Borderlands 4 FAQ - Everything We Know

Last updated: May 2026. I update this whenever Gearbox drops anything new so tbh you're looking at the most current info I've got. Check back soon because I'll add more as new details drop.

When is Borderlands 4 coming out?

Alright so I've been tracking this obsessively ever since that Gamescom 2024 teaser and honestly nobody at Gearbox has given us an exact date yet which drives me kinda crazy ngl but basically from everything the gaming press keeps saying and what the industry insider types are hinting at we're looking at a Q3 or Q4 2026 launch window and I think the full gameplay reveal in early 2025 showed they're pretty far along like they're clearly not starting from scratch you know. Could be wrong though. And I mean game development being what it is these days who really knows, stuff gets delayed all the time, but I'm cautiously hopeful it won't slip into 2027 or whatever honestly. We'll see I guess. Pre-orders should open up like 3-4 months before the actual launch date so when you see those go live you'll know we're getting close and that's going to be a very good day ngl.

What platforms will it be on?

I'm actually kind of relieved they're dropping last-gen honestly because look man I played BL3 on a base PS4 and those loading screens were brutal like go make a sandwich and come back and it's still loading brutal so the fact that BL4 is only coming to PC both Steam and Epic, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S pretty much tells me they're not holding anything back for ancient hardware this time around and that means better AI and bigger maps and more enemies on screen at once which is basically everything I want from a Borderlands game anyway. So yeah. No Switch version yet either there's been some chatter about a possible Nintendo Switch 2 version and stuff like that but I wouldn't count on it until 2K actually says something official which they haven't so I'd say just assume current gen only for now I guess.

Will it be on Game Pass or PS Plus?

Nah no day-one Game Pass or PS Plus launch that I know of and honestly I wasn't expecting it anyway given how these AAA releases go basically they want that full $69.99 at launch and who can blame them I guess. If you look at what happened with previous Borderlands games they eventually showed up on Game Pass like 12-18 months after release. So if you're patient you could probably wait it out. But I definitely won't be waiting that long tbh. Or who knows maybe I'll cave and buy it day one anyway.

Is there crossplay?

So crossplay was kind of a mess with BL3 honestly. Like they added it eventually in 2021 but the whole PlayStation beta period was annoying. Anyway Gearbox has been pretty clear that full crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S is a priority for BL4 from day one this time around. I think it just makes sense at this point, every major shooter does it. I genuinely cannot imagine them launching without it you know.

What editions will be available?

Edition	Price	Includes
Standard	$69.99	Base game
Deluxe	$89.99	Base game + Deluxe bonus pack (cosmetics, weapon trinkets, XP boost)
Super Deluxe	$119.99	Base game + Deluxe content + Season Pass (4 campaign DLCs)
Collector's	$249.99	Everything + Steelbook, art book, Vault Hunter statue, cloth map

I'm basing these prices off what BL3 launched at so I mean take it with a grain of salt. Inflation and all that etc. Things might shift up a bit honestly. But this is probably in the right ballpark you know.

How many Vault Hunters?

Four new Vault Hunters from what I saw in the reveal trailer and I gotta say I'm actually kind of into the idea of all fresh characters instead of bringing back old ones. Like each gets one Action Skill with three augment slots similar to how BL3 worked and three full skill trees. I think that's the sweet spot honestly, enough depth without being overwhelming or whatever and stuff like that. Anyway I'm genuinely curious what the classes are going to be because the trailer didn't really spell it out clearly so we're all just speculating at this point.

Can I import my BL3 character?

No. Absolutely not. And I mean this shouldn't surprise anyone really, BL4 is a completely fresh start new characters new story and you definitely can't import your BL3 saves or Tiny Tina's Wonderlands saves or anything from New Tales from the Borderlands because each game is basically a reset and that's how they keep the loot hunt fresh every time. I've seen people ask this a lot and the answer is just no. Flat no. You start fresh from level 1 with nothing and honestly that's kind of the whole deal with Borderlands basically, the zero-to-hero thing is like the entire point of the series.

What's new in Borderlands 4 gameplay?

Okay so the maps are way bigger and more connected now, way fewer loading screens, honestly this was probably my number one complaint about BL3 and I cannot overstate how much the constant loading killed the flow of exploring in that game so seeing the new planet have these biomes that just flow into each other naturally is like a genuine relief, it feels more like a real place rather than a bunch of separate levels stitched together you know and I think it's going to make exploration way more engaging instead of something you just tolerate between missions. Also the vehicles, oh man they got a whole rework, more customization options and weapon mounts and proper multi-seat vehicles for co-op play. I'm actually excited about driving around with friends now which is something I never thought I'd say about a Borderlands game tbh.

Every character can mantle ledges and slide now movement is way more fluid more vertical and I'm pretty sure this is going to completely change how combat arenas work you're not just stuck on flat ground anymore you can actually get above enemies and reposition in ways that weren't possible before and I feel like that alone is going to make combat feel fresh even for people who've played hundreds of hours of BL3 like I have. Huge difference tbh. And there's dynamic world events that spawn randomly. Bandit raids, creature waves, supply drops. Basically Destiny 2 public event style stuff and all that so the world feels alive rather than just being a static backdrop for missions you know what I mean. Love it.

Gearbox is also teasing a sixth elemental damage type and I'm genuinely curious what it could be, you know the existing five are Incendiary Shock Corrosive Cryo and Radiation and honestly it feels like they've covered most of the bases already so maybe something like slag from BL2 but actually useful this time around ngl because slag was cool in concept but the whole swap weapons constantly thing got old fast I mean. But the thing I'm probably most excited about honestly, like the feature that made me actually say oh thank god out loud when I read about it, is the weapon crafting system. It's limited, you're not building guns from scratch or anything like that, basically you can modify individual weapon parts using resources you get from dismantling guns and that means you can finally fix that one legendary with a garbage scope that's been driving you insane for 20 levels, you get the idea and stuff like that.

Where does Borderlands 4 take place?

So the new planet is called Kairos which I think is a pretty cool name actually and the story picks up after BL3 with a new threat emerging from the whole mess the Destroyer left behind, all those vaults opening across the galaxy and who knows what kind of ancient evil aliens got woken up from that honestly it's kind of a big deal when you think about it. The Crimson Raiders are still around but as NPC allies now and the spotlight is on the new Vault Hunter team and I'm honestly okay with that because as much as I loved the old characters it's nice to get a fresh perspective you know what I mean. Totally fine with it.

Do I need to play previous Borderlands games?

You definitely don't need to play the old games first and I think that's a smart call honestly, the BL4 story is self-contained with new protagonists so you can just jump right in without feeling lost or whatever. And if you have played the earlier games you'll catch all the returning characters and lore references which is kind of a nice bonus but it's not required at all and I've heard they're including a story recap in the main menu anyway so new players can get up to speed without watching a three hour YouTube lore video or anything.

What engine does BL4 use?

They moved to Unreal Engine 5 for this one. I think it was the obvious choice honestly. BL3 was on a modified UE4 and it looked good for its time but UE5 brings Lumen lighting and Nanite geometry, the environmental detail in the reveal footage was noticeably better than anything BL3 could pull off, like you can actually see the difference side by side and it's not subtle at all tbh. Pretty impressive stuff I gotta say.

Will there be performance/quality modes on console?

Yeah so PS5 and Xbox Series X get a 60 FPS Performance mode and a 30 FPS Quality mode with ray tracing. Pretty standard for current gen at this point. And Xbox Series S targets 1440p at 60 FPS with some visual features turned down. I mean honestly that's about what you'd expect from that hardware, it's not as powerful as the other two, but it'll still run the game fine you know.