When it comes to treasure, smooth gunplay, and chatterbox robots, Borderlands is in a class of its own. A new mainline entry in the looter-shooter series is set to arrive soon, and this new chapter in the ongoing saga of Vault Hunters and alien booty looks set to introduce some interesting changes to the formula of this long-running series. Ahead of its release in September, we’ve gathered up everything we know about Borderlands 4 so far, and what you can expect from the game when it’s unleashed on PC and console.

When will Borderlands 4 be released?

Borderlands 4 will be released on September 12, and is one of several big games that Take-Two has lined up for the year. With a confirmed release date for the new Borderlands, Take-Two is looking to have acomfortable gap between each AAA game release. Borderlands 4 was originally set for launch on September 23–putting it on a collision course with Bungie’s Marathon–but Gearbox moved the date up to September 12.

Borderlands 4 trailer

Borderlands 4 platforms

Borderlands 4 will launch for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2..

Borderlands 4 story, setting, and characters

Following the conclusion of Borderlands 3–which saw Vault Hunter Lilith teleport the moon Elpis away before it smashed into Pandora–Borderlands 4 sees players venture to Kairos, a planet that had managed to remain hidden for eons. Lilith’s actions saw Elpis smash through the veil covering Kairos, causing all manner of chaos. The planet was previously ruled by The Timekeeper, a despot who kept control of the populace with cybernetic “bolts” attached to their brains, and when that was enough, he had an army of synthetic soldiers he could use to enforce his will.

Six years later, the arrival of Elpis has seen all hell break loose on Kairos. Citizens have begun to revolt against the Timekeeper, new factions have arisen, and the planet’s deadly wildlife is on the loose. That’s where you enter the picture, as you’ll help lead the revolution against The Timekeeper and his forces, earning yourself some sweet loot along the way. “Ignite a resistance and blast your way through mechanical monstrosities, bloodthirsty bandits, and vicious beasts. Amass an arsenal of death-dealing firepower to wreak havoc as you tear your way across Kairos,” the official synopsis for the game reads.

The game also looks like it has drawn some inspiration from Bungie’s Destiny series, as not only will you have a helpful droid called Echo-4 that can assist you in navigating your way across Kairos, but you’ll also be able to instantlycatch a ride with a Sparrow-like vehicle.

The Timekeeper

We’ve faced extradimensional monsters, a genocidal CEO from hell, and lethal social media influencers in previous games, but for Borderlands 4, we’ll be taking on the oppressive Timekeeper. We’ve seen glimpses of him in the trailers for Borderlands 4, and from what little information has been revealed, we do know that he’s a sharp-dressed dictator aiming to create a perfect world order. That,and he’s apparently far more dangerous than Handsome Jack ever was.

While Borderlands 3 expanded beyond Pandora to several other worlds, Borderlands 4 will take place on the planet of Kairos. Because the game has been designed for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5, this makes Kairos a seamless and “expansive” location to explore. According to Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford, if you see an area of the world that interests you, you’ll be free to explore it.

“One of the challenges with the term ‘open world’ is other games have done different things with that and there’s things that we’re doing that none of them have done,” Pitchford said. “But there are things that we, specifically, don’t do because we are Borderlands. And we care so deeply about combat dynamics and care so deeply about that moment-to-moment feeling. We craft this [world]. Everything that unfolds has [purpose]. You can feel the heart of the designer behind it. You can tell, people that care a lot made this shit.”

“They’re putting this here for [the player]. This isn’t all just a systemic, algorithmically filled world. So be careful when you’re talking about this. I wouldn’t say ‘open world’ because that [term] will come with baggage. That isn’t what we are. But it is seamless, and it is expansive, and it is larger than anything we’ve ever done, and it is filled like nothing we’ve ever done.”

As for the world itself, Gearbox describes it as ahigh-tech but lo-fi loc

Meet the new Vault Hunters of Borderlands 4

Vault Hunters are the bread and butter of Borderlands games, as each unique character allows you to experience the main campaign from a different angle. There’ll be four Vault Hunters to choose from on launch day–a tradition that dates back to the first Borderlands game–and each one will offer a specific archetype role. Vex is one of two characters who has been revealed so far: a Siren with powerful energy-manipulating skills and the ability to summon a familiar to assist her in battle.

The second Vault Hunter revealed is Rafa, a former Tediore trooper who is armed with high-tech weapons and an exo-suit. The other characters glimpsed so far include a hulking gunslinger and a melee-focused swordsman. We’ll also get to see some popular characters from older Borderlands games, like Zane and Moxxi. Oh, and Claptrap is here as well.

Borderlands 4 screens

Borderlands 4 guns

You can expect several familiar gun manufacturers to be represented in Borderlands 4, and the game will also introduce two new brands: The Order and Daedalus. Guns from The Order focus on precision with high-powered bursts, while Daedalus guns are designed to be easy to use and they can unload multiple types of ammo into your targets. Beyond those new additions, you can also expect to see guns from Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Valdof, and Torgue, with each brand having unique characteristics that are incorporated into their firearms.

The big change with Borderlands 4 is the new Licensed Parts system, which allows for weapons to fuse behaviors and abilities into their design. For example, a hard-hitting Jakobs gun could have a Hyperion shield equipped, and Gearbox says that you can expect some wild combinations. Weapon rarity will still be a thing, and for the best weapons, you can expect Legendary-class firearms to have unique effects you won’t find on any other piece of gear. It’s worth noting that these are going to be a lot rarer in Borderlands 4, as the drop rate for these has been reworked. Gearbox says that they dropped far too often in Borderlands 3, and they want Legendary drops to feel like special events when they occur.

The good news is that you will be able to farm for sought-after gear more easily, and you can replay entire missions or use Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine to fight bosses whenever you’d like.

Borderlands 4 gear slots

Buildcrafting is a big part of the Borderlands experience, and for Borderlands 4, there’ll be new gear slots to play around with as you fine-tune your Vault Hunter. Ordnance is a shared slot for Grenades and Heavy Weapons like rocket launchers, and these have a cooldown timer. Basically, if you’re in a tough spot, you can unleash some heavy firepower to help even the odds. Enhancements have replaced Artifacts in Borderlands 4, and these augment your weapons based on their manufacturer. Depending on how optimized your gear loadout is, you can benefit from some extra firepower if you have the right enhancement equipped.

Finally, Repkits let you heal yourself or activate temporary buffs when you’re in battle, for that extra pick-me-up when you need it.

Borderlands 4 co-op and multiplayer

While you’ll be free to play Borderlands 4 in solo mode, the game will once again offer co-op multiplayer. Up to four players can team up online, and if you have someone at home looking to join in on the fun, two-player split-screen co-op is also an option. Cross-play will be supported, and Gearbox says it has improved its lobby systems. You won’t have to worry about losing any particularly powerful gear from your adventures either, as each player will get loot drops instanced to their characters.

Borderlands 4 development news

Like the previous games, Borderlands is a looter-shooter that mixes an exotic selection of weapons with unique action skills. The previous game shook up its bread-and-butter gunplay by making each weapon family–Dahl, Hyperion, Maliwan, Atlas, Vladof, Tediore, and Torgue–feel even more distinct from each other, so it’ll be interesting to see if this idea carries through to Borderlands 4.

Gearbox has added that it wants to find a balance between approachability and complexity with the gameplay, both with the core first-person-shooting action and the RPG skill-trees that can be customized to create powerful Vault Hunter builds. At the same time, you can expect billions of different weapons to collect on your journey and Gearbox wants to cut back on the “overabundance of toilet humor” that Borderlands 3 heavily relied on.

It also wouldn’t be a Borderlands game without an option to catch a ride! So far, we’ve seen a chunky hoverbike and a high-tech chariot straight out of the pod-racing scene from Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, and it’ll be interesting to see what else we can get behind the wheel of in the full game. While you’ll be able to get around Kairos with one of several new vehicles, a big upgrade to the gameplay is a grappling hook that can be used to reach areas and help you out in combat.

The other big question we’re still waiting to see answered relates to what we can expect after Borderlands 4 launches. In a tradition dating back to the very first Borderlands game, Gearbox has regularly supported its looter-shooters with post-launch DLC expansions. The developer has yet to confirm if this will be the case for Borderlands 4, but we wouldn’t be too surprised to see history repeat itself here.

Some of the best Borderlands stories have come from these expansions, after all–like Assault on Dragonkeep, The Claptastic Voyage, and Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot–so here’s hoping we get a few more post-launch episodes.