Borderlands 4

The next installment in the celebrated looter-shooter franchise, *Borderlands 4*, is set to release on September 12, 2025. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K, the game will be available on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. A release for the Nintendo Switch 2 is also planned for a later, unspecified date. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K, confirmed that a new entry in the *Borderlands* series was in development following its acquisition of Gearbox from Embracer Group in March 2024. The official reveal of *Borderlands 4* came in August 2024, with the first gameplay footage debuting at The Game Awards 2024. ### A New Planet and a New Threat *Borderlands 4* is set six years after the events of *Borderlands 3* and introduces a new planet to the series: Kairos. The story follows a fresh group of Vault Hunters who arrive on this ancient world to seek its legendary Vault and to aid the local resistance in overthrowing the tyrannical Timekeeper and his army of synthetic followers. The narrative kicks off after Pandora's moon, Elpis, was teleported by Lilith, inadvertently revealing the location of Kairos. The Timekeeper, the planet's despotic ruler, quickly captures the newly arrived Vault Hunters. Players will need to join forces with the Crimson Resistance to fight for the freedom of Kairos. ### The New Vault Hunters Players will have the choice of four new Vault Hunters, each with their own unique abilities and skill trees: * **Rafa the Exo-Soldier:** A former Tior soldier equipped with an experimental exo-suit, capable of deploying an arsenal of weapons like razor-sharp arc knives. * **Harlowe the Gravitar:** A character who can manipulate gravity. * **Amon the Forgeknight:** A melee-focused character. * **Vex the Siren:** The game's new Siren, who can wield supernatural phase energy to either empower herself or conjure deadly minions to fight alongside her. Familiar faces will also return, including Miss Mad Moxxi, Marcus Kincaid, Claptrap, and former playable Vault Hunters Zane, Lilith, and Amara. ### Evolved Gameplay and a Seamless World Gearbox has described the world of *Borderlands 4* as "seamless," promising an open-world experience without loading screens as players explore the four distinct regions of Kairos: the Fadefields, Terminus Range, Carcadia Burn, and the Dominion. This is a significant evolution from the zone-based maps of previous entries. Traversal has been enhanced with new tools and abilities, including a grappling hook, gliding, dodging, and climbing, allowing for more dynamic movement and combat. The game will feature a day-night cycle and dynamic weather events to further immerse players in the world of Kairos. The core looter-shooter gameplay remains, with an arsenal of outrageous weaponry and deep character customization through extensive skill trees. *Borderlands 4* can be played solo or cooperatively with up to three other players online, with support for two-player split-screen on consoles. The game will feature an improved lobby system for co-op and will support crossplay across all platforms at launch. ### Post-Launch Content and Updates Gearbox has already revealed plans for post-launch content, including a paid DLC featuring a new Vault Hunter named C4SH, a robot who was formerly a casino dealer. This DLC, titled "Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned," is expected in the first quarter of 2026 and will include new story missions, gear, and a new map region. The development team is also focused on post-launch support and updates. A patch scheduled for October 2, 2025, is set to include numerous buffs for the Vault Hunters. The game has also received updates to address performance issues and add features like a Field of View (FOV) slider for consoles. ### Technical Details The game is built on Unreal Engine 5. On PC, the game will require a 64-bit processor and operating system, with recommended specs including an Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor, 32 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics card. The game will also require 100 GB of available disk space and an SSD for storage.