Borderlands 4 Reviews
Borderlands 4 was awaited with excitement and skepticism, but it has the potential to be the best installment in the series to date. The new and changed aspects bring a breath of fresh air to the already traditional series. Good aspects have been retained, while weaknesses and points of criticism have been changed. First and foremost, of course, is the structure and presentation of the game world. The open areas are much more inviting to explore. This means you'll find unexpected things more often or get into absurd situations or firefights. It's also worth teaming up with friends and using the (slightly modified) co-op mode. The combat is even more dynamic and therefore more fun thanks to dozens of different skills, weapon modes, and (completely random) explosive barrels lying around everywhere that can be thrown. The weapons once again have serious distinguishing features and random modifications, which fuels the search for the (personally) perfect setup. Of course, we also have to mention the performance, which was rather mediocre, especially at launch. The minimum hardware requirements for PC are very high and will prevent some people from enjoying the game at all. And even with better hardware, compromises still have to be made. However, the first patches have already improved this. How far this journey will go, however, remains to be seen. I already had the opportunity to see and play Borderlands 4 at Gamescom, and after that, I was finally hyped for the game, which was already a must-have for me anyway. Almost all of my criticisms have been eliminated or at least made irrelevant. In my opinion, this is the best installment in the series, leaving little room for improvement. So if you're into shooters or loot, or even better, loot shooters, you'll have a good time here.
Review in German | Read full review
Borderlands 4 bets on refined gameplay mechanics, extremely charismatic characters, and even more chaos to become the most fun game in the entire franchise, delivering a solid experience for any fan of loot-based games. It also serves as an excellent entry point for both the genre and the Borderlands series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Borderlands 4 is one of the best additions to the series and a significant evolution in the franchise
Review in Greek | Read full review
Borderlands 4 shines with its open world and Unreal Engine 5 visuals, but performance issues and weak loot hold it back. Still, once polished, fans will see it’s a solid step forward.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Borderlands 4 is for the most part a big step forward. The gameplay feels better than ever, the Vault Hunters have much more personality and you get tons of movement upgrades. The world however is not as diverse as previous games, the structure of the story makes it feels a lot smaller and Gearbox hasn't yet mastered the technical side of the game. Hopefully the technical problems can be fixed before launch.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Borderlands 4 once again proves this series still delivers hours of pure chaos and over-the-top fun, especially with friends. The gunplay is fantastic, the open world vibrant and full of things to do, but the formulaic story, bland villains, and technical hiccups show Gearbox still hasn’t fired all its shots.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Borderlands 4 nails everything that a Borderlands sequel should. The story is excellent with a lot to look forward to via DLC, and the cast of characters, including your Vault Hunter, contribute to much of that story, in really engaging ways. With some great writing, solid humor, without going overboard, it causes the rest of the package to really shine. Combat is constantly engaging, the unique biomes offer a ton to explore, and with the endgame systems in place, there is a good amount to tackle while additional content is rolled out.
Despite navigation and interface flaws, Borderlands 4 is, without a doubt, an ambitious and extremely fun new direction for the franchise. For those who have always loved the series' stylized chaos, the adventure in Kairos is unmissable, and for newcomers, it's the best entry point since the first game.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite subpar performance, a strange lack of identity, and the PR disaster Borderlands 4 has been garnering online, it really is a fun game with an engaging story full of fun and interesting characters. The negatives around the game really do weigh on it, of course, but when you can really sink your teeth into the meat and potatoes, Borderlands 4 is genuinely one of the most fun, if not the most fun, entry in the series so far.
After years of struggling to get into the series, Borderlands 4 finally hooked me. The fresh world of Kairos, featuring a largely new cast and refined gameplay, makes exploration and combat genuinely enjoyable. Side quests, collectibles, and boss battles are rewarding, and the story sneaks up on you when you least expect it. A soft reboot that works for both newcomers and longtime fans.
Players should really listen to Randy Pitchford on this one and leave Borderlands 4 alone for now. It's a fun game when it works, which isn't often, and it'll probably be better in a year when it's cheaper and hopefully fixed.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
While playing Borderlands 4, I constantly found myself enjoying the world that the game is set in, as it was full of colorful landscapes, as well as the numerous forms of life that made the game feel complete. The side quests, as always, were very fun and kept me interested for a very long time, but after a while the long distances to run between them and their objectives did get tiresome.
Despite its faults, Borderlands 4 is frantic fun that still works offers more than the reductive “it’s more Borderlands“. While the technical issues at launch were many, they have been ironed out and this has become a game I recommend. It’s the game that fans have been wanting since the days of Borderlands 2—a refined, expansive, and deeply rewarding experience. The new movement system, the mature narrative, and the gorgeous, seamless world are just too good to ignore. Gearbox is back in a big way, and Borderlands 4 is the best the series has ever been.
Borderlands 4 isn’t just another loot grind; it’s a full evolution. The childish humour hasn’t vanished, but it’s been tempered by a more serious tone, smarter mechanics, and a world that finally feels alive.
While Borderlands 4 does still have some performance problems, the general gameplay and writing are a marked improvement over where the last two installments in the series were on launch. The series feels like it's taken a major leap forward in this latest entry.
Borderlands 4 represents both the series' greatest triumph and most serious technical frustrations simultaneously. When everything aligns correctly, it delivers the most mechanically refined Borderlands experience ever created. The foundation is excellent, but the technical polish just isn’t there yet.
The best Borderlands game to date, if your PC is premium enough to handle the deadly mix of Unreal Engine 5 and Denuvo DRM with an open-world game.
Borderlands 4 feels like the redemption arc the franchise needed - it's smarter, slicker, and more self-aware, bringing the series back to form without losing what made it special in the first place.
In the end, Borderlands 4 excels at the aspects that made it a success in the first place. The story isn’t going to blow your socks off, but it’s more than capable of keeping you interested throughout its entire run. The Timekeeper ends up being a more than capable villain with just the right amount of quirky one-liners and despicable acts of violence that feel right at home in the Borderlands universe. Each Vault Hunter feels unique in their own right and is a blast to play, and the gunplay is as smooth as ever with thousands of combinations at your fingertips to experiment with as you see fit. Overall, Borderlands 4 ends up being a solid entry in the mythos, and fans of the originals will no doubt feel at home in its endless mounds of loot and over-the-top violence.
I’ve spent around 55 hours ploughing through the main story. I have barely touched the side quests, and there are some areas untouched. This leads me to believe that I have hours of action left to explore. The plot is so good that I’d happily enjoy it repeatedly with each Vault Hunter build. Consequently, this should have hundreds of hours of gameplay if you so wish. Borderlands 4 is GOTY material. Juggling this and Dying Light has not been easy. Both crave attention, and I don’t have enough hours in my life. However, it has been a pleasant change of pace and a challenge I would accept again. Borderlands 4 is packed full of energy, madness, and weapons. The open world is great, and the plot is zany, ridiculous, and worth every second. Accordingly, this is GOTY material, and you should pick up a copy from the Xbox store.