Borderlands 4 April 2025 Reveal: All Announcements

Gearbox Software has recently concluded its Borderlands 4 State of Play, unveiling 20 minutes of new gameplay and detailed insights into its eagerly awaited looter shooter. This presentation dives straight into the action, promising that the 2025 release of Borderlands 4 will be the studio's most refined and immersive experience yet. With significant gameplay changes, including new traversal abilities and alterations to the loot drop system, Gearbox managed to pack the 20-minute showcase with exciting reveals about how Borderlands 4 enhances the series with fresh mechanics and updated features. Here, we've compiled all the key highlights for you.

Movement Abilities ------------------

Each Borderlands game brings fresh updates to its traversal mechanics, and Borderlands 4 is no exception. While we've seen glimpses of the new tools players will have at their disposal when the game launches in September, today's gameplay footage offered a more comprehensive look at the upcoming features.

Vault hunters in Borderlands 4 can now utilize a midair hover similar to Destiny, allowing for shooting while airborne and reaching distant ledges. Additionally, a versatile grappling hook serves both combat and exploration purposes, complemented by a dash for those crucial last-second evasions. Vehicles remain a staple, with the ability to spawn them, including the new Digirunner, anywhere on the map.

Guns and Manufacturers

While previous showcases highlighted new Vault Hunter traversal mechanics, today's State of Play shone a spotlight on the game's weapon manufacturers. With a total of eight companies providing gear, three new ones—Order, Ripper, and Daedalus—join the fray, introducing unique designs and abilities to Borderlands 4's arsenal.

The game introduces the Licensed Parts System, revolutionizing existing gun mechanics. Now, weapons can incorporate parts from different manufacturers, allowing for creative combinations like an assault rifle with elemental components from Maliwan, a Torgue-made ammo clip, and a Hyperion shield. Higher rarity weapons feature more parts, heightening the importance of the loot drop hunt.

Borderlands 4 State of Play Gameplay Screenshots

View 17 ImagesStory

The Borderlands 4 State of Play introduces us to two Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren and Rafa, a former Tediore soldier in an exosuit. Vex uses her Siren abilities to summon allies in combat, while Rafa crafts tools like Ark Knives to swiftly dismantle foes. The showcased gameplay features the duo navigating through the cold, expansive arenas of the Terminus Range, one of four zones on the planet Kairos.

Borderlands 4 continues the series' tradition of blending old and new characters. Familiar faces like Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and Claptrap make appearances, with hints of Lilith's backstory to be explored further. New additions include Rush, a towering armored figure, and Echo 4, a helpful robot that will accompany players throughout the game, aiding with exploration, scanning, hacking, and guiding lost Vault Hunters to their next objectives.

Multiplayer

Borderlands 4 enthusiasts will appreciate Gearbox's efforts to enhance the co-op experience. The game introduces an "improved lobby system" to simplify joining friends. Crossplay will be available from launch, ensuring seamless play across platforms with instanced loot and dynamic level scaling.

Customization extends to individual difficulty settings within parties, and split-screen couch co-op returns at launch. A new feature also allows players to fast travel to their friends if they get separated.

Borderlands 4 introduces a reduced chance for Legendary loot drops, expansive new skill trees, and more. Rep Kit gear offers choices between quick revives and temporary combat buffs, while Ordnances allow players to equip either grenades or unique heavy weapons in a cooldown slot. Enhancements replace Artifacts, providing bonuses specific to guns from different manufacturers.

Borderlands 4 has moved up its release date by 11 days, from September 23 to September 12, for PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is planned for later in the year.

Despite fan speculation, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has clarified that this schedule change is unrelated to the anticipated release of Take-Two Interactive's Grand Theft Auto 6. Stay tuned for more information as Gearbox prepares to reveal further details at its upcoming hands-on gameplay event in June.