Borderlands 4: quick links
Borderlands 4: Release date and console platforms
Borderlands 4 is set to release worldwide for PC, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on 12 September 2025. It will arrive for Nintendo Switch 2 on 3 October 2025.
While it was originally set to land later in the month, Gearbox Software and 2K pushed it forward following global media previews, suggesting a degree of confidence in the game.
Borderlands 4: All the major game trailers
Here’s all the major trailers released for Borderlands 4 so far. We kick off with the first teaser:
Following this, the game got its official first look trailer:
This was swiftly followed by official gameplay and gameplay deep dive trailers:
Borderlands 4: Plot and story
Borderlands 4 takes place six years after the events of Borderlands 3, which saw siren Lilith teleporting Pandora’s moon, Elpis, into the path of a planet known as Kairos. Since this catastrophic event, chaos has ruled, with the crash-landing of Elpis destroying the protective shield around Kairos, and opening it up to invasion by other planets.
This hasn’t made the planet’s rulers, The Timekeepers, very happy, as it threatens their dominating rule. The event has also inspired various uprisings, with groups like the Crimson Resistance and The Rippers attempting to fight for a better future for their planet.
Players arrive on Kairos amidst this turmoil, and must work alongside or against these groups to take down the Timekeepers, and discover the secrets at the heart of Kairos.
Which games to play before Borderlands 4
Before you play Borderlands 4, you should absolutely play: Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands 3. These games will give you the necessary backstory, and gear you up for what to expect in Borderlands 4.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is an ultra-fun spin-off (and one of the best games of the franchise, depending on who you ask) but it’s not as necessary to play this, as it’s relatively siloed from the main story. Likewise, you can probably skip Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (although it’s also excellent).
Tales from the Borderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands are equally unlikely to play a huge part in the overarching plot of Borderlands 4, although certain characters could appear as cameos for devoted players. Even with that being the case, you’re unlikely to miss out on core plot elements if you don’t play these titles.
Which returning characters appear in Borderlands 4?
So far, we know a bunch of fan-favourite Borderlands characters will return in Borderlands 4, whether in cameo appearances, or as part of the overarching plot. Per Gearbox Software and 2K, players can expect to re-meet and greet the following characters:
- Claptrap
- Mad Moxxi
- Zane (of Borderlands 3)
- Amara (of Borderlands 3)
We expect we’ll see Lilith in some form as well, if only in archival footage, as she plays a key part in kicking off the plot of the game. There’s also a range of rumours floating around that indicate we could see Gaige, as well as other previous Vault Hunters.
Of course, surprises are good too, and we hope there’s a few more cameos that’ll pop up in gameplay.
Borderlands 4: Who are the Vault Hunters?
As with all Borderlands games, this upcoming sequel introduces four new playable Vault Hunters, each having their own special abilities. Here’s what you need to know about each of these characters:
- Vex the Siren: Vex is a Siren with shadowy abilities. She can summon spectral familiars on the battlefield, in the form of a cat and a body double, and these will attack enemies on the battlefield. As noted by the Gearbox team, she’s a special siren, as she has physical damage abilities.
- Rafa the Exo-Soldier: Rafa the Exo-Soldier uses an exoskeleton that amplifies his strength and damage. His special abilities allow him to wield more weapons, including shoulder-mounted cannons, lasers, and more.
- Harlo the Gravitar: Harlo the Gravitar can manipulate gravity to stall enemies in place or smash them to the ground. She can summon constructs to cause damage on the battlefield, as well as use other gadgets to devastating impact.
- Amon the Forgeknight: Amon the Forgeknight is a heavy fighter who wields axes and various hand-to-hand weapons. These are manifested from his body, which is a neat ability that should help you in a pinch. Notably, Amon is the heavy of this Vault Hunter group, with his skills tailored towards running in and punching.
What to know about combat and guns in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 plays very similarly to its predecessors, with a focus on adventure, exploration, and discovering lots, and lots, of guns.
From our preview: Enemies, as before, are bullet sponges. You’ll need to rattle off dozens of shots before towering badasses go down. But each gun offers a different strategy for shooting, with some having quick reload, some requiring a charge up, some having rapidfire rounds with weak reload, and so on. One of our favourite guns was a laser cannon that required a five second charge before unleashing a scattering of bullets. In the five seconds it charges, players are vulnerable – but with patience, you can reap the benefits.
Of course, you also need to spend time monitoring enemies and picking off the biggest ones first, because shields and health bars are shorter than ever in this game. Picking up the preview with a Level 5 character meant needing to avoid enemy attacks, rather than barreling through, with every misstep leading to a death, and then a frantic shootout for a Second Wind revival. With more complex guns, those Second Winds are hard-fought.
Check out more about Borderlands 4 on ScreenHub
The ScreenHub team was able to get hands-on with Borderlands 4 during a recent hours-long preview session. Check out our early thoughts: ‘Playing Borderlands 4 was a lot like coming home. With very familiar controls that haven’t changed over the years, an effervescent art style made lovelier by improved technology, and a cool cast of new and returning characters, this game has plenty going for it.’
Read: Borderlands 4 preview – Back in business, baby!
‘While a segmented preview session focussed on multiple arenas can’t provide a definitive answer on how worthy this next chapter will be, I can say I had a real blast getting back into the Borderlands groove, with snappy gunplay, new abilities, and possibly my favourite Vault Hunter yet, creating a very compelling case for this upcoming game.’
Borderlands 4: Interview with Randy Pitchford and Andrew Reiner
We were also able to interview Randy Pitchford, Founder and President of Gearbox Software, and Andrew Reiner, Global Creative Executive, about the game.
‘There’s a reason why the first person shooter genre works, and why it continues to proliferate,’ Pitchford told ScreenHub. ‘I’m excited to play Doom: The Dark Ages … because it’s just a core shooter. It focuses on the fundamentals of shooting, and that’s always great. Moving, aiming, and hitting a target, and knocking it down before it knocks you down … it just feels good.’
Read: How Borderlands 4 wields a timeless formula – Interview
‘The other side is the roleplaying game side. It’s not about skill, it’s not about moment to moment. You know, the roleplaying game inside [Borderlands 4] … it’s more of a head game, it’s more long range, it’s a meta … The idea of becoming more powerful, and levelling up, and finding better and better loot I can make myself stronger with [is super addicting.]’
