During a Borderlands 4 themed State of Play this evening, Gearbox Software offered a long look at gameplay featuring two out of the four Vault Hunters you'll get to play as. We also learned of the game's planned release date today.
First up, Borderlands 4 is slated to be released on September 12, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games Store. This date was presumably chosen with knowledge of when Grand Theft Auto 6 is hoping to release, another title published by Take 2 Games. A Nintendo Switch 2 release is also expected, but won't be released until "later in 2025."
In today's new gameplay footage, we were given a look at Vex the Siren and Rafa the Exo-Soldier. Vex is able to "empower herself or manifest deadly shades to fight alongside her." Meanwhile, Rafa is a "former Tediore trooper who wears an experimental exo-suit capable of digistructing an arsenal of weapons."
Gearbox says that Borderlands 4 features "the most advanced skill tree system in a Borderlands game to-date." Like the previous games before it, Borderlands 4 features four-player co-op. The studio says that this game is designed from the ground up for co-op. There is instanced loot for every player, dynamic level scaling, and individual difficulty. Players will be able to play through the entire campaign in co-op.
Across the vast and seamlessly connected planet of Kairos, players will face the oppressive Timekeeper. For thousands of years, he kept the planet hidden, controlling its inhabitants with cybernetic implants called Bolts and an army of synthetic soldiers known as The Order. Players will travel across the planet where they’ll encounter new and returning characters, creatures and inhabitants to battle, and unique factions spread across four distinct regions that seek freedom from the tyranny of the Timekeeper. The friends discovered along the way will be recruited by players to their cause while enemies will experience first-hand the arsenal of weapons and abilities wielded by the Vault Hunters.
As seen in the explosive footage shared during PlayStation’s State of Play, Vex and Rafa tear a path through a secret blacksite in Terminus Range, a frigid, mountainous region. This extended gameplay segment showcases the destructive power of the updated gear system in Borderlands 4, fueling the wildest loot chase ever, including:
As seen in the explosive footage shared during PlayStation’s State of Play, Vex and Rafa tear a path through a secret blacksite in Terminus Range, a frigid, mountainous region. This extended gameplay segment showcases the destructive power of the updated gear system in Borderlands 4, fueling the wildest loot chase ever, including:
- Deadly weapons from across eight new and returning manufacturers, each boasting their own devastating strengths;
- Licensed Parts system that combines the behaviors and abilities from multiple manufacturers into a single weapon;
- Enhancements gear slot to augment weapons based on their manufacturer, rewarding extra firepower with an optimized gear loadout;
- Ordnance, a shared slot for Grenades and Heavy Weapons like rocket launchers, recharges on a cooldown to keep you locked and loaded during especially tough encounters;
- Rep Kit gear adds utility by letting players heal themselves or activate temporary buffs to help turn the tide of an intense battle.
