If you’ve been on the hunt for the kind of game and universe that’ll have you stuck in a time-vacuum for hours on end, look no further. Borderlands 4 drops September 12, and it’s set to bring the kind of all-consuming chaos that makes “just one more mission” a genuine lie.
From the moment you touch down on Kairos, a massive new planet full of warring factions, hostile wildlife, and a tyrant called the Timekeeper, everything else kind of fades away. It’s big, it’s beautiful, and it’s fully ready to make you lose track of time.
There’s a whole planet to lose yourself in
Welcome to Kairos, an all-new planet built to be explored, looted and absolutely torn apart. It features four seamlessly connected regions — from rolling hills to icy mountains and shattered wastelands — are brimming with enemy factions, aggressive wildlife and secrets begging to be uncovered.
You’ll be spending a lot of time here, whether it’s capturing safehouses, taking down the Timekeeper’s grip on the world, or just cruising around on your Digirunner because, well, you can.
Four new Vault Hunters, endless ways to play
You get to pick from four new Vault Hunters, each with their own backstory, attitude, and ridiculous powers. Whether it’s Vex the Siren and her psychic edge, Rafa the exo-soldier with literal countdown drama, Harlowe the upbeat tech genius, or Amon the warrior-poet monster hunter — they all play completely differently.
Each one has three signature Action Skills and multiple branching skill trees, packed with socketable perks and wild effects.
You can build your character exactly how you want. Tanky, sneaky, support-y, pure chaos — you’ll spend half your time swapping gear and loadouts just to see what breaks the game hardest.
Weapons built to derail your day
The gun system in Borderlands 4 is as unhinged as ever, and this time, it’s evolved. With eight manufacturers and a new Licensed Parts system, you can now find weapons that combine traits from multiple brands.
That means you’re constantly picking up loot that feels different — a sniper that shoots sticky bombs, a shotgun that reloads like a boomerang, a pistol that also heals your squad.
The variety is mad. And yes, you’ll definitely spend too long in your inventory “just comparing stats.”
Play your way, with your people
Whether you’re going solo, jumping into a four-player squad online (with full crossplay), or kicking it split-screen on the couch, Borderlands 4 is built for every kind of chaos.
It’s smooth, flexible, and fully drop-in/drop-out, so your mates can join and leave whenever, without wrecking your progress.
There’s also instanced loot (no more fighting over that shiny SMG), adjustable difficulty for each player, and fast travel straight to your crew. It’s loud, fast, co-op mayhem — and somehow, it all works beautifully.
The reviews are already calling it the best Borderlands yet
Early reviews are seriously hyped about Borderlands 4, calling it the slickest, most polished entry in the series yet.
Creative Bloq raved about the new movement tricks, like double jumps and grappling hooks, that make exploring Kairos feel fresh and downright addictive. They also noted the game’s surprising depth, with a story that’s got real stakes without losing that classic Borderlands humour.
Over at ScreenRant, the combat got major props for being faster, smarter, and more tactical, while the wild new weapon customisation system (mixing parts from different manufacturers) keeps loot hunting endlessly exciting.
And then suddenly it’s 3AM
What starts as “I’ll just unlock one more Fast Travel point” will spiral into hours of levelling up your Vault Hunter, fine-tuning your build, zipping around Kairos on your Digirunner, testing new Action Skills, and chasing down rare loot drops that you absolutely don’t need but definitely want.
So mark your calendars, stock up on snacks, and maybe text your mates now, because September 12 is when Borderlands 4 lands, and you won’t be doing much else for a while.
Featured Image Credit: Supplied: 2K Games
The LADbible Team