When’s Borderlands 4 Coming Out?
No more speculation: it’s official. In February, Gearbox announced that Borderlands 4 would debut on September 23, but in late April, the studio brought it forward to September 12, 2025. Gearbox president Randy Pitchford clarified that this move wasn’t due to Grand Theft Auto 6’s release, which was later pushed to May 2026 anyway.
Confirmed Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X|S
- Nintendo Switch 2 (with a slightly later release window)
Editions, Pricing, and Pre-Order Perks
Unlike many AAA launches, Borderlands 4 won’t offer early access, but it does have multiple editions:
- Standard Edition: $69.99
- Deluxe Edition: $99.99 — includes the Firehawk’s Fury Weapon Skin and the Bounty Pack Bundle (4 unique areas, 4 Vault Cards, new gear, weapons, vehicles, and cosmetics).
- Super Deluxe Edition: $129.99 — adds the Ornate Order Pack, more Vault Hunter cosmetics, 2 new playable Vault Hunters post-launch, and 2 Story Packs with fresh story missions and map regions.
Pre-ordering any edition unlocks the Gilded Glory Pack, which comes with an extra Vault Hunter skin, ECHO-4 Drone skin, and a Weapon skin.
New Setting: Goodbye Pandora, Hello Kairos
Borderlands 4 moves away from the iconic Pandora. The new adventure follows the fallout from the end of Borderlands 3, where Lilith teleported the moon Elpis, causing it to orbit the hidden planet Kairos and shatter its protective cloak.
Kairos is now a chaos-ridden world ruled by a tyrant called The Timekeeper. Players will lead a resistance against the dictatorship — expect a tone shift: the core storyline will be more serious than past entries, though the trademark humor is still alive, especially in side quests.
Confirmed Playable Vault Hunters
At launch, you’ll have four new characters to choose from:
- Vex the Siren: A cynical but big-hearted Siren who’s tough as nails and quick with sarcasm.
- Rafa the Exo-Soldier: A gravity-born fighter stuck in an exosuit he can’t escape, out to make the most of life before Tediore hunts him down.
- Harlowe the Gravitar: A brilliant Maliwan combat scientist who mixes brains with gadgets on the battlefield.
- Amon the Forgeknight: A Vault monster survivor turned monster hunter and warrior-poet, sharing wisdom as he hunts down the beasts that scarred him.
At least two more Vault Hunters will be added post-launch as part of DLC.
Gameplay Updates: Bigger, Bolder, More Vertical
Gearbox is calling this their biggest, most seamless map yet — built with Unreal Engine 5. Major new gameplay features:
- Climbing, gliding, grappling hooks, dashing, sliding, and double jumping for full verticality.
- A Bethesda-style compass replaces the classic mini-map (though Gearbox might bring the mini-map back if fans demand it).
- Dynamic weather, world events, and drivable vehicles spice up exploration.
- A new ordnance slot for grenades and heavy weapons that recharge on cooldown.
- Repair kits boost health and add combat buffs like elemental damage and fire rate.
Technical Details & PC Specs
The Switch 2 version is confirmed to run well, according to Gearbox. PC players can expect modest Unreal Engine 5 requirements:
Minimum:
- Intel i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
- 16GB RAM
- RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT
- 100GB SSD storage
- 8 CPU cores & 8GB VRAM
Recommended:
- Intel i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- 32GB RAM
- RTX 3080 or Radeon RX 6800 XT
- 100GB SSD storage
- 8+ CPU cores & 12GB VRAM
Co-op & Cross-Play
4-player co-op is back, now with cross-play between all platforms, meaning no one’s left behind whether you’re on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch 2.