Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 feels like a course correction, steering the series back on track after Borderlands 3’s divisive reception. The first thing you notice is how good it feels to play. Gunplay has always been the core of the series, and here it is at its strongest. Weapons are more varied and imaginative, with a tighter focus on making each one feel unique rather than overwhelming players with endless but forgettable drops.

The new traversal mechanics—gliding, grappling, and wall-running—do not just add mobility, they expand how combat arenas function. Fights are faster, more vertical, and more flexible, letting players experiment with different approaches in ways the series never truly supported before.

Gameplay

The Vault Hunters benefit from this design shift too. Each of the four has a defined style that feels immediately distinct, but what makes them stand out is how viable they remain across the campaign. Whether you lean into solo play or join up in co-op, there is no “wrong choice,” and the skill trees are broad enough to encourage genuine experimentation. Builds are easier to respec and tune on the fly, so you are constantly adjusting based on the loot you find and the encounters you face. Combined with the much-improved loot balance, this creates a feedback loop where combat, discovery, and progression feed naturally into one another.

Kairos, the new setting, is both one of the game’s biggest strengths and one of its weak points. The shift to a more seamless, open world gives the adventure a stronger sense of scope, and when it works, it feels like a true playground. Exploration is rewarding, with side quests tucked into corners, environmental puzzles, and enemy strongholds that push you to adapt your loadout. But the sheer size of the world often works against it. Filler quests and respawning mobs stretch out playtime without adding much to the experience, and after a while, the loop of “clear area, collect loot, move to the next” starts to feel padded. This pacing problem is more noticeable later in the campaign, when new enemy types stop appearing and recycled encounters replace the excitement of discovery.

Storytelling, however, is where Borderlands 4 stumbles most. After the loud and divisive villains of Borderlands 3, Gearbox takes a safer, more subdued route. The Timekeeper is built up as a mysterious force manipulating events, and while his presence is intriguing, he never becomes the kind of villain you look forward to confronting. He feels more functional than memorable.

The supporting cast also lacks spark. Claptrap’s toned-down role avoids some of the grating humor of the past, but it also makes him feel muted. Returning faces are scattered too thin to carry the narrative weight, and the new resistance fighters often fall into forgettable archetypes. The writing is still peppered with jokes and absurd moments, but it struggles to balance humor with momentum, leaving the campaign feeling uneven.

Review

Still, Borderlands 4 is undeniably fun when judged by its moment-to-moment play. Few shooters can match the satisfaction of tearing through hordes of enemies with a perfectly tuned build and stumbling onto loot that changes how you approach your next fight. Co-op remains a highlight, and Gearbox continues to refine how scaling works so that different level players can jump in without breaking progression. Even with its weaker story and occasional bloat, the loop of combat and loot-chasing carries the game further than its narrative shortcomings would suggest.

Borderlands 4 may not reinvent the franchise, but it represents a steadying hand. It trims away some of the excess that weighed down Borderlands 3, while improving core systems to remind players why the series carved out its niche in the first place. It is not flawless, but for those who value the blend of chaotic gunplay and loot-driven progression, it delivers enough to keep the series relevant in an increasingly crowded shooter space.