Borderlands 4 Gets 20-Minute Gameplay Reveal, Release Date Moved Forward

Gearbox Software's next-gen looter-shooter appears to be coming along swimmingly

Gearbox Software has lifted the lid on the next entry in its long-running Borderlands franchise, further detailing the mayhem to come. Along with a 20-minute, developer-led gameplay deep dive, we learned that Borderlands 4 will be releasing on 12th September on PS5, moved up from its previously announced 23rd September launch.

We are introduced to two of the game’s Vault Hunters available at launch, corresponding to the expected Siren and Soldier archetypes, Vex and Rafa, respectively. Taking place on a new planet, Kairos, players’ traversal will be aided by the addition of abilities like wall climb and glide. In addition, the series’ signature loot sounds like it has received a significant upgrade, with guns now dropping that feature specific parts from the various in-universe manufacturers, such as Vladof and Maliwan, allowing for even more gameplay variety.

There was some speculation that Borderlands 4’s release date was brought forward so as not to be overshadowed by the anticipated GTA 6. However, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has since refuted this claim: “Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100% the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates.”

Borderlands 4 will also tone down the toilet and meme humour that contributed to making Borderlands 3 the most divisive entry in the series. We won’t be expecting the series to be fully sanitised, but that sounds like the right move; here’s hoping we see much less of the endlessly annoying franchise mascot, Claptrap, while we’re at it.