Gearbox revealed Borderlands 4 at The Game Awards on December 12, 2024, introducing the planet Kairos, its ruler the Timekeeper, new Vault Hunters, and a slate of combat and traversal features. The “biggest and most insane world” line was Gearbox leader Randy Pitchford’s promotional description—not a published measurement comparing map sizes. The game later launched on September 12, 2025.
What Gearbox showed in the reveal
The first gameplay trailer introduced Kairos as the setting for the next mainline Borderlands game. The reveal also presented the Timekeeper as a central villain and showed new factions and Vault Hunters. Gearbox promoted skill trees, weapons and loot, seamless travel between zones, dynamic events, side missions, traversal abilities, and a summonable vehicle. These were announced features, not independent findings about how well they work in play.
Gearbox framed the game as playable solo or cooperatively with up to four players. The official FAQ describes Borderlands 4 as a first-person looter shooter; its listed multiplayer options include online groups of up to four and two-player split-screen on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The official FAQ is a Spanish-language regional page, so platform and store availability may vary by market.
What “biggest and most insane world” means
Pitchford described the game this way: “This is by far the biggest and most insane world we’ve ever made.” His longer quote continued in deliberately over-the-top language about monsters, guns, loot, and the story. It is best read as studio hype: the cited reveal coverage provides no map-area figure or standardized comparison that would establish Kairos as objectively larger than worlds in earlier games.
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#1 Best Overall
- BE A BADASS: Become an unstoppable force of battle, blasting through enemies with an all-new arsenal of outrageous weaponry. Move across the Borderlands like never before—double jumping, gliding, dodging, grappling, and more—dealing death from every direction. Explode each encounter with devastating Action Skills that unleash your Vault Hunter's unique abilities. Craft your perfect build with branching skill trees and a deep, rewarding loot chase full of wild weapons and powerful gear.
- FIGHT SOLO OR CO-OP: Wreaking havoc across Kairos is awesome alone and even better with friends in 2-player splitscreen or up to 4-player online co-op.* Borderlands 4 is designed for co-op from the ground up; whether you're hunting for loot, tackling missions, or wandering freely, level scaling and individual difficulty keeps the party together and having fun.
- LESS BORDERS, MORE LANDS: Freely explore a vast and dangerous world rife with warring factions. Hop on your hover bike and ride through lush fields, towering peaks, and deadly deserts full of fearsome enemies, dynamic events, and engaging quests with unforgettable characters. Unite the people of Kairos and ignite a revolution, tackling this adventure however you see fit in a seamless Borderlands experience.
The reveal article also relayed a publisher claim about “billions” of weapons. That is promotional language, not a verified count of distinct items. The more useful takeaway is that Gearbox was emphasizing exploration, traversal, events, and loot as central parts of the experience.
Release date and platforms
The December 2024 reveal coverage said Borderlands 4 was planned for 2025. That window was superseded by 2K’s later announcement: the game launched on September 12, 2025. 2K’s launch-date announcement gives the official date.
Rank #2
- DELUXE EDITION CONTENT — Includes the Borderlands 4 base game, Firehawk's Fury Weapon Skin, and Bounty Pack Bundle with four separate post-launch DLC packs: Bounty Pack 2, 3, 4, and 5.
- BOUNTY PACK BUNDLE — Explore four unique areas with new missions and a unique boss, plus four Vault Cards, new Vault Hunter cosmetics, four new vehicles with cosmetics, and new Legendary Gear.
- BE A BADASS — Blast through enemies with an arsenal of weapons, use dynamic movement abilities, and unleash your Vault Hunter's Action Skills in intense shooter combat.
- BUILD YOUR VAULT HUNTER — Customize your build with branching skill trees and pursue powerful gear as you take on enemies across Kairos.
- EXPLORE KAIROS — Ride your hover bike across lush fields, towering peaks, and deadly deserts, discovering warring factions, dynamic events, quests, and unforgettable characters.
The official FAQ lists PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as platforms, and says a Nintendo Switch 2 version is forthcoming. Because that FAQ is regional, check the relevant local storefront for current availability and terms rather than assuming the same release status everywhere.
Co-op, editions, and add-ons
The FAQ lists Standard, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe editions. Physical editions are platform- and region-dependent: the FAQ describes U.S. physical options as Standard and Super Deluxe for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, while other regions may have Standard, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe physical versions for those consoles. Confirm the live retailer listing before choosing a format or edition.
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- BE A BADASS: Become an unstoppable force of battle, blasting through enemies with an all-new arsenal of outrageous weaponry. Move across the Borderlands like never before—double jumping, gliding, dodging, grappling, and more—dealing death from every direction. Explode each encounter with devastating Action Skills that unleash your Vault Hunter's unique abilities. Craft your perfect build with branching skill trees and a deep, rewarding loot chase full of wild weapons and powerful gear.
- FIGHT SOLO OR CO-OP: Wreaking havoc across Kairos is awesome alone and even better with friends in 2-player splitscreen or up to 4-player online co-op.* Borderlands 4 is designed for co-op from the ground up; whether you're hunting for loot, tackling missions, or wandering freely, level scaling and individual difficulty keeps the party together and having fun.
- LESS BORDERS, MORE LANDS: Freely explore a vast and dangerous world rife with warring factions. Hop on your hover bike and ride through lush fields, towering peaks, and deadly deserts full of fearsome enemies, dynamic events, and engaging quests with unforgettable characters. Unite the people of Kairos and ignite a revolution, tackling this adventure however you see fit in a seamless Borderlands experience.
- Hall Effect Thumbsticks and Triggers – Contact-free magnetic sensors in the thumbsticks and triggers provide a more fluid pro-level feel to help with precision and longevity
- Low Latency Wireless – Play wirelessly on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10/11 using the included Wireless USB Adapter
2K’s store page lists the base game and add-on packs, including the Bounty Pack Bundle and Vault Hunter Pack. The FAQ says post-launch content is sold separately and requires the base game. Check the current listing for the exact contents and release timing of each add-on; the edition names alone do not establish which specific content is included. 2K’s store page is the publisher’s reference for its current product listings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the franchise statistic fits
In December 2024, 2K said the Borderlands franchise had sold in more than 87 million copies to date. That is a franchise-wide sell-in figure—not Borderlands 4 sales and not a count of copies bought directly by players.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Includes all four add-on packs released to date (on disc), as well as fold-out gameworld map
- Intense combination of FPS and RPG gameplay with Borderlands' random gun generator provides endless weapon variety
- Tear through the relentless monsters of Pandora with a crew of up to 3 of your friends in multiple modes including split-screen co-op
- Get behind the wheel of and engage in intense vehicle-to-vehicle combat
- Online multiplayer support for up to 4 players
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