So you want to hear a story, eh? Let’s talk about Borderlands 4, the newest entry in Gearbox Software and 2K Games’ iconic first-person looter shooter series. As a veteran vault hunter, I’ve followed new and returning characters across the universe, looting and shooting my way against all incoming threats. Now my freshly recruited mercenaries have landed in Kairos, a planet rich in exotic wildlife, valuable resources, and colourful (and rather hostile) locals, just as rich and colourful as Borderlands 4 itself, which is very near hitting legendary status in the Borderlands series for me. 

Kairos is a planet at the mercy of the Timekeeper, who, in typical tyrant fashion, seeks glory in domination and enforcing “order”. In typical Vault Hunter fashion, we’re in the wrong place at the right time, primed and ready to take on the tyrant as part of the Crimson Resistance. From the moment I heard the opening lines harkening back to the past Borderlands games, all the memories came flooding back on top of an epic (and really, really ridiculously good-looking) opening, with another banger track introducing another four Vault Hunters into the fray. 

This bunch of misfits is unlike any I’ve played in the Borderlands series before. Vex, a Siren – more akin to a witch, able to summon a giant kitty cat called Trouble, Eldritch Blast foes, and more. Axe, Hammer, and Powerfist-wielding Forgeknight, Amon. The sharp-witted and sharp-bladed Exo-Soldier Rafa, and gadget enthusiast and Gravitar, Harlowe. Every single one of them is crazy fun to play with. Each class has three skill trees, with each set of buffs branching from Action Skills.

Action Skills serve as ultimate abilities, such as Rafa’s Peacebreaker Cannons, which are shoulder-mounted guns that mow down enemies in his view, and Harlowe’s Flux Generator, which throws out an Energy Field that Entangles enemies, causing Cryo Damage over time and giving nearby allies an Overshield.

Augments and Capstones can be specced as you move down each skill tree, further buffing and boosting your chosen hero. The skill trees offer insane freedom to switch up tactics, making them perfect for building the ultimate badass. A strong team composition with complementary abilities and effects can really change the game, especially when it comes to defensive protections and damage boosting abilities.  

From the moment my character broke out of imprisonment, they were given a gun and a simple directive: take out the lackeys of “The Order”. While I’m no stranger to the run-and-gun tactics Borderlands tends to lean towards, it feels like combat has taken on a whole other level here. For one, a headshot causes a lovely burst of guts or machinery to scatter with a satisfying chime. Enemies seem more intelligent and put up a heck of a fight, with increased defensiveness and a hefty dose of aggression.

Guns and throwables feel great, with a decent amount of responsiveness in visuals and audio, and especially with an extra hit of goodness with controller feedback. I mostly played with a mouse and keyboard, and found the absolute precision to be immensely satisfying. At times, enemy encounters in bases and camps became repetitive, but on most occasions, the variety of psychos, soldiers, and critters kept the adrenaline pumping.

The real fuel to the fire is the capstone of any good looter shooter, and that is guns, guns, guns! Guns from eight manufacturers, including the classic reload and throw Tediore, which acts more or less like a grenade once a clip is spent, and Torque’s explosive boomsticks. Each faction on Kairos comes with its own brand of weapons.

Order weapons shoot powerful bursts with deadly precision, Ripper firearms unleash a full-metal barrage, perfect for the super trigger-happy. Daedalus are quick to reload and efficient to use, allowing for the use of multiple ammo types, making them great in times when stocks are running low.

Health hypo’s have been replaced with Repkits, which offer various perks, including immunity to specific damage types upon activation or the ability to share heals with friends. Shields return with plenty of new defensive capabilities alongside the new “enhancements”, which provide another boost to gear, and grenades are expanded to additional throwables, my favourite being knives – satisfyingly shanking foes in the face with one swift movement.

I’m currently sitting at an all epic (purple) gear build, desperately seeking the legendary orange loot whilst I’m taking on World Bosses, Fishing and raiding Caches and that’s only some of the places to find loot, Borderlands 4 presents a loot-goblins dream with stacks of activities like raiding bunkers and destroying propaganda and glorious collectables to find, especially Vault fragments – a Vault Hunter’s ultimate fantasy.

To keep track of all your missions, map, accessing the skill tree and storage deck upgrades, cute little drone buddy, Echo-4, has you covered, taking away the somewhat finicky Echo Device menu from the previous games and replacing it with an easy-to-navigate, always accessible menu, doing away with Quick-Change Stations, and Crazy Earl’s Black Market, amongst other things. Echo-4 effectively eliminates the need to spend a significant amount of time returning to bases or managing inventory, allowing for more time to focus on gameplay rather than logistics. Echo-4 can also scan the environment for objectives and hack to limit the need to interact with buttons and terminals regularly. 

Customisation isn’t just limited to your arsenal; Vault Hunters have a massive collection of hairstyles, helmets, skins, adjustable colourways, and outfit variations, all unlockable by completing missions and challenges. The Digirunner can be fitted out with different components to change handling, boost, and more, and a slick new paint job to top it all off.

Weapons and Echo-4 can also be customised, with guns featuring changeable skins and Echo-4 having different bodies, paint jobs, and, most importantly, hats. There’s plenty more content to come over time, and I’m looking forward to showing off my fits to friends as we brave this new world.

I enjoyed exploring the planet solo, but Borderlands is best played enlisting the help of fellow Vault Hunters to really let the chaos reign. With up to 4-player online co-op or 2-player split screen with crossplay across PC, Xbox X|S, and PlayStation 5, friends have no excuse to not join in the mayhem, unless you have no friends…in which case, there’s always public co-op. Instanced loot, scaling, and individual difficulty settings for the entirety of the game mean Borderlands 4 can be enjoyed together regardless of skill level, and you can horde your legendary guns and gear all to yourself. 

Unlike previous Borderlands games, Kairos is combined into a single map, making travel between biomes seamless. Gearbox has made huge quality-of-life improvements, including a readily summonable vehicle, a grapple, and a jetpack that makes traversal both satisfying and swift. Fast travel stations are still here, but I’ve come to appreciate the drive (or climb) more. Being able to grapple or even side dodge in combat takes typical encounters and adds a little more spice.

I played on a mouse and keyboard, where the controls were intuitive and all controls are customisable to suit any preferences. The Xbox controller and PlayStation 5’s DualSense controllers can also be used, with their respective vibration functionalities in effect for that extra oomph when shooting and smashing. 

Borderlands 4 still features the sci-fi/post-apocalyptic theme, but with significantly more polish. Kairos boasts a diverse mix of biomes, each as fleshed out as the psycho-hung decorative corpses, ranging from the beautiful coastlines, fields, and forests of the Fadefields to the Ripper-infested wasteland of Carcadia Burn, the sinister scenery of the Terminus Range and Dominion City, and the Timekeeper’s oppressive base of operations. Characters and environments look incredibly detailed while still retaining the classic Borderlands art style, but with visuals taken to a whole new dimension through improved lighting and dynamic effects. 

An eclectic soundtrack seamlessly blends action and drama, incorporating alternative music, rock, and a generous dose of synth-electronic music, catering to fans of tunes that go “wub wub”. Pair that with the immensely satisfying sounds of slaughter, gunfire, revs of engines, and more, and it’s a veritable smorgasbord for the ears. There’s also an option to mute Claptrap, which I think we can all appreciate.

The voice cast worked overtime to deliver sharp performances and felt much more vocally responsive when interacting with the world and NPCs, such as returning allies like Moxxi and Zane, as well as new friends Rush and Levaine. I enjoyed switching between Vault Hunters to see their individual personalities shine through in dialogue and during side and main missions. The dialogue and overall tone of the story feel much more refined, moving away from “toilet humour” to invest in more engaging storytelling, likeable characters, and well-timed, witty banter. 

Where performance occasionally dipped was in the actual game; in some instances, my frames would drop momentarily, a few cases during combat, leading to a fight-for-your-life scenario. In co-op, I had a few minor issues with my co-op partner, but this could be due to a networking problem.

With a few tweaks to the highly customisable graphics settings, most problems were quickly resolved. Performance and frames were mostly stable on my system with an RTX 4080, allowing me to run at high settings within the graphics card’s requirements and recommended system specs. This is your reminder to check your specs to optimise your in-game experience. 

Three editions of the game are available: the Standard Edition, the Deluxe Edition, which includes extra areas, missions, and cosmetics, and the Super Deluxe Edition, which comes with all Season Pass content, plus bonus cosmetics and two playable Vault Hunters that will be revealed over time. The Borderlands 4 roadmap promises stacks of free content scattered throughout the first few months and beyond.

Borderlands 4 is an amped-up version of the tried-and-true formula with hefty upgrades to the gameplay. With an action-packed story and a whole new planet packed with possibilities, Borderlands 4 is a wild and wicked time worth experiencing.

Borderlands 4 is releasing on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, on September 12, 2025, and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 3rd.

Written by: Yasmin Noble