With less than three months until its release, Gearbox is revealing more about Borderlands 4 and the direction it’s taking in comparison to Borderlands 3. The game is now available for pre-order, and details about pricing and the required PC system specs have also been disclosed.
Executive Producer Chris Brock sat down with Gamereactor to discuss some of the key changes, stating that Borderlands 4 represents a larger evolution of the franchise than its predecessor did when it launched in 2019.
One of the most significant differences, according to Brock, lies in the improvements in traversal and exploration. While the jump from Borderlands 2 to Borderlands 3 took seven years, and the focus was on familiarity, the shift from Borderlands 3 to 4 is more focused on expanding the gameplay experience. Brock explained that the team wanted to ensure that players felt a greater sense of freedom and adventure, especially in how they explore the world. “We wanted to evolve, but we didn’t want to change the formula so much that it didn’t feel familiar,” he explained. “But now, we’re really pushing the limits with traversal. It’s an evolution that I think surpasses what we did between 2 and 3.”
In another part of the interview, Senior Writer Taylor Clark discussed how the game’s humor would shift in the new installment. He highlighted that the tone of humor would be adjusted to fit the new world of Borderlands 4. “On Pandora, the chaotic and absurd humor worked because that’s the world we were in. A world where anything could happen, and people were trying to outdo each other in madness,” Clark said. However, on the new planet where the game is set-a dystopian world ruled by a tyrannical leader-he noted that a more subdued tone was necessary. “It doesn’t make sense to have the same kind of humor when you’re facing a totalitarian regime. We had to find the humor that makes sense in this context, but it still feels like a Borderlands game.”
Borderlands 4 is scheduled for release on September 12 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. The Nintendo Switch 2 version will be released at a later date.