Borderlands 4 Launch Advanced, GTA 6 Impact?

Gearbox's upcoming first-person shooter, Borderlands 4, will now launch 11 days ahead of schedule, as announced by development chief Randy Pitchford in a video that seems to have been released prematurely.

Borderlands 4 was originally scheduled for September 23, but will now arrive on September 12 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

In the video, Pitchford stated, "Everything is going extremely well—better than we could have hoped. The game is fantastic, the team is performing beautifully, which is why we're moving the launch date forward. Borderlands 4 will now release on September 12."

"Can you believe it? This almost never happens! We're actually releasing the game earlier! You're getting Borderlands 4 sooner than expected!"

Pitchford also mentioned that the previously announced PlayStation State of Play event, featuring Borderlands 4, is scheduled to go live very soon.

Naturally, this unexpected decision has raised questions about whether Borderlands 4's earlier release is connected to Grand Theft Auto 6, the highly anticipated title from Rockstar. GTA 6 is still slated to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S sometime in fall 2025—a broad window that could overshadow other games, including Borderlands 4. Did Borderlands 4 move to secure some breathing room?

It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns GTA developer Rockstar. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, there is complete visibility over all company releases, development progress, and a strategic focus on maximizing each title's success. It's possible that GTA 6's release plans recently became clearer, prompting an earlier Borderlands 4 launch for better market positioning.

With Borderlands 4 now set for September 12, we can likely rule out a GTA 6 release in August or September. Could it launch in October, November, or even December 2025? All options appear to be on the table. The challenge for Take-Two is avoiding self-competition by releasing major titles too close together. Also worth noting is Mafia: The Old Country, another 2K title scheduled for a summer 2025 release.

Does releasing major titles—especially GTA 6—in close succession risk cannibalizing sales? We posed that question to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in a February interview.

As expected, Zelnick explained that Take-Two carefully plans its releases to minimize overlap, emphasizing respect for players' time and engagement with each title.

"We schedule our releases to avoid any conflict," Zelnick said. "What we’ve found is that when consumers are engaged with hit games, they remain open to other high-quality titles. In fact, even competing hits benefit the industry overall—and we certainly hope most of those hits are ours. We're confident in our planning and will ensure each game gets the attention it deserves."

Of course, there’s also the possibility that GTA 6 could be delayed further, perhaps into late 2025 or even early 2026.

"There’s always a chance of delays, and I try not to speak in absolutes," Zelnick responded when IGN asked about his confidence in a fall 2025 launch. "That said, we're feeling very positive about the timeline."