For those looking forward to returning to the wacky and juvenile sci-fi universe of Borderlands, series developer Gearbox Software shared a great update. The next Borderlands game is releasing 11 sooner than originally scheduled. And while it's a sign that the game’s development is going unexpectedly smooth, it may also be a sign of how things are going for another big game published by 2K Games.
Borderlands 4 will now be released on September 12 instead of September 23 later this year. The new release date was announced on X alongside a PlayStation livestream focused entirely on Borderlands 4. The stream will take place at 5 p.m. Eastern time on April 30, according to the PlayStation Blog, and will include a look at gameplay, player builds, and of course, a sampling of the game’s varied weapons.
The Frisco-based studio said that it decided to move its release date up after “careful consideration — along with a lot of meetings, playtesting.”
The mainline Borderlands series — which kicked off the looter-shooter trend that games like Destiny would further popularize — has been missing in action for the last six years (not counting the abysmal 2024 film). 2019’s Borderlands 3 was well received enough, though some of the series' unique luster and appeal of its distinctly 2000s sense of humor began to fade. And while the return of the adventure game spinoff Tales Of The Borderlands brought fans back for another into the universe, it failed to live up to Telltale Games’ beloved original. Borderlands 4 Narrative Director Sam Winkler has already made it clear that the series' signature humor will evolve beyond its juvenile roots that date back 14 years.
But while these are all pretty solid developments for Borderlands 4, the first-person shooter’s new release date also brings attention to the still unknown release date of Grand Theft Auto 6. We know that Rockstar Games’ next open-world game is still set to release sometime this Fall (for now, at least), and that Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said the release dates of Borderlands 4 and Grand Theft Auto 6 would be staggered far from one another to avoid cannibalizing each other’s sales.
“It's safe to say that we wouldn't — and no one would — stack up huge releases unnecessarily," Zelnick told Variety last November.
Moving the release date up a few weeks would be a pretty smart way to clear the way for a yet-to-be-announced juggernaut that most of the industry is trying to avoid. When releasing games in the fall, Rockstar has favored late October releases (Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) more than any other time frame, even when delays pushed it out of the fall. If by some miracle GTA 6 hits its Fall target, having Borderlands 4 come out at least six weeks beforehand is more than enough breathing room for the returning looter shooter.
There is of course the possibility that Borderlands 4’s shift in release date isn’t about GTA 6 at all. Just last week, PlayStation announced its biggest game of the year, Ghost Of Yōtei, is releasing on October 2. Since Gearbox is working with PlayStation on Borderlands 4’s marketing, there’s also a solid chance it wants to distance itself from Sucker Punch Production’s own open-world sequel. Considering 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima sold over 13 million copies as of last September, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to give the upcoming samurai game some space.
Either way, Borderlands 4 planting its flag early in what’s sure to be a hectic holiday season is best for the development team and for players. The beloved series should capitalize on its influential legacy by releasing its next entry at a time when it’s not competing with other games people are looking forward to. The Borderlands games being as long as they are, this will also give players plenty of time to soak in the sights of colorful deep space.
