screens, it is all about movement.
Improved Loot, Updated Combat
• Licensed Parts System: Players can mix and match between many different manufacturers–i.e. Daedalus barrel on a maliwan gun (lots of loot).
• New manufacturers – Order (burst weapons), Ripper (auto shotguns), and Daedalus (same ammo for any weapon) plus models players already know like Jakobs and Maliwan.
• Ordinance Slot: Heavy weapons and grenades have cooldowns–not ammo now. Players can really have fun with heavy weapons now.
• Repkits: Healing during combat, and bonuses–not valuable, but promotes weapon diversity.
• Legendaries – are much rarer , but help weight –every drop feels like it has meaning now.
Co-op Without Borders
Streamed split-screen action than online cross-play in Borderlands 4:
• 4-player online co-op, 2-player local split-screen
• Instanced loot and dynamic level scaling ensure fairness and fun in every session.
• Difficult, medium, or easy on an individual basis lets each player calibrate their experience to what they prefer.
Stories with Laughs and Love
Borderlands 4 takes a different step in its humor, while also presenting a more serious central conflict:
• Claptrap, (who usually is all slapstick) has his moment of genuine emotion – PC Gamer.
• The humor is growing past memes into situational comedy based on the character reacting – PC Gamer.
• Gearbox would like to strike a balance in keeping the code of the franchise and evolving it, with a tighter joke and a tighter story – GamesRadar+
Further Expansions and Bonus Content
Gearbox has pledged post-launch support for Borderlands 3:
• DLC packs, seasonal events, and community challenges.
• Missions + Vaults of Legends, which will be replayable high-tier dungeons that will require vault shard fragments (BlackFlixDigital Trends).
• Promotional tie-ins (like the pre-orders of the Gilded Glory Pack, or bundled with your RTX 50-series GPU purchase) adding a little bit of beauty to your Vault Hunter loot (Tom’s Hardware).
Conclusion: Get Ready for the Best Borderlands Game
Borderlands 4 is set to reshape what players can expect from looter-shooters moving forward. From a living world to a shared world, energy systems and movement, deeper story and crossplay with up to 3 of your friends while adventuring: Gearbox has crafted a vault-hunting experience that is laughably absurd and deceptively clever. There will be blusterous nonsense, strategic consideration, and surprises a plenty on September 12, 2025.