When other shooters aimed to be the next big Call of Duty, Borderlands boldly carved its own path from day one. Gearbox Software’s original looter-shooter laid the groundwork for a franchise that would become a massive success. Over 15 years and 93 million copies later, Borderlands still delivers its signature cell-shaded chaos and quirky humor, which have become hallmarks of the series.
But times have changed. While shooters dominated the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, the genre, apart from a few enduring franchises and massive live-service titles, appears to be losing momentum. Looter-shooters, in particular, have struggled to maintain their footing. Despite years of updates, Destiny 2 has found it tough to innovate, and last year’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League barely made an impact. Released on September 12, Borderlands 4 faces a significant challenge.
Yet, Gearbox’s newest installment in the co-op looter-shooter genre triumphs where others falter: by staying true to its essence – and its literal guns. While Borderlands 4 introduces new elements, it’s instantly familiar and fantastically enjoyable precisely because it embraces its core identity. Nearly every aspect has been amplified: the sprawling open-world maps, the insane variety of weapons and explosives, and the delightfully eccentric characters. Ultimately, Borderlands 4 succeeds because it remains unmistakably Borderlands.
Naturally, some familiar quirks of the series persist. While the over-the-top silliness from Borderlands 3 has been toned down, it hasn’t disappeared entirely. And the franchise’s signature ‘more is more’ approach, now cranked up to eleven, can occasionally feel overwhelming. However, the innovations introduced in Borderlands 4 ensure a dynamic pace rarely seen in its predecessors. It may not single-handedly revive the looter-shooter genre, but it certainly showcases the value of refining a tried-and-true formula with expertise.
Borderlands 4 picks up six years after Borderlands 3, directly continuing the story but on an entirely new canvas. The frantic vault-hunting action shifts to the uncharted planet of Kairos, bringing with it a fresh roster of vault hunters. As is tradition in Borderlands, players choose from four distinct vault hunter classes, each boasting unique abilities that have now evolved into a comprehensive system of skills and augments. While core gunplay and movement remain consistent across all classes, each character offers extensive customization, allowing for highly specialized builds tailored to diverse playstyles. Borderlands has always celebrated variety and replayability, but this installment delves much deeper into gameplay personalization than any prior entry.
Borderlands 4 takes players to the visually stunning planet of Kairos. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox)
However, Kairos is firmly under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper, who maintains order through ruthless methods, cybernetic implants, and a synthetic army. Upon arrival, you’re immediately captured by the dictator and fitted with a bolt control device. A narrow escape is facilitated by the Crimson Resistance, a determined group fighting against the Timekeeper’s iron grip. You soon find yourself at their headquarters, greeted by the iconic and chatty robot, Claptrap, a beloved mascot of the series. After being briefed on the rebellion’s precarious situation, your mission becomes clear: track down and enlist a colorful cast of allies to bolster their ranks.
This narrative framework is quite standard for open-world games from the last decade: you traverse the map, gathering scattered allies before your ragtag rebellion mounts a final assault against the main antagonist. Borderlands 4 adheres to these well-trodden genre conventions for its story progression. Yet, within this familiar structure, the game delivers an experience more akin to classic Borderlands. While the series isn’t renowned for groundbreaking game design, it possesses a unique and unmistakable identity. So, even as you pursue map markers, undertake side quests, and accept contracts across Kairos — activities common to countless open-world titles — the distinctively zany and enjoyable Borderlands flair makes completing these objectives a blast.
Everyone’s favorite quippy robot, Claptrap, returns in Borderlands 4. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox)
A significant evolution in Borderlands 4 is the overhauled traversal system. The new tools at your disposal make this the most dynamic game in the series. Beyond the familiar double jump and dash, which allow you to ricochet through combat zones, you now have a glider and a grapple hook, significantly expanding your movement options. A few hours in, you’ll also acquire the Digirunner, a vehicle that vastly simplifies travel across Kairos’ diverse biomes.
However, this sprawling world isn’t without its drawbacks, even with improved traversal. Borderlands 4 offers a guiding path feature that, while seemingly helpful for reaching objectives, can actually detract from your engagement with the environment. Players might find themselves glued to the mini-map and guiding line, making the feature more distracting than beneficial. A larger map also means that genuinely engaging missions and side quests can easily get lost amidst a sea of generic markers, pushing the more unique content into the background. Consequently, Borderlands 4, despite being more populated and polished, can sometimes feel less handcrafted than earlier titles.
The Digirunner provides a swift way to traverse Kairos’ expansive terrain. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox, Screenshot by Manas Mitul)
What truly remains constant, and consistently excellent, is the shooting. Guns are, as ever, the beating heart of Borderlands, and Borderlands 4 embraces this fully. From your first moments on Kairos, you’re plunged into an endless arsenal of weaponry. Every lockbox, chest, and container you encounter – and there are countless to open – overflows with firearms and ammunition. You’ll constantly be comparing new loot to your current inventory, scrutinizing stats and buffs to find the perfect (or coolest) weapon for your playstyle. Early in the game, it’s wise not to get too attached to any single weapon, as superior gear is always just around the corner. The game boasts billions of potential combinations of pistols, SMGs, assault rifles, snipers, and shotguns, all from eight distinct manufacturers.
Each weapon manufacturer also caters to a distinct playstyle. Tediore firearms, for example, forgo traditional reloads; instead, when a clip is empty, you toss the gun like a grenade, and a fresh, fully loaded replica instantly appears in your hands. Maliwan weapons are infused with elemental powers, capable of shocking, incinerating, or corroding foes. Daedalus guns offer remarkable versatility, allowing players to instantly swap ammo types, transforming an assault rifle into a sniper, for instance. You’ll swiftly gain access to four weapon slots, enabling you to curate a diverse arsenal that perfectly matches your preferences. For me, a Jakobs sniper rifle was an indispensable companion, providing immense satisfaction with high-crit headshots from afar before diving into close-quarters combat with a shotgun or SMG.
The sheer variety and fun of firearms remain a core highlight in Borderlands 4. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox, Screenshot by Manas Mitul)
The gunplay itself is absolutely superb. Borderlands has always excelled at making each firearm feel distinct, and this installment boasts the finest shooting mechanics in the entire series. It’s a dynamic blend of snappy, chaotic action that still allows for controlled, calculated maneuvers. Weapons are wonderfully balanced, and the diverse enemy roster ensures you’re always adapting your strategy. Much like its predecessors, Borderlands 4 is far from a static cover shooter. Engagements demand constant movement – jumping, dashing, and sliding through arenas designed for frenetic encounters. The environment actively participates in combat, offering grapple points and elemental canisters that can be strategically deployed against foes. These exhilarating, chaotic battles culminate in Borderlands 4’s boss fights, which offer significant challenges without ever feeling tedious.
Beyond the boundless arsenal, your chosen vault hunter is a formidable weapon in their own right. Borderlands 4 offers four distinct classes: the Siren, the Exo-soldier, the Forgeknight, and the Gravitar. The Exo-soldier, with their integrated high-tech exo-suit weaponry, is perfect for those who love diving headfirst into combat with versatile mid-range firepower and close-quarters capabilities. The axe-wielding Forgeknight acts as a durable tank, ideal for players seeking a damage sponge capable of unleashing devastating elemental assaults. Meanwhile, the Gravitar is a scientifically-minded vault hunter, excelling with high-tech gadgets and unique contraptions.
Vex, the Siren, harnesses powerful phase energy for combat. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox)
For my personal journey, I selected Vex, the Siren. This vault hunter commands supernatural phase energy, allowing her to summon allies or transform into a formidable phase form to inflict greater damage. Each vault hunter is equipped with three distinct Action Skills, each linked to its own skill tree. While only one Action Skill can be active at a time, players can continuously allocate points across all three trees, fostering diverse experimentation within their chosen class. These skill trees primarily feature passive abilities, alongside augments and capstones that significantly enhance or alter your Action Skills. Borderlands 4 delivers the most adaptable and customizable skill tree system in the series, ensuring substantial variety within each class. Even when committed to a single vault hunter for an entire playthrough, the trio of skill trees provides ample opportunities to fine-tune your approach.
Borderlands 4 also elevates its visual presentation, though not without minor compromises. The game faithfully retains the series’ iconic cell-shaded art style, but significantly boosts environmental detail and diversity. Despite the sheer amount of action on screen, the visuals remain consistently coherent, avoiding any chaotic clutter. Weapons, in particular, look fantastic, with added visual flair from various skins and customization choices. On the PlayStation 5, Borderlands 4 generally performs smoothly, especially following initial patches that resolved some launch performance hiccups. However, expect occasional frame drops during the most intense firefights.
The cell-shaded graphics in Borderlands 4 are the most intricate and visually rich of the entire series. (Image Credit: 2K/ Gearbox, Screenshot by Manas Mitul)
Despite minor technical glitches and recurring open-world design conventions, Borderlands 4 emerges as an incredibly robust first-person shooter overflowing with content. This is a substantial package, easily promising dozens of hours of gameplay beyond its main narrative. Gearbox has already committed to a wealth of post-launch support, including legendary weapon drops, fresh missions, challenging boss fights, and a major story expansion planned for 2026, which will introduce a new vault hunter and an entirely new map region. Its distinct position in the gaming landscape is further solidified by the current lack of competing live-service looter-shooters, with only Destiny 2 standing as a rival.
Crucially, Borderlands 4 absolutely perfects its fundamentals. A game centered around firearms demands an abundance of firepower, and Gearbox has truly outdone itself here. Frankly, this is the most enjoyable shooter experience I’ve had since Helldivers 2. While the expanded scope represents a bold new chapter for the series, it does come with its challenges. The game’s open world serves as a natural breeding ground for Borderlands’ signature chaos, but at times, it can feel a little stretched. Where previous, more linear entries contained the series’ delightful madness, Borderlands 4 joyfully smashes through those boundaries.