"April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay"

The April 2025 State of Play provided an in-depth look at Borderlands 4, showcasing a 20-minute gameplay deep dive that thrilled fans with new features and mechanics. Dive into the latest details revealed and explore the speculations surrounding the game's adjusted launch date.

Borderlands 4 State of Play: New Details Revealed

20-Minute Gameplay Deep Dive Video

The Borderlands 4 State of Play, streamed on April 30, offered fans a new 20-minute gameplay deep dive video. This video highlighted two of the four new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who harnesses supernatural phase energy to empower herself and summon deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper equipped with an experimental exo-suit capable of digistructing a versatile arsenal of weapons.

The gameplay takes place on the new planet of Kairos, characterized by warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. Players are tasked with igniting a revolution against this tyrant, collaborating with unique factions and enlisting them in their cause. Beloved characters like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist in this epic quest.

New features introduced include a licensed Parts system for customizing weapon behaviors and abilities, new Gear slots for more specialized builds, and the ability to ride a new vehicle called the Digirunner, among other exciting additions.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change is Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4’s release date would be moved up by two weeks. The studio attributed this change to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans speculated that this decision might be influenced by the release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6).

Both Gearbox Software and Rockstar Games, the developers of Borderlands and GTA respectively, are owned by Take-Two Interactive. This connection led fans to believe that the companies might be strategically adjusting their release schedules. During Take-Two Interactive’s earnings call in November 2024, the company confirmed intentions to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025, which would not overlap with Borderlands 4’s planned release window in the 2026 fiscal year (from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026).

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized in a November 2024 interview with Variety that the company would not unnecessarily stack major releases. Despite these assurances, speculation persisted. Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford addressed these rumors via Twitter (X) on April 30, firmly stating that the decision to move up the release date was solely due to confidence in their product, with "0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Regardless of the reasons behind the change, fans can look forward to experiencing Borderlands 4 earlier than anticipated. The game is set to launch on September 12, 2025, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates by checking out our related articles!