Gearbox and 2K are back with a vengeance. Borderlands 4 launches on September 12, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and a future Switch 2 release. Creative director Graeme Timmins calls it the team’s most ambitious looter shooter yet, delivering a massive new world, slick traversal, and a crew of four brand‑new Vault Hunters. Set after a rogue moon shattered the veil hiding the planet Kairos, the game drops players into a revolution against the tyrannical Timekeeper who keeps the population under control with cybernetic “Bolt” implants.

As you crash‑land on Kairos, you’ll recruit rebels, battle synthetic soldiers called The Order and ignite a rebellion while exploring stunning environments. Gearbox promises Borderlands 4 will be a welcoming entry point for newcomers while cranking the loot‑and‑shoot chaos to 11 for veterans.

Meet the new Vault Hunters

Borderlands 4 introduces four brand‑new playable heroes, each with unique action skills, traits and playstyles:

• Vex the Siren – taps into supernatural phase energy to empower herself and conjure spectral minions. Her trait attunes her action skills to the element of the weapon she’s holding, incentivising loadouts of shock, burn, and freeze.
• Rafa the Exo‑Soldier – a former Tediore trooper wearing an experimental exo‑suit that digistructs an arsenal of weapons. Rafa relies on brute force and heavy weaponry to mow down enemies.
• Harlowe the Gravitar – manipulates gravity to yank foes into the air and fling them across the battlefield.
• Amon the Forgeknight – builds customised drones and turrets, using forged technology to control the field.

Every Vault Hunter boasts three distinct signature abilities and an advanced skill tree system that offers branching passive paths and augments. You can customise your build into an unstoppable force, tailoring action skills and capstone abilities to suit your playstyle.

Welcome to Kairos

Kairos is an all‑new planet rife with warring factions, deadly wildlife and desperate inhabitants. For thousands of years the Timekeeper kept Kairos hidden by fitting people with Bolts and employing an army of synthetic soldiers. Six years before the game, a rogue moon teleported into orbit, shattering the planet’s protective veil and plunging the world into chaos. Now the rebels are rising up and ripping out their Bolts, and you’re the spark that will ignite a revolution.

During your campaign you’ll recruit unique factions and familiar faces, including returning favourites like Claptrap, Moxxi and Zane. Kairos’ regions range from the lush Terminus Range to cavernous silos filled with decommissioned Order tech; reclaiming these Silos grants fast travel points and reveals Vault Key fragments. Collect enough fragments and you’ll unlock hidden Vaults—high‑level dungeons bursting with loot.

Movement & traversal

Borderlands 4 is the most mobile entry yet, adding gliding, dashing, double-jumping and point grappling to the existing sliding and climbing. A new personal vehicle called the Digirunner lets you summon a custom hoverbike at any time and jet-boost across the world. In co-op you can even fast travel directly to your friends to keep parties together.

Guns, gear and loot

There are also three new gear slots: Ordnance holds grenades and heavy weapons that recharge on cooldown; Enhancements replace artifacts and augment your guns based on their maker; and Repkits provide healing and temporary buffs in the heat of battle.

Co-op & open world

Borderlands 4 is built for co-op, supporting 2-player splitscreen and 4-player online cross-play at launch. Level scaling, instanced loot and individual difficulty settings let each player tailor the challenge. Dynamic events pop up as you explore, from world bosses to Order patrols. A mission replay system and Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine let you rematch bosses and farm coveted gear whenever you like. Outside of combat, Kairos’ seamless zones feature dynamic weather and day/night cycles, while optional Silos and other activities add structure to the open world.

Editions & pre‑order bonuses

Borderlands 4 is available in three editions:

Pre‑ordering any edition grants the Gilded Glory Pack. The Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions offer major post‑launch content including new areas, bosses and story missions.

Standard Edition – $69.99	Full base game and the Gilded Glory Pack (Vault Hunter Skin, Weapon Skin and ECHO-4 Drone Skin).
Deluxe Edition – $99.99	Everything in Standard plus the Firehawk’s Fury Weapon Skin, and the Bounty Pack Bundle which includes four unique areas with new missions, bosses, Vault Cards and vehicles.
Super Deluxe Edition – $129.99	Includes all Deluxe content plus the Ornate Order Pack (cosmetic skins), and the Vault Hunter Pack featuring two additional playable Vault Hunters, two story packs and new regions.

Final thoughts

From its four diverse Vault Hunters and expanded movement to its sprawling new world and smarter loot systems, Borderlands 4 looks like the series’ biggest step forward yet. By giving players more freedom to explore and build their perfect Vault Hunter while reducing loot bloat and rebalancing Legendaries, Gearbox aims to please both long‑time fans and newcomers. With three editions to choose from and cross‑play available at launch, the only question left is: who will you bring along when you spark the revolution on Kairos?