Borderlands 4: Launch Date, Gameplay Preview, and All the Latest Updates on the Upcoming Looter-Shooter

When it comes to treasure, smooth gunplay, and chatterbox robots, Borderlands is in a class of its own. A new mainline entry in the looter-shooter series is set to arrive soon, and this new chapter in the ongoing saga of Vault Hunters and alien booty looks set to introduce some interesting changes to the formula of this long-running series. Ahead of its release in September, we’ve gathered up everything we know about Borderlands 4 so far, and what you can expect from the game when it’s unleashed on PC and console.

When will Borderlands 4 be released?

Borderlands 4 will be released on September 23, and is one of several big games that Take-Two has lined up for the year. With a confirmed release date for the new Borderlands, it looks like the launch date for the highly anticipated GTA 6 is coming into view, as Take-Two is looking to have a comfortable gap between each AAA game release.

Borderlands 4 trailer

Borderlands 4 platforms

Borderlands 4 will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Borderlands 4 story, setting, and characters

“Ignite a resistance and blast your way through mechanical monstrosities, bloodthirsty bandits, and vicious beasts. Amass an arsenal of death-dealing firepower to wreak havoc as you tear your way across Kairos,” the official synopsis for the game reads.

We’ve faced extradimensional monsters, a genocidal CEO from hell, and lethal social media influencers in previous games, but for Borderlands 4, we’ll be taking on the oppressive Timekeeper. We’ve seen glimpses of him in the trailers for Borderlands 4, and from what little information has been revealed, we do know that he’s a sharp-dressed dictator aiming to create a perfect world order. That, and he’s apparently far more dangerous than Handsome Jack ever was.

While Borderlands 3 expanded beyond Pandora to several other worlds, Borderlands 4 will take place on the planet of Kairos. Because the game has been designed for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, this makes Kairos a seamless and “expansive” location to explore. According to Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford, if you see an area of the world that interests you, you’ll be free to explore it.

“One of the challenges with the term ‘open world’ is other games have done different things with that and there’s things that we’re doing that none of them have done,” Pitchford said. “But there are things that we, specifically, don’t do because we are Borderlands. And we care so deeply about combat dynamics and care so deeply about that moment-to-moment feeling. We craft this [world]. Everything that unfolds has [purpose]. You can feel the heart of the designer behind it. You can tell, people that care a lot made this shit.”

“They’re putting this here for [the player]. This isn’t all just a systemic, algorithmically filled world. So be careful when you’re talking about this. I wouldn’t say ‘open world’ because that [term] will come with baggage. That isn’t what we are. But it is seamless, and it is expansive, and it is larger than anything we’ve ever done, and it is filled like nothing we’ve ever done.”

As for the world itself, Gearbox describes it as a high-tech but lo-fi location full of interesting opportunities for players to experiment with gameplay and weapons.

Now let’s talk about what we know about the game’s playable characters so far.

Vault Hunters are the bread and butter of Borderlands games, as each unique character allows you to experience the main campaign from a different angle. There’ll be four Vault Hunters to choose from on launch day–a tradition that dates back to the first Borderlands game–and each one will offer a specific archetype role. Gearbox hasn’t elaborated on the Vault Hunter classes yet, but judging from the early gameplay trailers, it looks like we’ll get to play as a hulking gunslinger, powerful Siren, and melee-focused swordsman in Borderlands 4.

Borderlands 4 development news

Like the previous games, Borderlands is a looter-shooter that mixes an exotic selection of weapons with unique action skills. The previous game shook up its bread-and-butter gunplay by making each weapon family–Dahl, Hyperion, Maliwan, Atlas, Vladof, Tediore, and Torgue–feel even more distinct from each other, so it’ll be interesting to see if this idea carries through to Borderlands 4.

Gearbox has added that it wants to find a balance between approachability and complexity with the gameplay, both with the core first-person-shooting action and the RPG skill-trees that could be customized to create powerful Vault Hunter builds. At the same time, you can expect billions of different weapons to collect on your journey and Gearbox wants to cut back on the “overabundance of toilet humor” that Borderlands 3 heavily relied on.

It also wouldn’t be a Borderlands game without an option to catch a ride! So far, we’ve seen a chunky hoverbike and a high-tech chariot straight out of the pod-racing scene from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and it’ll be interesting to see what else we can get behind the wheel of in the full game.

While you’ll be able to get around Kairos with one of several new vehicles, a big upgrade to the gameplay is a grappling hook that can be used to reach areas and help you out in combat.

The other big question we’re still waiting to see answered relates to what we can expect after Borderlands 4 launches.

In a tradition dating back to the very first Borderlands game, Gearbox has regularly supported its looter-shooters with post-launch DLC expansions. The developer has yet to confirm if this will be the case for Borderlands 4, but we wouldn’t be too surprised to see history repeat itself here.

Some of the best Borderlands stories have come from these expansions after all–like Assault on Dragonkeep, The Claptastic Voyage, and Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot–so here’s hoping we get a few more post-launch episodes.

A Borderlands 4 State of Play event is set for this spring, so it might not be much longer until Gearbox shows off and discusses the game even more.