When is the Borderlands 4 release date? The Borderlands series dates back to 2009, when the first game was released on PC and consoles. Over the last 15 years, the series has become so popular that it was turned into a blockbuster movie in 2024 and, while that might have been met with a rather underwhelming reception, the franchise is set to continue with another videogame entry.
Confirmed during Gamescom Opening Night Live in August 2024, action-adventure game releases arriving in 2025. Here's what we know about the Borderlands 4 release date, including when it's set to arrive, what the trailers reveal about the game, and more.
Borderlands 4 release date
The Borderlands release date is Friday, September 12, 2025. This was confirmed by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford in a video posted on X/Twitter.
"I know we promised that Borderlands 4 would come at the end of September," Pitchford announced. "We're moving the launch date forward." While the video was initially taken down, Pitchford itted that this was only due to time zone differences and he would be "reposting momentarily."
Borderlands 4 will be released on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Borderlands 4 trailers
The first Borderlands 4 trailer, the official teaser, was shown at the start of Gamescom ONL on August 21, 2024. This trailer features no gameplay, and only shows the planet Pandora, with its purple glowing ravines, moving through space, and plummeting into another, much larger, planet.
The other most notable thing from the trailer is that we see the Firehawk sigil right at the start of the clip. This suggests that the story takes off where Borderlands 3 finished, with the team looking up at a Firehawk-branded moon.
Further into the trailer, a large meteorite from the collision falls to the ground, and in the aftermath, a mechanical hand leans in to pick up a Psycho mask from the ground as the short trailer comes to an end. Eagle-eyed viewers have spotted that the vault symbol aligns perfectly on a face in the trailer, with the scarring on Handsome Jack's face. Could this be a hint that the Borderlands series isn't finished with Handsome Jack just yet?
The official first-look trailer from The Game Awards 2024, meanwhile, highlights a major conflict between the bandits and the Order, led by the Timekeeper. Here we're introduced to the four new Vault Hunters we'll get to play as, sneak peeks at new locales, and a tidy little combat montage that's synced perfectly to the banger that is 'Starburster' by Fontaines D.C.
The official launch date trailer featured several abilities that Borderlands fans have been dying to see for some time. As mentioned earlier, it appears players can finally swim in water for the first time in the series. We also got a chance to see a double jump ability to reach new heights, and it appears there are some elemental abilities, including throwable axes made from fire and ice.
Borderlands 4 gameplay
The latest gameplay trailer reveals much, much more about what to expect from Borderlands 4, including a deeper dive into two of the four vault hunters, new mechanics, and story details.
You'll get a chance to play as either Vex (The Siren), Rafa (The Exo-Soldier), Harlowe (The Gravitar), or Amon (The Forgeknight). Overall, it looks like Borderlands 4 is taking on a slightly darker tone, and is changing up gameplay based on from Borderlands 3. This includes changing the scarcity of legendary weapons, making them harder to come by. There also won't be a mini-map, something that's worried the community, but is in place to encourage exploration, with a new optional robot, ECHO-4, to guide you to objectives.
The game is much more vertical too, the gameplay trailer showcases the grappling, gliding, and climbing mechanics, and it looks like we'll be doing a lot more adventuring and exploration than just going from point A to B.
Borderlands 4 adds three new weapon manufacturers, alongside the usual Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Vladof, and Torgue – you can now wield Order, Ripper, and Daedalus weapons, including guns that combine different manufacturer parts to create unique weapons.
Borderlands 4 story
The initial teaser trailer takes place after the end of Borderlands 3, where the current team of Vault Hunters and Crimson Raiders are shown mourning the death of one of their allies. The team has been exploring Pandora and the Great Vault located there. Having found the Great Vault before the end of Borderlands 3, the team could go anywhere from here, but we're sure we'll see more in the way of trailers and teasers between now and the Borderlands 4 release date.
The TGA trailer, meanwhile, introduces even greater stakes as the "oppressive" Timekeeper looks to dominate Pandora, cutting down anything and anyone that stands in their way. The trailer description alludes to a "world-altering catastrophe" getting in the way of their designs, which will naturally become our problem too (or so we can imagine).
We now know that the catastrophe takes place on Kairos, a new planet, when a rogue moon teleports into its orbit, causing the planet's protective veil to shatter and sending the world into chaos. It's all kept under deadly control of The Timekeeper, who has an army of synthetic soldiers called The Order. The Timekeeper has also installed Bolts, cybernetic implants, into Kairos' inhabitants to keep them under control.
The vault hunters land in Kairos, and help the controlled denizens rise up and revolt against The Timekeeper and his army, with the help of some familiar faces including Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane.
Speaking at PAX 2025, we got a few scraps of info on how the narrative will flow. Perhaps most importantly, character writing will look a little different. Borderlands' trademark humor will be refined from BL3 to make it more natural than the forced laughs crammed into the last mainline game. The tone overall seems darker, then, especially considering the Timekeeper looks to be even more duplicitous than their predecessors.
While we wait for further details on the Borderlands 4 release date and the game itself, take a look at all the games we're excited for in 2025 and beyond.