Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, Borderlands 4, is set to launch earlier than expected. In a surprising announcement, Randy Pitchford, the development chief, revealed in a video that the release date has been moved forward by 11 days. Originally scheduled for September 23, Borderlands 4 will now hit the shelves on September 12, 2025, across multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
In the video, Pitchford expressed his excitement, stating, "Everything is going great, actually. In fact, everything is going kind of the best-case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking, and so the launch date for Borderlands 4 is changing. We’re moving it forward. The launch date is now September 12." He emphasized the rarity of moving a release date earlier, saying, "What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get Borderlands 4 earlier!"
Additionally, Pitchford mentioned that a PlayStation State of Play event focused on Borderlands 4 is expected to be released soon, further building anticipation for the game.
The decision to advance the release date has sparked speculation about its potential relation to the looming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), another major title from Take-Two, the parent company of both 2K Games, the publisher of Borderlands 4, and Rockstar, the developer of GTA 6. GTA 6 is slated for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The move to release Borderlands 4 earlier might be strategic, aiming to give it a clearer window before GTA 6 potentially overshadows other game releases.
Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, addressed concerns about the timing of their major releases in an interview with IGN, stating, "No, I think we will plan the releases so as not to have that be a problem. And what we found is when you're giving consumers hits, they tend to be interested in pursuing other hits. In other words, I've said this many times, even when the hits aren't ours, they're a good thing for the industry. In this case, we hope that the hits will largely be ours. So we feel really good about it and I think that we will time our releases so as to respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next."
Zelnick also acknowledged the inherent risks of game development, particularly when asked about the confidence in hitting the fall 2025 release for GTA 6. He remarked, "Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it."
With Borderlands 4 set for a September 12 release, speculation continues about the exact release date for GTA 6, which could be anytime from October to December 2025. There's also the possibility of a delay into early 2026. Meanwhile, another 2K game, Mafia: The Old Country, is slated for a summer 2025 launch, adding to the crowded calendar of major game releases.
