Since 2009, Borderlands has mixed shooter action with RPG progression. With this franchise, Gearbox even coined the term “Role-Playing-Shooter“. At the time, the media described the game as “Diablo with Guns.” The franchise also has its iconic cel-shading/comic look and a strong focus on co-op fun. That’s why the game is perfect for our Pixel Sundays Deep Dive.

Summary

• The Borderlands Main Series – From Pandora to Kairos
• Spin-offs & Experiments: Tales from the Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
• Cultural Impact & Community
• The Big Leap: Borderlands 4
• Endgame, Roadmap & Future
• Conclusion: Why Borderlands 4 Shapes the Entire Franchise

Looking back, Borderlands is seen as the foundation of the looter-shooter genre. The games offer a mix of procedural loot, classes/skills, and co-op. You can also see its influence in other, newer franchises like Destiny or The Division. So why are fans still hooked on the franchise after 15 years—and why is Borderlands 4 so important? These are the questions we’ll answer today.

The Borderlands Main Series – From Pandora to Kairos

Before we get to the new Borderlands 4, let’s first talk about all the Borderlands games that came before. As the name suggests, there were at least three games in the main series: Borderlands 1, 2, and 3. But on top of that, there was also Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, so that makes four games. And there are also several spin-offs and experiments we’ll cover as well.

It all began with Borderlands in 2009. The game was the starting shot for the “Role-Playing-Shooter” on Pandora. In the game, you accept quests from bulletin boards, explore open zones from Fyrestone to Rust Commons, loot chests, defeat enemies, and level up one of four Vault Hunters (Roland, Lilith, Mordecai, Brick). Each class has an action skill (Turret, Phasewalk, Bloodwing, Berserk) and three skill trees, giving you plenty of options to play the game your way.

You can also play the game in co-op with up to 4 players. With different vehicles, farming becomes even faster. The core of the game is the loot spiral: procedurally generated weapons/shields/mods with elements (fire, shock, corrosive) that you constantly replace and upgrade. Of course, the game also has a story with multiple bosses you need to defeat to finish the campaign.

Then in 2012 came Borderlands 2, bringing more story, more loot, and even deeper gameplay. The missions are more cinematic, with Handsome Jack, the president of Pandora, serving as the main antagonist. But the gameplay loop remained largely the same. You take on quests, clear zones, and farm bosses and mini-bosses to upgrade your loot. The game also features a New Game Plus with tougher enemies and better loot. Raid bosses like Terramorphous the Invincible provided endgame goals for skilled players and groups.

Next wasn’t Borderlands 3 but rather Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in 2014. This game didn’t take place on Pandora but instead on the moon Elpis, with low gravity, double jumps, and butt-slams. It introduced new laser weapons and the cryo element, letting you freeze and shatter enemies. With the new Grinder, you could merge loot to create higher rarity items.

In 2019, Borderlands 3 arrived, a game with faster pacing, bigger endgame, and different scaling. The movement is much quicker than in previous entries, with the addition of sliding and more. Many weapons feature alternate fire modes, such as elemental toggles. Once you’ve finished the campaign, the Mayhem Mode unlocks, offering greater difficulty and, of course, better loot. There’s also an account-wide Guardian Rank that provides permanent bonuses. The game offers many endgame activities like Proving Grounds (Trials), Circle of Slaughter (horde arenas), and Takedowns/Raids—perfect for farming bosses with your squad.

Spin-offs & Experiments: Tales from the Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

Now let’s take a quick look at the spin-offs. First, we have Tales from the Borderlands (2014-2015). This is an episodic adventure by Telltale. The game takes place between Borderlands 2 and the events of Borderlands 3. You switch between playing as Hyperion employee Rhys, who has a cyber-eye with a scan function, and Fiona, a con artist. Gameplay involves making time-sensitive dialogue choices, solving simple environmental puzzles, reacting to quick time events, and collecting cash to purchase optional gear and cosmetics.

The focus of the game is on characters, humor, and timing. Less shooting, more of an interactive comedy-heist story with surprising amounts of heart. The five episodes received widespread critical acclaim and are unique within the Borderlands universe in terms of storytelling. Characters like Rhys were later included in Borderlands 3. After Telltale shut down in 2018, the game was briefly delisted, but it was digitally re-released in 2021.

New Tales from the Borderlands was released in 2022 as a spiritual successor developed by Gearbox Studio Québec. It featured new protagonists (Anu, Octavio, Fran) and kept a similar decision-making and quick-time event formula. However, reception was mixed — while it had charming moments, it lacked the same impact as the original.

Another spin-off is Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (2022). In this game, you create your own Fatemaker and combine classes through the multiclass system (e.g. Spellshot + Stabbomancer). Spells replace grenades, and melee combat has its own dedicated slot. The overworld connects dungeons and quests. After the main story, you unlock the Chaos Chamber, a roguelike endgame with modifiers, bosses, and crystal rewards.

Cultural Impact & Community

Borderlands has always inspired memes — from the “Wub Wub” trailer for Borderlands 2 (a recurring dubstep gag) to Claptrap as the cheeky series mascot, and Handsome Jack as one of the most beloved video game antagonists.

At conventions like Gamescom, you’ll often find cosplayers dressed as Borderlands characters. There’s also a huge fan art community with thousands of uploaded images and videos. On top of that, Borderlands games are popular subjects for speedruns and challenge videos.

In 2024, a Borderlands movie was released. Despite very negative reviews, it still managed to gross $33 million. The film brought the franchise into broader public discussion beyond consoles.

The Big Leap: Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 is the next major chapter in the Borderlands universe. The game releases in just a few days on September 12, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam & Epic Games). On Nintendo Switch 2, it will launch on October 3.

The setting is the new planet Kairos, a prison/colony world. Its ecosystem was thrown into chaos following a moon collision. The world features four seamlessly connected regions forming a true open world.

Story-wise, the game is about a rebellion against the tyrant “Timekeeper”, who controls the planet’s population through implants. After Lilith’s intervention, the factions rise up. Borderlands 4 continues the story six years later and according to Gearbox, it aims much more towards an epic narrative.

As Vault Hunters, you can choose between four different characters: Vex (Siren), Rafa (Exo-Soldier), Harlowe (Gravitar) and Amon (Forgeknight). Each class has three skill trees and multiple action skills, allowing for many flexible builds so that everyone can find one that suits them.

The game also offers some new gameplay features. In terms of movement, there are now double jumps, grappling hooks, gliders, climbing, dash/slide, zip-lines and generally much more verticality and traversal options.

For weapons and loot, there are three new manufacturers (Order, Ripper, Daedalus). The new “Licensed Parts” system allows you to mix manufacturer traits on individual guns, creating completely new combinations. There is also a new ordnance slot for grenades/heavy weapons on cooldown. In addition, the rarity balance has been adjusted.

The world is “seamlessly connected”, meaning there are multiple regions that can be entered without loading screens. There are also new activities such as silos and points of interest, and you also unlock a fast travel function.

The game has a strong co-op focus. Drop-in/drop-out is supported with an improved lobby system, cross-play across all platforms for up to 4 players online or 2-player split screen (PS5/Xbox). It also features instanced loot, dynamic level scaling, and optional individual difficulty per player.

Endgame, Roadmap & Future

After the game’s campaign, you unlock the Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode (UVHM). This mode has 5 difficulty ranks that you unlock step by step through challenges on Kairos. The higher the rank, the more buffed the enemies are, but of course there is also more loot and XP. Everything culminates in a wildcard mission, which is a remix of a story mission with new traits.

Borderlands 4 offers even greater build depth. There is the firmware feature, which means set bonuses directly on equipment (small/medium/full), significantly shaping builds. You can also transfer a firmware once to another item, but the original items are destroyed in the process. The game also features specializations, which are an account-wide progression system like the Guardian Rank, providing passive stats and perks.

The game also features weekly loops and bosses: Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine for boss rematches, with a weekly Big Encore boss. Weekly wildcard mission with guaranteed legendary loot, plus Maurice’s Black Market Machine. “Invincible” bosses will also return post-launch. There will also be free seasonal mini-events. In October, the first event “Horrors of Kairos” kicks off, bringing themed legendaries, cosmetics, gameplay tweaks and weather variants. More mini-events will rotate in over time.

Several updates and DLCs are already planned for the game. In Q4 2025, the first free content will arrive, including new UVHM levels and challenges. In Q1 2026, Bounty Pack 2 will release with new missions, bosses and legendary gear and pearlescent rarity, which is above the legendary tier. For 2026, two major story expansions plus several bounty packs are planned.

Gearbox wants to support Borderlands 4 for a long time with new content, making it a continuously supported looter-shooter. With weekly activities, seasonal mini-events, UVHM expansions and much more.

Conclusion: Why Borderlands 4 Shapes the Entire Franchise

Borderlands 4 returns to the franchise’s strengths, bringing back fast gunplay, a noticeable loot rush and the perfect amount of madness. This addresses many of the criticisms from Borderlands 3. The humor has also been reworked: it is now “mature, but genuinely funny”, with less noise and better timing. As a result, the jokes land more often without disrupting the epic narrative. And if you don’t feel like listening to Claptrap’s comments, you can even mute him in the game.

The game now has full cross-play and improved co-op support, helping it to better position itself in the looter-shooter market. The seamlessly connected world with multiple movement options such as the glider, double jump or grappling hook also invites much more exploration. So now it’s time: strap on the glider, get the grapple ready – Kairos is calling and the Timekeeper is getting nervous.

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