When a franchise like Borderlands reaches its fourth numbered entry, the question inevitably comes up; can it still surprise us? After sinking more hours into Borderlands 4 than I’d like to admit, I can safely say Gearbox didn’t just keep the formula intact, they expanded it, polished it, and finally delivered the kind of next-gen looter-shooter experience fans have been waiting for. To me, this is the best Borderlands has ever felt, and while there are blemishes here and there, this is an amazing experience.
Game Name: Borderlands 4
Platform(s): Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed), PS5, Switch 2, PC
Developer(s): Gearbox Software
Publisher(s): 2K Games
Release Date: September 12, 2025
Gunplay That Hits Hard
From the very first firefight, Borderlands 4 makes a statement. Gunplay feels sharper, more explosive, more tactile. The developers promised millions of weapons, but it’s not just quantity, it’s the way each firearm feels distinct in your hands. One moment I was firing a burst rifle that turned into a grenade launcher when reloaded, and the next I was freezing mobs solid with a shotgun that crackled like storm clouds.
These aren’t throwaway novelties either; the game encourages you to experiment with loadouts and skill trees that actually change your playstyle. I’ve played every Borderlands since the first, and for the first time, I found myself actually torn between builds, genuinely excited to change my character’s specs, just to see how a new synergy might play out.
A World Worth Exploring
The world itself Kairos, is the other star of the show. The shift to larger, more interconnected environments makes exploration feel less like running down corridors and more like inhabiting a living, hostile planet. Deserts stretch into lush valleys, ruined cities feel dangerous yet explorable, and mountain peaks give you vantage points that are worth pausing just to take in.
And yes, I actually did pause one night. Grappling my way up a rocky cliff, I stopped to admire the sunset bleeding across the horizon. It was one of those moments where you realize Borderlands, for all its wacky humor, is capable of real beauty. On Series X, the colors pop, the textures feel sharp, and the world just begs to be explored.
Traversal helps seal the deal.
You’re no longer just sprinting and sliding; you’re grappling, gliding, and pulling off maneuvers that make firefights feel more vertical and dynamic. Riding a hover bike across hostile terrain and then grappling up to rain chaos from above never gets old. Borderlands 4 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it adds enough to keep the action fresh without losing that signature identity.
Solo or Co-op, the Fun Holds Up
Solo play is where I spent most of my time with Borderlands 4, and I’m happy to say the experience feels complete without needing a squad. Enemy scaling is well-tuned, so encounters never feel like spongy slogs, and loot drops remain generous enough to keep that “just one more run” loop alive for hours. The different Vault Hunter builds give you plenty of room to experiment on your own, and I found a lot of joy in fine tuning my playstyle without relying on anyone else.
Rafa was my Vault Hunter of choice, His Arc-Knife Ability was what drawn me to him. Let me tell you, They Shred. So much fun to use and Rafa’s little quips are always a joy to hear. My Friend’s Chose Vex and Marlowe, Vex has an awesome Shadow pet Which can help you in battle but most of all (And I feel any game with a pet should include) You can PET IT!
Co-op is still there if you want it, and from the few sessions I tried with friends, the chaos ramps up in hilarious ways but it never feels mandatory. Borderlands 4 stands strong even if you prefer to explore Kairos alone.
One little problem with co-op me that my college Jordan and I faced was that crossplay just didn’t work. We tried for multiple hours both resetting and reloading, to no avail. Hopefully this was just an isolated issue and only affected us, but it is something to look at and keep in mind if you and your friends are on different systems.
Style, Story, and Substance
Presentation deserves its own spotlight. The cell shaded style is still Borderlands calling card, but Gearbox has refined it here. The edges are cleaner, the lighting more dramatic, and the explosions more dazzling. Audio carries the same polish. Gunfire cracks and echoes, enemies bellow with personality, and the soundtrack swells in all the right moments.
Story wise, Borderlands 4 walks a tighter rope than previous games. The Timekeeper, our new antagonist, is compelling if not quite as iconic as past villains, but the narrative pacing works. There are bursts of comedy that land better than they have in years, and surprising emotional beats that kept me more invested than I expected. It’s not perfect, but it’s proof the series is growing.
The Rough Edges
That said, there are some technical caveats. The most glaring on Series X is a performance dip that creeps in after extended play sessions. Long enough in a single run, and you’ll notice the framerate stuttering, especially during large battles with particle effects filling the screen. Restarting the game clears it up, but it’s an annoyance that adds friction to marathon sessions. There are also missing conveniences like a proper FOV slider on console, which feels odd in 2025. And of course, the occasional bug quests that don’t trigger, loot that briefly disappears, NPCs getting stuck in geometry. They’re infrequent, but they exist.
Fun That Overcomes Flaws
Normally, issues like these might drag a game down a point or two. But here’s the thing: Borderlands 4 is so consistently fun, so good at keeping me in the loop of discovery, experimentation, and chaos, that the rough edges fade into the background. I’ve been farming legendries for hours without realizing the time pass. I’ve been laughing with friends at the absurdity of our builds and the over-the-top spectacle onscreen. I’ve been wandering into side quests just to see where the writing takes me. That’s the magic of Borderlands, and it’s alive and well here.
The Verdict
The Outerhaven rating scale is about more than just technical perfection it’s about whether a game delivers on its promise, and whether it sticks with you after the credits roll. Borderlands 4 does exactly that. It doesn’t just give you a pile of guns and call it a day; it hands you a playground full of tools, dares you to break it, and then laughs with you as you do. Despite the performance hiccups and some rough story beats, it’s the best this series has ever been, and easily one of the most entertaining shooters on Xbox Series X.
Borderlands 4 isn’t just another trip to the Vault. It’s a full-throttle, unapologetic celebration of what makes the series unique, while proving that even four entries in, there’s still plenty of room to grow. If you’re a long time fan, this is everything you could’ve hoped for. If you’re new, there’s never been a better time to dive in. For me, it’s a game I’ll keep coming back to, night after night, chasing that next legendary and that next ridiculous co-op story
Review Disclosure Statement: A copy of Borderlands 4 was provided to us for review purposes by 2K. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.
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Summary
Borderlands 4 is an amazing entry in the series, Full of Gun’s, Exploration and Explosions. You can sink hours upon hours into this game, never feeling like you don’t have something to do.
Pros
- Very Fun Solo or Co op
- Movement is Fluid
- Guns are Varied
Cons
- Some Glitches
- Cross Play wouldn’t work for us
- Can sometimes Feel Lost
