April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay Deep Dive

The State of Play event for Borderlands 4 offered an exciting 20-minute gameplay deep dive, showcasing new features and mechanics of the eagerly awaited looter shooter. Delve into the fresh details unveiled and explore fan theories about the game's altered release 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, provided a comprehensive look at the game through a new 20-minute gameplay deep dive video. This video introduced two of the four new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who harnesses supernatural phase energy and can summon deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper equipped with an experimental exo-suit that allows him to digistruct an arsenal of weapons.

Players were also introduced to the new planet, Kairos, which is characterized by warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants, all under the rule of the oppressive Timekeeper. The objective is to spark a revolution against this tyrant, forging alliances with unique factions and enlisting their support. Familiar characters like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist in this quest.

The gameplay deep dive also highlighted new features, including the innovative licensed Parts system, which allows players to customize their weapons by mixing and matching behaviors and abilities. New Gear slots enable more specialized builds, and players can now ride a new vehicle, the Digirunner, adding to the excitement.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change is Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4 would be released two weeks earlier than initially planned. The studio attributed this change to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans speculated that other factors might be at play, particularly the potential release schedule 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 suspect that the companies might have coordinated the release dates, especially following Take-Two's statements about their game release windows.

During Take-Two Interactive's earnings call in November 2024, the company announced plans to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025. CEO Strauss Zelnick reassured that this would not conflict with Borderlands 4's release window, originally set for the 2026 fiscal year (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026). In a November 2024 interview with Variety, Zelnick emphasized that they would not intentionally schedule major releases to overlap.

Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford addressed these speculations on Twitter (X) on April 30, asserting that the decision to ship the game early was solely due to their confidence in the product. "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date," Pitchford stated.

Despite the speculation, fans can look forward to the early release of Borderlands 4, set for September 12, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates on this thrilling addition to the Borderlands franchise!