Borderlands 4 Release: Everything We Know About the Looter-Shooter

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Get ready, Vault Hunters, because it’s time to revisit the psycho-invested world of Pandora now that Borderlands 4 is officially real. After the cataclysmic bomb that was the Borderlands movie, Gearbox is attempting to restore some faith with its fans by giving us some Borderlands 4 news.

Most of us hoped to get a Borderlands 4 release date, but sadly, that wasn’t the case. In fact, this initial teaser wasn’t the massive loot pinata fans of the games are used to.

That said, there are plenty of Borderlands 4 rumors and details out there behind the scenes to paint a better picture of what we can expect from the next entry in the looter-shooter franchise.

We’ve cracked the Vault and are ready to share all the Borderlands 4 details, leaks, platforms, release windows, and more.

Key Takeaways

  • Borderlands 4 was officially revealed during Opening Night Live 2024.
  • The expected release date is sometime in 2025.
  • There is no Borderlands 4 gameplay or story details yet.
  • Borderlands 4 will launch on all current-gen systems.
  • Gearbox has been developing Borderlands 4 for several years.

What Is Borderlands 4?

Get ready to shoot thousands more Psychos, Vault Hunters
Get ready to shoot thousands more Psychos, Vault Hunters. Source: 2K

Gearbox’s Borderlands franchise was among the first in the now-massively popular looter-shooter genre. These titles mix FPS gameplay with RPG skills, gear systems, and hub worlds with many quests to complete.

While we haven’t seen official Borderlands 4 gameplay, it is almost guaranteed to follow in the same mold.

Each game introduces a new cast of Vault Hunters who must gain power, acquire new powerful and wacky guns, and fight all types of alien bosses in search of the mysterious Vault.

There’s no information on what new Borderlands 4 features will be added, but each game spices things up with new systems that complement the addictive nature of shooting, looting, and leveling up.

The series is also well-regarded as being one of the most enjoyable co-op experiences, which we again assume this new entry will support. Typically, teams are limited to four players, but we haven’t seen any Borderlands 4 characters yet, so it is possible that could change.

Expected Borderlands 4 Release Date

2025
The moon from Borderlands 3 appears near a rift in space, sending meteors down
The moon from Borderlands 3 appears near a rift in space, sending meteors down. Source: 2K

In November 2024, parent company Take-Two Interactive released a financial report for its second fiscal quarter of 2025. This was for the three months up to September 30, 2024. Included in this report is the company’s revelation that Borderlands 4 will be released during the company’s fiscal year 2026. This would place the launch between April 2025 and the end of March 2026. If we are to take the trailer at its word – that it will come out in 2025, that narrows the release window to between April and December next year.

The other piece of this to consider is the impact of GTA 6. During an earnings call, Take-Two revealed that GTA 6 was on track for an Autumn 2025 release. Given that the game is likely to take all of the oxygen out of the room, figuratively speaking, common sense would suggest that Borderlands 4 would not be released at around the same time. This could further narrow the window to between April and August 2025. However, until the real Borderlands 4 release date is given, all we can do is speculate.

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Borderlands 4 Pre-orders

Sadly, this announcement did not include any Borderlands 4 pre-orders. While we’re confident that pre-orders will be available at some point, it likely won’t be until the game has a firm release date.

You should also expect multiple versions to include additional content, such as season passes. The Borderlands series has always included tons of post-launch content, dating back to the first game in 2009.

You can still at least Wishlist the game on your platform of choice for updates when Borderlands 4 pre-orders are available. It could be a few months before they are released. For reference, we can look back to the release of Borderlands 3; the game was announced in March 2019, with pre-orders going live in August of the same year. That’s a gap of nearly five months.

Expected Borderlands 4 Price

$70

While the initial Borderlands 4 trailer did not mention a price, it is safe to assume the game will cost the standard $70 at launch.

Of course, once we know more about the Borderlands 4 pre-orders, we will update you on how expensive those versions will be.

Borderlands 4 Platforms

PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC

One of the few details we did get was all the planned Borderlands 4 platforms. The game is confirmed to be coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The Firehawk symbol directly connects to the end of Borderlands 3
The Firehawk symbol directly connects to the end of Borderlands 3. Source: 2K

What is interesting here is that last-gen systems, such as the PS4 and Xbox One, are left out. However, considering these consoles are over 10 years old now, it feels like the right time for the studio to prioritize the more capable hardware, so we aren’t completely shocked at the absence.

Curiously, there is no current mention of Borderlands 4 on Nintendo Switch.

All previous entries eventually came to the platform through the Borderlands Legendary Collection (the first two games and the Pre-Sequel) alongside Borderlands 3 Ultimate Edition.

It’s possible that Gearbox will wait for successor hardware to arrive before making an announcement, or the port could be coming later in 2025.

Borderlands 4 Trailers

The only look we have right now is the Borderlands 4 teaser. This surprise announcement opened up Gamescom 2024 Opening Night Live with a quick CGI trailer. After the hype from the movie (despite its quality) and the spin-off New Tales From the Borderlands, its arrival was a welcome surprise.

It opens with a shot of space, where a flaming phoenix erupts to reveal what looks like a moon. As we pan around it, we start to see large purple cracks forming on the surface and a massive crystal rift tearing open beside it.

Meteors are launched through this crack in space to another planet, slamming down on the surface. The camera approaches one burning crater and reveals a robotic hand reaching into the flames to pull out the iconic Psycho mask.

Beyond that, we all get the title drop, 2025 release window, and platforms.

Borderlands 4 News

With such a fresh announcement, there’s little in the way of any Borderlands 4 news available now, but we’ll be keeping a keen eye and updating accordingly as soon as it’s hot off the presses.

We know that the game has been in development for a handful of years, and the first of the series since Gearbox’s acquisition by Take-Two Interactive (publishers of the GTA games) in earlier this year.

We have no idea what caused this crystal-looking rift
We have no idea what caused this crystal-looking rift. Source: 2K

The official description for the game was recently released on the official website. It describes the game as asking the player to “See if you have what it takes to go down in history as a legendary Vault Hunter as you search for secret alien treasure, blasting everything in sight in Borderlands 4, coming in 2025.”

While vague, a later section does add more context to what we saw in the teaser.

Be warned, we will be spoiling the ending of Borderlands 3!

The ending of Borderlands 3 saw Lilith reacquire her lost Siren powers, but the moon of Elpis had already been knocked out of orbit and was in the process of crashing into Pandora itself.

In a sacrificial move, Lilith used her powers to teleport the entire moon as far away as possible, leaving a massive flaming Firehawk in her wake. This trailer shows where Elpis ended up and presumably the opening moments of Borderlands 4.

Even though no Borderlands 4 characters have been shown, this heavily implies that at least Lilith will return. As for the rest of the cast, we must wait for future looks at the game.

Regarding Borderlands 4 rumors, Pitchford took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that the very brief Borderlands 4 teaser had some secrets that: “I have not seen commented on yet.”

In response, one user found a frame that “looks like Handsome Jack is returning for Borderlands 4. The vault symbol perfectly aligns.” If true, this would be the first confirmed Borderlands 4 character.

A Reddit user found some ciphertext they claimed to have decoded. If it is, and what the community has deduced it to be, the text would read “HE IS WATCHING” and “BREAK FREE.”

This should be taken with a grain of salt, but these Borderland 4 rumors suggest the Watcher or the Sentinel could return.

Expected Borderlands 4 System Requirements

TBC by Gearbox Software

Even though the trailer confirmed that PC is one of the planned Borderlands 4 platforms, no system requirements are available.

For our estimate, we can look to Gearbox’s last PC release, 2022’s Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. The recommended requirements for that game were:

Component  Minimum Recommended 
CPU AMD FX-8350 / Intel i5-3570 AMD Ryzen 5 2600 / Intel i7-4770
GPU AMD Radeon RX 470 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 AMD Radeon RX 590 /  Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
Memory 6GB RAM 16GB RAM
Storage 75GB HDD 75GB SSD
OS Windows 10 64-bit or higher Windows 10 64-bit or higher

Coming out three years later, we would guess that Borderlands 4 would not be a massive jump up from these requirements. We will keep you updated as more specific information about the Borderlands 4 system requirements becomes available.

Even by the standards of their time, the Borderlands games have never been technical showcases for raw graphical power, thanks to their more forgiving cell-shaded art style. They are pretty but not demanding, but Borderlands 4 could buck this trend and go heavier on the visual fidelity.

The Bottom Line

While little is known about Borderlands 4 right now, what little we’ve seen is promising. The original trilogy and spin-offs are best-in-class for looter shooters, and this new installment could bring things full circle at a time when series hype is at an all-time high.

FAQs

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Jesse Lennox
Games Writer
Jesse Lennox
Games Writer

Jesse Lennox has been a games journalist for over 10 years. He began writing as a volunteer for enthusiast sites before going full-time to contribute to outlets like Digital Trends, Pocket-Lint, Classic Nerd, and many more. When he isn't grinding in the latest 100-hour JRPG you can find him at the gym or on the trails.