The general sentiment towards Borderlands 4 wasn't all that positive before its release. While the trailers and gameplay previews that Gearbox Software released for the game didn't make a particularly bad impression on fans, one of the comments made by the company's CEO, Randy Pitchford, didn't exactly do it any favors. A few months ago, Borderlands 4 became embroiled in controversy after Pitchford stated on Twitter that "real fans" would buy the game no matter what, even if it cost $80.
Later on, it was revealed that the base version of Borderlands 4 would have a $70 price tag instead of an $80 one, but some fans were still disappointed with the high prices of its Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions.
Pricing concerns aside, many gamers were also skeptical of Borderlands 4 due to the quality of the last few entries in the franchise. None of the Borderlands games that Gearbox released were terrible, per se, but Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, in particular, received pretty mixed reviews. Many assumed that Borderlands 4 would not be able to reach the heights of the first two Borderlands games, but recent reviews for the title have been largely positive, despite some notable issues.
Borderlands 4 is One of the Highest-Rated Games in the Series Yet
On OpenCritic, Borderlands 4 has received a Top Critic Average of 85/100 and a critic approval rating of 97%. Ratings for the game on Metacritic are similarly positive, with its PC version garnering a generally favorable score of 84/100. Many of the critics who reviewed Borderlands 4 consider ita return to form for the series, an d some have even gone so far as to call it one of the best Borderlands games yet. The game's improved gunplay, sense of humor, and visuals have all received widespread praise from critics, but its open world elements, limited enemy variety, and significant performance issues on PC have been criticized by some.
Despite its positive critical reception, the user rating for Borderlands 4 on Steam is currently mixed, largely due to the technical issues that the game's PC port suffers from.
Critic Scores for Borderlands 4 Are Just as Good as Borderlands 1, But Not On Par With Borderlands 2
This may be surprising to some fans, but Borderlands 4 is technically the second-highest-rated mainline installment in the franchise on both OpenCritic and Metacritic. At the time of writing this article, Borderlands 2 is the only mainline game in the series whose critic score hasn't been surpassed.
That said, o n Metacritic specifically , Borderlands 4 is currently tied with the original Borderlands, as that title received an 84/100 score on Xbox 360 back in the day. While the other Borderlands entries have received similarly positive review scores, they're still somewhat behind Borderlands 2, Borderlands 4, and the first Borderlands in terms of critical acclaim.
Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep also has a higher score than Borderlands 4 on Metacritic, but it is technically a DLC, and not a full game.
Borderlands 4 Has Received Better Reviews than Borderlands 3 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was the first full-fledged Borderlands game to be released after Borderlands 2, and it garnered a somewhat more mixed reception compared t o its predecessors. The title received a decent 75/100 score on Metacritic and a 74/100 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic. Borderlands 3, meanw hile, got an 81/100 rating on both OpenCritic and Metacritic, and it was criticized by fans for its childish humor and lack of innovation.
Critic Scores of All Games in the Borderlands Franchise
|
Name |
Release Year |
OpenCritic Rating |
% of Critics Recommend on OpenCritic |
Metacritic Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Borderlands |
2009 |
N/A |
N/A |
84/100 |
|
Borderlands 2 |
2012 |
86/100 |
86% |
89/100 |
|
Borderlands Legends |
2012 (mobile game, currently delisted) |
N/A |
N/A |
52/100 |
|
Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep |
2013 (standalone DLC, not full-length game) |
N/A |
N/A |
86/100 |
|
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel |
2014 |
74/100 |
42% |
75/100 |
|
Tales from the Borderlands |
2014 |
87/100 |
96% |
85/100 |
|
Borderlands 3 |
2019 |
81/100 |
78% |
81/100 |
|
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands |
2022 |
78/100 |
76% |
78/100 |
|
New Tales from the Borderlands |
2022 |
68/100 |
44% |
69/100 |
|
Borderlands 4 |
2025 |
85/100 |
97% |
84/100 |
Most of the Borderlands Spin-Offs Have Lower Scores than Borderlands 4
W hen it comes to spin-offs, Telltale's narrative adventure game, Tales from the Borderlands, is the only title that currently has a higher rating than Borderlands 4. Al though each of the game's episodes was reviewed individually by critics, the full version of the game obtained an 87/100 score and an 85/100 rating on OpenCritic and Metacritic, respectively.
Its sequel, however, New Tales from the Borderlands, received considerably worse reviews, as it garnered a 68/100 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic and a 69/100 score on Metacritic. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, the only other major spin-off in the franchise, also has a lower rating than Borderlands 4, since it has a 78/100 score on both OpenCritic and Metacritic.
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
- 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
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
