Borderlands 4 has finally received a feature that fans have been asking for since the game's release back in September 2025: Photo Mode. The new Photo Mode arrived in Borderlands 4's latest update, and provides a number of options for players to get the perfect shot they're dreaming of in single-player or multiplayer modes.
It hasn't been all that long since Borderlands 4's last update, which landed in mid-January. That release was a minor update that added buffs for Harlowe and Amon and made changes to the drop rate for bosses, increasing the chance of Legendary-grade loot dropping. This new update has made a significant number of changes and improvements, with the Photo Mode being just one of them.
Borderlands 4 Gets Photo Mode
Players who download the January 29 update for Borderlands 4 will be graced with a new Photo Mode, allowing players to take carefully-crafted shots of their characters and the world of Kairos. Vault Hunters will likely be pleased to know that the option is available at any time during standard gameplay, with only cutscenes being excluded. Although the mode isn't available in split-screen co-op play, it can be used in online multiplayer, with the main difference between the two being that single-player games are paused when Photo Mode is enabled, while that's not the case for online multiplayer.
Borderlands 4's long-promised Photo Mode comes with a wide variety of options and features for players to get their shots looking just right. Photo-takers can change the field of view, camera rotation, depth of field, tweak the brightness, contrast, saturation, and gain, and add a number of filters and vignettes to the pictures. Players can also alter what's visible in the image, with options to turn the visible players, NPCs, summons, and damage numbers on or off. The time of day pictured in the photo can also be changed, altering the lighting and mood. Lastly, players can also utilize game logos, and letterboxing on their final images as they see fit.
How to Use Borderlands 4's Photo Mode
Accessing the Borderlands 4 Photo Mode is pretty easy to do. All players need to do is toggle the pause menu, and then select the Photo Mode option. After tinkering with the visuals as much as the player likes, they can then take a screenshot using one of a few different options, depending on their chosen gaming platform:
- Steam/PC: F12, Print Screen, Snipping Tool, or third-party software
- PS5: Share button
- Xbox Series X: Capture button
The images can then be found wherever the chosen method typically saves screenshots.
Although fans of Borderlands 4 are likely to be happy to have this new feature and will be using it to take some impressive photos, it's unlikely to be the thing that causes a resurgence in players overall. Borderlands 4 was hugely successful at launch, seeing over 300,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, but has lost much of its playerbase since. Within two months of its launch, 96% of the playerbase on Steam had fallen to around 10,000, and based on statistics from SteamDB, its peak concurrent player count for the month of January 2026 is just over 10,000, with most days falling closer to 5,000.
However, Borderlands 4 may very well see a lot of players return over the course of the year. This is just the first major update the game will see in 2026, with two major updates and paid DLC packs expected to land within the first quarter of the year. The recently-released Borderlands 4 roadmap for 2026 indicates that free content will land in the second quarter, with four more paid DLC landing over the course of the year. New endgame activities, cross-save support, limited-time events, and more are expected to be added to the game, as well. While things are fairly quiet in Borderlands 4 right now, there should be a lot of reasons to return to the game in 2026.
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
