Summary
It’s official:Borderlands 4will be hitting platforms on June 22, 2025. It’s been a long wait, but fans are cautiously optimistic that after the mixed receptions of bothBorderlands 3andTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Gearbox can deliver a hit. But that doesn’t mean some concerns don’t still linger.
We’ve already talked about howBorderlands 4 shouldn’t bring back these characters,but there are other missteps the game needs to avoid to keep fans happy. We’re hoping that by learning from the criticisms of its predecessors,Gearbox Softwarecan deliver a game that not only meets but exceeds our expectations, ensuringBorderlands 4becomes a franchise highlight. We’ve listed some of the mistakes we think Gearbox should avoid making. Let us know in the comments what you think Gearbox needs to do forBorderlands 4to be a hit.
9Don’t Rely On Old Settings
It’s A Big Universe
Borderlandsis set in a vast universe, but it has a tendency to keep returning to the same handful of planets/locations. In particular, Pandora (one ofthe worst holiday destinations in video games) played a major role inBorderlands 1,2, and much ofTales from the Borderlands. It’s time to leave home behind and explore new worlds.
Borderlands 3did a better job of planet hopping, but we want more. Borderlands 4 needs to resist the temptation of taking us where we’ve been before and show fans weird and wild new planets. If the environments of these planets lead to new gameplay mechanics, like low gravity and oxygen levels inBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel, even better.
8Don’t Overcomplicate The Skill Trees
Sometimes It Better To Keep Things Simple
At its heartBorderlandsis a looter-shooter centered around excellent, frenetic gunplay and collecting ever more powerful boomsticks. Over time, Gearbox has increasingly focused on the RPG progression systems too, which has led the skill trees to become more and more complex.
Having choices on how to build your character is great, but this isn’tPath of Exile 2. ManyBorderlandsfans don’t wanta game with massive skill trees. The skill trees inBorderlands 4need to be accessible enough that casual players don’t feel intimidated or bored by minor percentage increases and complicated numbers. Less is more; make each level-up feel meaningful and rewarding.
7We Don’t Need 87 Bazillion Guns
Constant Inventory Management Has Never Been Fun
Gearbox has always emphasized the sheer number of guns up for grabs inBorderlands.The original game was pitched to us as having 87 bazillion guns (in reality, itonlyhad around 16 million), and over the years, that number has only grown. WithBorderlands 4,they’re promising even more guns than ever before. Of course, what they really mean is millions of procedurally generated weapons combinations.
The problem is that, by and large, the vast majority of weapons dropped by most enemies are inventory-clogging trash. Picking up trash-tier loot and then constantly emptying your inventory has never been fun, and we’re hopingBorderlands 4will move away from it. This could be by allowing players to add their own mods to dropped weapons or by simply taking more of a quality over quantity approach to weapons.Borderlandshas given us some ofthe best looter-shooters ever made, but the franchise’s loot mechanics need modernizing.
6Don’t Force The Humor
More Jokes Need To Land
Borderlandshas auniquesense of humor, and plenty of people would argue that the series has produced some ofthe funniest open-world games around. At least when the jokes land. Unfortunately, the comedy inBorderlandscan be more than a bit hit-and-miss. Particularly in some of the more recent entries.
For a start, certain characters just aren’t that funny anymore, or never were. Tiny Tina is still a comedy gold mine, as is Moxxy. But the likes of Sir Hammerlock need to be retired. Much of Borderlands’ humor is lowbrow, which is fine in moderation, but the franchise ran out of shock value long ago. The writers forBorderlands 4need to take what people said about the humor ofBorderlands 3to heart and make sure more of the comedy hits and isn’t simply annoying.
5Don’t Use The Same Old Mission Design
Modern Gamers Expect More From Their Quests
As a looter/shooter,Borderlandshas always had pretty simple quest design. Most quests consist of going there, shooting that, collecting this, and returning to the quest-giver. Which is fine, most of the time. But in 2025, we’ve come to expect more from our quests.
In particular, certain dated quests need to go away. EachBorderlandsgame has had a variation of the Slaughter quest where players are stuck in an arena and tasked with fighting a ton of enemies, usually for meager rewards. Slaughter quests are boring and have outstayed their welcome. Similarly, quests that boil down to killing X amount of a certain enemy (especially if it involves using a vehicle) need to be retired.Borderlandshas also given us some really clever/funny quests over the years; we need more of those.
4Avoid Filling Maps With Boring Open-World Filler
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Borderlands has always used large, open-world-like zones rather than having one singular open world. This has allowed the devs to fill each game with lots of areas that feel different while avoiding the open-world bloat that plagues so many massive modern open-world games. The result has been some ofthe best open-world FPS games ever made.
But over time, these zones have gotten bigger and bigger, making backtracking for some quests more of a pain than it needs to be.Borderlands 4should avoid making its zones too big and filling them full of vast empty spaces and boring busy work.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsdid this to great effect.
3Don’t Force Players To Drive Vehicles Constantly
Vehicles In The Franchise Have Rarely Been Fun To Use
Speaking of vast empty spaces-Borderlandshas had a vehicle problem for a long time. Vehicles in the series have never been much fun to use, but the developers have continuously forced us to keep using them. The controls have rarely felt good, the physics has always been weird and floaty, and vehicular combat a chore.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas all the better for simply dropping vehicles completely.Borderlands 4should either do the same or, at the very least, have a much smaller focus on vehicles. Players don’t come to the series for the vehicles, so why insist on making them such a big part of the games?
2Don’t Forget Solo Players
Lots Of Fans Like To Play On Their Lonesome
This is a big one. For some of us.Borderlandshas always focused on being a co-op shooter that’s fun to play as a group. After all,Borderlands’s most iconic vault huntersare meant to work as a team. But Gearbox has also tried to have its cake and eat it too, by offering the option to play solo. The problem has always been the balance, or lack thereof, when playing on your own.
EveryBorderlandsgame has at least one area or boss that just sucks when playing solo. Likewise, the skill trees have too many skills that require synergy with another character or need the player to play with someone else for them to work properly. Solo needs to be fun throughout, even if that means a greater emphasis on having AI-controlled allies chasing around after the player.
1Don’t Rely On Boring Bullet Sponge Enemies
Focus On Clever Enemy Design Over Brute Force
This is solo-player adjacent, but is applicable to group play too. Far too many of Borderlands' enemies are bullet sponges who hide behind overpowered shields and massive health pools. Enemies like this are rarely fun to fight and can make playing solo a major pain.
Rather than giving bosses and badasses overwhelming health pools, give them interesting mechanics. Likewise, Badass variants should be more than just normal enemies who hit harder and take ages to kill. Gearbox doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel here. Glowing weak spots might not be revolutionary, but they’re much better than being one-shotted by a Badass Psycho who takes three mags to take down.
