Borderlands 4 Review

The Borderlands franchise has always walked a fine line between absurd chaos and being a sharp looter-shooter design. After the divisive Borderlands 3 released in 2019, many fans (myself included) wondered whether Gearbox still had it in them to crank out the nostalgic humor, gunplay, and storytelling. With the new installment, Borderlands 4 (BL4), the answer is a resounding "YES!"  

While early reviews have been mixed, it's clear to anyone who has spent a decent amount of time with the game that this is a major leap forward. From movement mechanics to villain design, Borderlands 4 feels like the studio finally stopped trying to outdo itself with excess and instead focused on making the core experience fun like it used to be.

Right off the bat, one of the most immediate changes you'll notice is how good it feels just to move around in an open world again. Where Borderlands 3 gave us slides and mantling, Borderlands 4 really goes all-in with gliding, grappling hooks, hover-packs, air dashes, and improved double jumps. And these aren't just gimmicks... they fundamentally reshape combat encounters (you'll know what I mean once you dig into the game).

Fights are no longer confined to flat arenas; now you're swooping down on enemies from above, scaling all kinds of structures, or darting across gaps to flank opponents. The addition of verticality makes combat more fluid, and exploration far less of a slog. For the first time, Borderlands feels like it can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with modern mobility shooters without losing its quirky DNA.

For those who would want to remember Borderlands 3, the game had Vault Hunters bouncing between planets, which often left the story feeling extremely disjointed. Borderlands 4 killed all of that and goes back to a single planet, Kairos. With sprawling environments that range from molten wastelands to lush forests to futuristic cityscapes, Kairos will quickly remind you of Borderlands 2 as you traverse the lands of Pandora.

This is a return to the basics. The world feels more coherent, the lore is rich, and exploration is far more rewarding. The transitions between zones are much smoother than in Borderlands 3, with fewer immersion-breaking load screens. My only complaint is that there are times when you feel like you'd be able to jump over a mountain or rock face while roaming the wastes, but you are met with these weird invisible walls. It doesn't bother you too much, but it is noticeable. It would be nice to see Gearbox address this in a future update. Outside of that, gamers should be thrilled to traverse an open world once more.

The "bazillion guns" promise has always been the Borderlands' bread and butter, but Borderlands 4 finally makes that variety meaningful. Weapons now feature multi-manufacturer parts, allowing for hybrid designs that mix and match perks. A Dahl rifle with Maliwan elemental mods? A Jakobs shotgun with Tediore self-reloading quirks? These combinations feel fresh instead of gimmicky.

Character builds also benefit from deeper trees, more action skill customization, and a flexible respec system. It's easy to experiment, try new playstyles, and shift strategies without feeling punished. Unlike Borderlands 3, which often nudged you into narrow build lanes, Borderlands 4 rewards creativity. There is quite a bit to experiment with, so be ready to possibly spend at least an hour looking over character skill trees.

Perhaps the most important refinement comes in tone. Borderlands 3's humor leaned heavily into meme culture, often drowning its story in cheap humor. You'll notice quickly that Borderlands 4 dials that wayyy back. It's still absurd, it's still funny, but it uses humor to complement rather than overwhelm the plot.

Supporting characters are given more breathing room, and emotional beats hit harder. The story has higher stakes thanks to a villain who isn't just loud but menacing (more on that later). For fans of Borderlands 2's balance between comedy and gravitas, Borderlands 4 is the closest the series has come in over a decade. (For those wondering which characters may reappear from past titles, be sure to pick up all the side missions you can find! You will certainly be surprised!)

Menus are streamlined, loot comparison is easier, and upgrading your storage or inventory is intuitive. Fast travel feels more seamless, co-op drop-in is smoother, and mission replayability is stronger. These changes may sound small, but together they make the game vastly more enjoyable to live in. One little update I appreciated was tucked away in the bottom of the 'gameplay' tab under the settings.

The introduction of the radar helps you focus on combat rather than things taking up real estate on your screen. Many fans have expressed their disdain for the radar, but I found it useful. Again, this may be something that Gearbox may have to address in a future update. Built on Unreal Engine 5, Borderlands 4 looks and feels like a true next-gen game. Lighting, particle effects, and draw distances are noticeably better, and each biome has its own visual identity.

Launch performance hasn't been perfect — PC players in particular have reported stutters and dips. However, the foundation is still strong, and patches have already improved stability. On the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the game runs well enough that the visual leap alone is worth noting. If I were to offer one word of advice, be sure to select "performance mode" instead of "quality mode." It just offers a better overall feel to the game. You are going to probably spend a lot of time adjusting the settings menu, so be prepared.

Borderlands games live and die by their Vault Hunters, and Borderlands 4 delivers one of its best yet with the Forgeknight (this is who I played with for this review). Part melee brawler, part battlefield engineer, the Forgeknight's defining feature is Weapon Forging: the ability to imbue guns with temporary modifiers mid-fight. Want your assault rifle to spit ice shards? Or your shotgun to transform into a molten cannon? With Forgeknight, it's not just possible, it's encouraged. 

Master Amon's trait revolves around three skill tree abilities that offer real variety. Molten Slam (Onslaughter equipped) serves up a devastating ground pound elemental powered that dishes out massive incendiary devastation. Firewall (Scourge equipped) provides a protective barrier that absorbs incoming projectiles and boosts your allies. Double Edge (Crucible equipped) is a dual-elemental axe-throwing machine that combines cry and incendiary damage.

In practice, the Forgeknight feels fluid and endlessly fun. Solo players can spec into near-indestructible wrecking ball builds, while co-op enthusiasts can lean into support roles. The mix of mobility and adaptability makes Amon one of the most exciting new Vault Hunters in years.

Sliding into a fight, grappling an enemy close, slamming down with a molten hammer strike, then swapping to a frost-imbued SMG is the kind of spectacle that makes Borderlands 4 combat sing. No Borderlands review is complete without talking about the villain, and Borderlands 4 delivers a worthy successor to Handsome Jack with The Timekeeper.

Instead of parodying TikTok culture like the Calypso Twins, The Timekeeper is something darker: a cold, calculating manipulator of time itself. The ability to rewind, slow, or even erase events raises both narrative tension and gameplay stakes. Boss encounters with The Timekeeper are some of the most inventive in the series, hands down.

Mid-fight, you'll be faced with all kinds of insane modifiers. For instance, some cooldowns may reverse, your movement slows down, or the entire damage phase may "rewind," forcing you to adapt on the fly. While some players call these battles punishing, they're far more engaging than the bullet-sponge bosses of past Borderlands titles.

What makes The Timekeeper truly compelling is his restraint. He's not cracking jokes every other line; instead, he challenges your motivations as a Vault Hunter, questioning the endless cycle of looting and killing. That philosophical edge gives the story more weight than you'd expect from a series known for chaos.

The result is a villain who feels menacing, memorable, and most of all, a worthy adversary. To be fair, not every criticism is unfounded. The release of this game wasn't pretty. Some of the main issues that should be addressed. In terms of performance, PC optimization is rough in places. Those who play on any rig may experience occasional stutters and dips in busy zones.

Also, the Boss fight balance doesn't seem right. Some late-game boss battles can DRAG, especially in solo play. And then there's the repetitive filler. A few side missions had you revisiting the same parts of the map several times. It made it feel less inspired, padding out the otherwise rich world. While these issues exist, they're not deal-breakers by any means. Many reviews that exist now lean too heavily on them, ignoring the huge strides made elsewhere.

So why do I think the game is better than some critics seem to suggest? As I mentioned earlier, the game is both fun and transformative. Traversal isn't a footnote; it's the heart of what makes this Borderlands entry a TON of fun. It makes you feel more involved in fights with mini-bosses and major boss battles. Borderlands 4 fixed what was broken in Borderlands 3 and improved the game in nearly every way. It doesn't blow up the formula, but polishes it into something more enjoyable, minute by minute.

If anything, the endgame shouldn't make gamers sad. Borderlands has tons of replayable bosses, challenge scaling, and loot depth that give the game staying power. If you thought you spent tons of time playing Borderlands 2, you will certainly be putting in the same, if not more time, into Borderlands 4. The game's tone strikes a good balance. The humor is there, but it's no longer drowning out character and plot like its predecessor. Players should have no issues diving back into the world of vault hunting.

Borderlands 4 doesn't try to be louder, zanier, or more outrageous than its predecessors. Instead, it focuses on being better. The game digs deeper into build variety, grounding its story, and delivering a villain with real gravitas. This 4th installment finally feels like the old days of Borderlands that fans have been salivating for since Borderlands 2.

Yes, there are some minor tweaks needed to improve gameplay, but these are miniscule compared to the overall achievement. Every vault hunter offers a vast build diversity that will keep even the seasoned Borderlands veterans busy for a long time. 

For seasoned fans who felt burned by Borderlands 3, this game offers a path to redemption. For newcomers, this would be a perfect entry point to the series and serves up tons of lore that will make you want to run back and play the previous titles. Borderlands 4 is proof that sometimes refinement beats reinvention.