Review: Borderlands 4

Borderlands has always been a series that leans heavily into chaotic gunplay, loot-driven progression, and irreverent humour.

Having played every entry in the franchise, my strongest memories remain of Borderlands 2, where my wife and I sank hours into couch co-op in the early years of our marriage when I converted her from PC to console gaming.

Borderlands 4 arrives on Xbox Series X with plenty of expectations to meet, not only from longtime players but also from a new generation who may be experiencing it for the first time.

Gameplay

At its core, Borderlands 4 sticks to the formula that works: shoot, loot, and repeat. The gunplay feels tighter than in past entries, with a noticeable improvement in hit detection and weapon feedback. Each weapon manufacturer has been given more distinct traits and there is still very little in gaming that compares to the joy of finding a gun that just clicks with you.

The new Vault Hunters bring some freshness to the formula. Each has three fully customisable skill trees, and the game allows cross-tree experimentation in a way that makes builds more flexible. I tried a skillset that emphasised crowd control while my wife focused on elemental burst damage. Together, our synergy made encounters more tactical and less of a simple bullet storm.

Borderlands 4 also leans into large-scale world variety. The game features a number of major planets to explore, each offering distinct ecosystems and quests. The environmental design is strong enough that each world feels like more than just a backdrop.

Vehicles return but with better handling, and new traversal mechanics such as grappling points give combat arenas a more vertical feel. Couch co-op remains intact and is joined by seamless online cross-play, a welcome addition for those who cannot sit side-by-side.

We struggled to play Borderlands 3 in couch co-op as it didn’t feel optimised for two players. Menus bled into each other; there were lots of little things cut-off and the game felt sluggish.

Borderlands 4 fixes some of these issues but not the performance ones in co-op. It’s beautiful in single player and I’ll get into that below, but I was bummed that couch co-op wasn’t better optimised. Maybe I have nostalgia goggles for the older games, but I remember Borderlands 1 and 2 running smoothly back on the Xbox 360.

Here’s the thing though, it’s still fun enough that we will wait for a sale or for it to hopefully become available on PS Plus Premium so that we can play online co-op in future. That’s how we ended up playing Borderlands 3 (lucky to have both consoles and two TVs).

On Xbox Series X, Borderlands 4 runs smoothly at 60fps in performance mode, with a fidelity mode targeting 4K at 30fps. The art direction remains cel-shaded but sharper and more refined. Lighting effects, especially neon-lit interiors and desert sunsets, highlight how much the series has evolved technically without abandoning its comic-book aesthetic. Character models have more expression, which enhances the humour and storytelling.

Load times are minimal thanks to the SSD, and texture pop-in, a recurring issue in earlier entries, is almost gone. Split-screen co-op still causes a dip in performance, but not enough to break immersion.

Value for Money

Borderlands 4 offers a generous campaign with over 40 hours of main and side content. The endgame loop has been expanded with raid-style encounters and a roguelike-inspired mode where loot drops are more unpredictable. For players who enjoy the grind, this adds replayability without feeling padded.

Season passes and microtransactions are present, but they remain largely cosmetic. Compared to some other shooters, Borderlands 4 gives solid value upfront without forcing players into additional spending. The game is currently R 1499 and available on Xbox Series, PS5 and soon on Nintendo Switch 2.

Final Verdict

Borderlands 4 balances the familiar with enough innovation to justify its place in the series. The shooting is refined, the humour lands more often than not, and the co-op experience remains one of the best in gaming. Playing on Xbox Series X highlights a great version of Gearbox’s chaotic vision, with performance and graphical improvements noticeable throughout.

It is not a radical reinvention, but Borderlands 4 succeeds in delivering what long-time fans want while offering enough new features to keep the grind enjoyable. It was a blast to play and I look forward to my subsequent play through with the wife when it goes on sale.