A special Borderlands 4 bundle has landed the game back into hot water, as the expensive package doesn't even include a playable copy. Gearbox's upcoming looter shooter has faced a lot of highs and lows leading up to its release, and it seems the controversies are not over yet. With Borderlands 4 just over a month out, the game is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Pricing has been a hot-button issue for the game and its fanbase over the past few months. After speculation began swirling about a potential $80 price point, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford poured gasoline on the fire by saying real Borderlands fans would "find a way to make it happen," no matter how much the title costs. While things have since cleared up, the memory of those comments may be back in many gamers' minds amid the latest Borderlands 4 pricing controversy.
Borderlands 4 Put One Controversy to Rest Just to Dive Headfirst into Another
Borderlands 4 barely had the time to nip a controversy in the bud before another came up, but they share the same roots.
The team over at Gearbox found itself amid another round of unwanted attention as fans criticized the company for not including the game itself in the $149.99 Collector's Edition. The official Gearbox Twitter account clarified that this was an error, and that the package in question was actually the ECHO-4 bundle, not the Collector's Edition. Still, the GameStop exclusive does, in fact, cost $150 and is sold separately from the game, including only collectibles like an ECHO-4 figurine, a cloth map of Kairos, and four double-sided art prints. Now that it's confirmed that Borderlands 4 will cost the industry-standard $70, this means the merch bundle costs twice as much as the actual game.
Borderlands 4's $150 ECHO-4 Bundle Does Not Include the Game Itself
The Borderlands 4 ECHO-4 bundle is far from the first limited edition set to draw criticism from gamers for what it does or doesn't include. In late 2024, Xbox fans expressed disappointment that the Avowed Physical Steelbook edition didn't have a physical game disc, despite what its name might suggest. Digital download copies in premium editions are an all-too-familiar sight for gamers today, but not including any version of the game is unusual, even in this current market.
It's unclear if the ECHO-4 bundle would've attracted as much controversy if it had been correctly labeled from the start. However, the confusion and contentious cost are not the only things causing a stir among the fan base right now. Pitchford has suggested that Borderlands 4 may not go on sale for a long time, and the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game is coming out nearly a month after its release on other platforms.
Borderlands 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
Borderlands 4 brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.
Crash into Kairos as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking wealth and glory. Wield powerful Action Skills, customize your build with deep skill trees, and dominate enemies with dynamic movement abilities.
Break free from the oppressive Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. Now a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing Mayhem across the planet.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all platforms
- Prequel(s)
- Borderlands 3, Borderlands 2, Borderlands
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- September 12, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- October 3, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
