Randy Pitchford, the creator of the Borderlands IP, has stated that it will be "easy" for Borderlands 4 to take franchise sales beyond 100 million copies sold. Being a universally acclaimed series, two out of the three mainline games preceding Borderlands 4 have reached eight-figure sales.
Coming in after Gearbox Software's acquisition by Take-Two Interactive in 2024, Borderlands 4 is the first AAA title for the studio under its new parent. It is also the first mainline release in nearly six years for the highly popular franchise, following 2019's Borderlands 3, which was a smash hit. In the build-up to launch, Pitchford has touted the new Borderlands game as having "the most open and free" in-game world in the IP's 16-year-long history. Now, the veteran has further expressed his confidence in the sales potential of the project, which rolls out on September 12.
Borderlands 4 Still Has One Ace Up Its Sleeve Left to Play Before It Launches
Something still waits in the shadows of Borderlands 4, and when it comes into the light it may define everything players expect from it at launch.
Pitchford Backs Borderlands 4, Eyes 100 Million Franchise Sales
In an interview with Insider Gaming, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said that Borderlands 4 will boost franchise sales to over 100 million units sold, without any major difficulty. The total sales of the 2K-published series hovered around 93 million in May, suggesting that the upcoming game needs to move at least 6-7 million copies off the shelves to achieve this feat. Notably, the prediction comes three weeks before the looter shooter game's much-awaited arrival and sheds light on the developer's unshakable confidence in the sequel game. Apart from this, Pitchford also revealed that his team was just starting to "dig into" Borderlands 4's post-launch work and teased "extremely exciting plans" for the same.
To put things into perspective better, Borderlands 3 has accumulated more than 22 million sales since launch, per a recent dataset. On the other hand, 2009's Borderlands 2's sales are well over 30 million, making it the best-selling game in the franchise. Keeping these figures in mind, it doesn't seem unlikely for Borderlands 4 to add around 7 million more copies and bring the series' total to 100 million sales. However, the stylized action-RPG's journey to reach that milestone may depend on whether it receives a highly positive reception at launch, just like other mainline entries in the series.
When Borderlands 4 finally releases in September, it will mark another major release for 2K this year, after Mafia: The Old Country. Since the new Mafia entry could only garner average review scores, the American gaming giant would hope that Gearbox Software's game does significantly better. However, only time will tell how the franchise's enthusiasts feel about the latest chapter in the Borderlands saga.
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
