Borderlands 4 Gameplay Deep Dive Was Main Focus of April 2025 State of Play

The State of Play for Borderlands 4 brought excitement to fans with a 20-minute official gameplay deep dive, showcasing the game's new features and mechanics. Let's explore the new details revealed and the fan theories surrounding the game's launch date change.

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 fans with a comprehensive look at the upcoming looter shooter game. The deep dive 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 that can digistruct an arsenal of weapons.

Players were also introduced to the new planet of Kairos, a world filled with warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants, all under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. The objective is to spark a revolution against this tyrant, engaging with unique factions and rallying them to your cause. Familiar faces like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist players on their journey.

The gameplay showcased new features such as the innovative licensed Parts system, allowing players to mix and match weapon behaviors and abilities, new Gear slots for more specialized builds, and the introduction of the Digirunner vehicle, 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 had been moved up by two weeks. The studio attributed this change to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans speculated that other factors, particularly the potential release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), might be at play.

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 coordinating their release schedules, especially after Take-Two's earlier statements about their release windows.

During Take-Two Interactive's earnings call in November 2024, the company confirmed their intention to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025. CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized that this would not conflict with Borderlands 4's planned release within Take-Two's 2026 fiscal year (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026). In an interview with Variety in November 2024, Zelnick stated, "I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t, and no one would, stack up huge releases unnecessarily."

Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford addressed these speculations on Twitter (X) on April 30, asserting that the decision to move up the release date was solely based on the studio's confidence in their product. "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date," Pitchford clarified.

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, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates by checking out our article below!