Borderlands 4, as we learned this week, is now arriving earlier than expected – but definitely not because of GTA 6, oh no. And with its revised 12th September release date now out there, developer Gearbox has shared more of its latest looty shooter in a new PlayStation showcase.
Weighing in at around 20 minutes, Gearbox’s PlayStation-hosted Borderlands 4 “deep dive” video spotlights a couple of new Vault Hunters, some of its new weapons, new traversal mechanics, its new planet, and more – all to whip-up enthusiasm for what creative director Graeme Timmins called “hands-down our best Borderlands ever”.
Borderlands 4 – which supposedly harkens back to a time when the series was more “grounded”, according to Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford – features four new Vault Hunters, and two were the focus of the studio’s showcase: Vex the Siren and Rafa the Exo-Soldier.
Vex can utilise supernatural phase energy and conjure deadly minions, while Rafa comes equipped with an experimental exo-suit capable of “digistructing” an arsenal of weapons. In an accompanying PlayStation Blog post, Gearbox noted players can choose from three signature abilities for their Vault Hunters, and there’s talk of unique class Traits, special arguments, capstone abilities, and three branching upgrade paths of passive skills.
The team also highlighted some of Borderlands 4 new movement abilities – including gliding, dashing, double-jumping, and point-grappling – as they offered a short introduction to the Kairos, the all-new, seamlessly connected planet where the series’ latest action unfolds. Expect new faces, returning characters – including Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane – plus a personalised Digirunner vehicle players can summon to speed around the place.
There’s plenty more detail to be found across Gearbox’s deep dive video and blog post, so if any of that appeals, remember: Borderlands 4 now launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 12th September and not two weeks later. Why? That’s “100 percent” down to the studio’s “confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates”, according to Pitchford. And really, honestly, nothing to do with publisher Take-Two wanting to nudge it out the way of its other big game, GTA 6.