Borderlands 4 State of Play April 2025: Everything Announced

Gearbox Software conscionable wrapped up its Borderlands 4 State of Play, revealing 20 minutes of caller gameplay and details from its highly anticipated looter shooter.

The presumption hops close into the enactment with the committedness that the 2025 Borderlands introduction is the studio’s champion and astir grounded outing yet, promising large gameplay changes that scope from caller traversal abilities to loot driblet look changes. Gearbox managed to capable the 20-minute showcase with reveals astir however Borderlands 4 ups the ante with caller mechanics and refreshed existing features, and we’ve got each the highlights close here.

Movement Abilities

Every Borderlands rubric updates its traversal mechanics successful caller ways, and Borderlands 4 looks to beryllium nary different. We’ve seen hints of immoderate of the caller looter-shooter tools players volition person astatine their disposal erstwhile its merchandise day rolls astir this September, but today’s gameplay footage gave america a clearer look astatine what’s to come.

Vault hunters tin instrumentality vantage of a precise Destiny-like midair hover this clip around, giving players the state to sprout portion airborne oregon scope faraway ledges. There’s besides a grappling hook that tin beryllium utilized for some combat and exploration, arsenic good arsenic a dash for those last-second dodges. Vehicles, of course, proceed to beryllium a large constituent successful Borderlands 4, too, and this clip around, it appears we’ll person the state to spawn our rides, including the caller Digirunner, wherever we please.

Guns and Manufacturers

We’ve gotten a sensation of the caller Vault Hunter traversal mechanics successful erstwhile showcases, but today’s State of Play truly enactment the weapon manufacturers successful the spotlight. There’s a full of 8 companies supplying players’ escapade this clip around, meaning 3 caller ones – Order, Ripper, and Daedalus – volition beryllium down immoderate of Borderlands 4’s caller toys.

Like the different returning manufacturers, each newcomer features unsocial limb designs and abilities. Borderlands 4 is taking things 1 measurement further, however, by introducing a caller rotation connected its existing weapon mechanics: the Licensed Parts System. Gun tin present beryllium comprised of a assortment of antithetic parts from antithetic manufacturers, meaning you tin find an battle firearm with elemental components developed by Maliwan, an ammo clip made by Torgue, and a shield from Hyperion. Higher rarity weapons travel with much parts, making that quest for large loot drops much important than ever.

Story

The Borderlands 4 State of Play follows 2 Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren and an exosuit-wearing erstwhile Tediore worker named Rafa. The erstwhile playable quality uses Siren abilities to conjure beings to assistance successful battle, portion the second builds tools similar Ark Knives to teardrop enemies isolated connected the fly. Today’s gameplay sees the duo warring done cold, unfastened arenas passim the Terminus Range, 1 of 4 zones to research connected the satellite Kairos.

Borderlands 4 volition travel the series’ inclination of moving into aged faces portion introducing caller ones. Some acquainted names that showed up during today’s State of Play see Moxxi, Zane, Amara, and, of course, Claptrap, though determination were besides a fewer hints that we mightiness larn much astir Lilith, too. New characters see a towering, armored idiosyncratic named Rush and a adjuvant robot named Echo 4. The useful robot companion volition travel players for the duration of Borderlands 4, aiding with exploration by scanning environments, hacking, and starring mislaid Vault Hunters to their adjacent objective.

Multiplayer

Borderlands 4 players volition beryllium blessed to perceive Gearbox has made an effort to streamline the co-op process this clip around. In summation to what it calls “an improved lobby system,” it should beryllium easier to articulation up with friends astatine a moment’s notice. Crossplay volition beryllium disposable astatine launch, too, with each loot instanced for each subordinate and dynamic level scaling meaning you’ll person state with friends connected immoderate platform.

Customization wrong your parties goes adjacent further, arsenic Gearbox has implemented a diagnostic that allows everyone to person their ain trouble settings abstracted from 1 another. Making the travel with friends easier is divided surface sofa co-op, which volition beryllium disposable astatine launch, arsenic good arsenic an summation that allows players to accelerated question to their buddies if idiosyncratic gets lost.

Borderlands 4 besides features a little accidental for Legendary loot drops, dense caller accomplishment trees, and truthful overmuch more. Rep Kit cogwheel volition person players choosing betwixt a speedy revive and impermanent combat buff, portion Ordnances springiness fans the enactment to capable a cooldown weapons slot with either grenades oregon unsocial dense weapons. There’s besides Enhancements, which regenerate Artifacts successful favour of gifting bonuses to guns from circumstantial manufacturers.

Borderlands 4 precocious moved up its PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S merchandise day 11 days from September 23 to September 12. A Nintendo Switch 2 mentation is owed retired astatine an unspecified constituent aboriginal successful the year, too.

Despite speculation from fans, Gearbox brag Randy Pitchford says the scheduled shingle up has thing to bash with the long-awaited merchandise day of Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto 6. Expect to larn much astir Borderlands 4 arsenic we hold for Gearbox to uncover much astir its upcoming hands-on gameplay lawsuit successful June.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance contributor with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).