Borderlands is a series that I generally have a lot of time for, its mixture of first-person shooter action and randomized loot still being something that’s hard to come by, and rarely done as well as Gearbox Software’s flagship franchise. Recent entries, though, including Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, while good, lacked much of the charm and magic that made prior entries so special.
Enter Borderlands 4, which I got some hands-on time with during Gamescom 2025. And honestly, I think it’s good I kept my expectations low, because I came away much more excited for the upcoming shooter than I was originally. And that’s largely thanks to big gameplay changes and one incredibly fun Vault Hunter.
Taking place on the planet Kairos, Borderlands 4 seems keen to start a fresh slate away from the arid climes of Pandora and the celestial bodies it shares a solar system with. With an all-new antagonist and a set of four fresh Vault Hunter faces to take into battle, there’s a freshness and confidence to Borderlands 4 that I haven’t seen since that legendary 2012 sequel.
Style kills
What I appreciated right away with Borderlands 4 is the greatly expanded movement options afforded to your Vault Hunter. Spot dodges and air dashes make avoiding enemy attacks all the easier, while managing to keep combat fast and frenetic. A grappling hook also allows you to quickly traverse arenas, gain some vertical advantage, and even pick up and throw back barrels of varying elemental effects.
Locations where combat occurs all seemed to be designed with these mobility features in mind. There were plenty of grappling spots to get out of danger in a pinch, and I was tossing every barrel I could get my mechanical mitts on.
Of course, weapon variety seems to be much-improved, with guns now made up of parts from several manufacturers (including Jakobs, Vladof, and Tediore from previous games as well as some new entities). But it’s also nice to see a greater emphasis on environmental interactivity beyond hoping a group of enemies wander next to that corrosive barrel at the center of your scope.
The game’s tagline of ‘less borders, more lands,’ which Gearbox developers told me was something they took literally when designing the game, was also apparent during my preview session. The map I played on was impressively large, playing host to enemy encampments, hidden secrets, and emergent world events. And yes, level design generally plays into Borderlands 4’s enhanced movement systems, so the act of simply getting around is much less of a chore here, even when away from a vehicle.
Test your might
After sampling some of this open world gameplay, I then shifted to a separate save file which had me taking on a vault challenge. These are more straightforward combat arenas strung together, with each offering a variety of mobs and an elite enemy to take down.
It was here that I got to try out newly-announced Vault Hunter Harlowe, the last of the base game’s four playable characters. While I’d planned to undertake my first playthrough with Vex – as someone who typically picks the Siren class – Harlowe gave me much to think about in this regard.
Harlowe is an absolute tour-de-force in combat, with her three Action Skills revolving around her scientific background. One of these, Flux Generator, generates a large dome, and enemies within it all share the same damage you’re dealing to even a single foe.
Another, Chroma Accelerator, ended up being my favorite. It’s effectively a nuke that travels across the arena and can be manually detonated for shedloads of damage. This is the skill that got me through that pretty intense vault challenge, and is what I’m tempted to run when I have my hands on the game in full.
My thoughts so far
I had a ton of fun with Borderlands 4, and I definitely wanted to keep playing long after my hands-on time had concluded. While I’d certainly enjoyed Borderlands 3 in 2019, the game felt like it was trying a little too hard to ape Borderlands 2’s irreverent tone and sense of humor.
In comparison, Borderlands 4 seems to be a lot more measured, at least in the dialogue department. It’s not entirely straight-faced, and there were a handful of decent gags during my playtime, but thankfully there was nothing nearly as obnoxious as what you’d find in the series’ more modern entries.
Aside from the great improvements to traversal and incredible cast of Vault Hunters, another big surprise for me was the soundtrack. It’s always been something that I’ve passively been aware of in previous games, but there are very few standout tracks overall.
Borderlands 4, in comparison, has music that I found to be impressively layered, upbeat, and perfect for slaying psychos by the hundreds. I hope this is something that’s carried throughout the whole game, because great music can often be an afterthought in the AAA gaming space.
So far so good, then, and I didn’t notice anything particularly egregious about Borderlands 4 in terms of overall performance. Granted, I only had about half an hour with the title, but performance held up smoothly even in busier combat encounters. I’m especially curious to see how the Nintendo Switch 2 version holds up.
Borderlands 4 launches on September 12, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
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