I was about 11 when the first Borderlands came out, and though its M-rating prevented me from owning my own copy for a few years, it didn't stop me from coveting my cousin's. When I eventually played Borderlands, it was every bit as violent, frenetic, and fun as I had hoped, and I fell instantly in love with the series' co-op looter shooter formula. Borderlands 2's release was obviously a huge deal for me and my friend group at the time, and we spent countless after-school sessions exploring every inch of Pandora.
I revisited Borderlands 2 pretty regularly in the years following its 2012 release. It even became a major bonding experience between me and my flatmates in the first year of university. So, naturally, when Borderlands 3 was announced in March 2019 – mere months after my flatmates and I wrapped up our Borderlands 2 playthrough – I was very excited. Little did I know that disappointment was right around the corner.
I Had The Same Reaction to Borderlands 3 As Everyone Else
There are no hot takes here; I thought Borderlands 3 was a major letdown, just like everyone else. The most prevalent criticism levied at Borderlands 3 was also my biggest issue with the game. While previous Borderlands entries had their fair share of juvenile jokes, Borderlands 3 leaned all the way into crass humor, losing much of the series' satirical edge in the process.
Now, cards on the table, I loved Rick and Morty when it first came out in 2015. In all fairness, I was 17-years-old at the time, of course I loved Rick and Morty. But with each new season of the show I found myself laughing less and less, along with the rest of the world. By the time Borderlands 3 released in 2019, it felt like it was chasing a type of humor that most people had moved away from, and it's hard to ignore that particularly overt, obnoxious brand of comedy when it pervades every second of Borderlands 3's gameplay.
But it wasn't just Borderlands 3's humor that turned me off. I had a very hard time gelling with any of Borderlands 3's Vault Hunters back in 2019. Mordecai and Zer0 were my mains in Borderlands 1 and 2, so I put most of my hours into playing FL4K. I'm not quite sure what it was about FL4K's playstyle, but I just couldn't enjoy it, and I found it just as difficult to vibe with the rest of the cast. The overabundance of loot in Borderlands 3 was another key issue for me, with it making the core loop of the series feel a little pointless.
Borderlands 3 Put One of My Favorite Franchises Into an Early Grave
Those first few weeks with Borderlands 3 were pretty miserable. Though my friends and I tried to make the most of it, we each came to the realization that this wasn't the long-awaited sequel to Borderlands 2 we were hoping for, and one by one, we each dropped off, never to return again.
Despite hearing good things about Borderlands 3's DLCs, I had no interest in going back to check them out. Nor was I tempted to give it another go when it was ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X. And the longer I stayed away from Borderlands 3 and the disappointing experience I had with it, the more disillusioned I became with the entire franchise. Maybe – just like with Rick and Morty – my infatuation with Borderlands was something I just couldn't carry with me forever.
Borderlands 4 Is Forcing Me to Forgive and Forget
Borderlands 4's Marketing Has Been Knocking It Out of The Park
When Borderlands 4 was first announced at Gamescom 2024, I felt nothing. In the five years following Borderlands 3's launch, I had grown numb to the series I was once obsessed with. Those first few trailers did very little for me, and at least to me, it felt like this was just another Borderlands being made because it's simply time for another Borderlands to appear.
But then the first wave of press previews hit the internet. VG247 called it a "bold departure" for the series. Screen Rant said it was "easily some of the best-written Borderlands content." And The Best War Games's own Josh Cotts said that what he played "was focused, well-structured, and full of potential." Put simply, the vast majority of press previews were glowing.
Then Borderlands 4 started to roll out a set of gameplay trailers, and I found myself watching each and every one. From Vault Hunter deep-dives to an entire Vault boss fight, each piece of Borderlands 4's marketing resonated with me from that point forward. The new suite of mobility options, the new open-world level design, the new Vault Hunter playstyles — all of it looked like the big step forward for the franchise that I wanted from Borderlands 3.
For the first time in a very long time, I can safely say that I am genuinely excited for a new Borderlands game. And that excitement has yielded some very unexpected results.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Borderlands 3
About two months ago, I was scrolling through the Steam Summer Sale and saw that Borderlands 3 was deeply discounted. Very deeply discounted. Like, it was under £3. I thought for that price it would be rude not to get it.
I booted it up that night, letting the pre-release excitement of Borderlands 4 get to my head a little but knowing deep down that I'd probably spend just an hour or two playing through the game's opening Pandora section once again. I played through that entire opening section. And then I played through the entirety of Promethea. And then I played through all of Eden-6. Before I knew it, I had rolled credits on a game I had sworn to never play again six years prior, and I had an absolute blast.
Though those first few hours were a rough reminder of the game's infamously poor story and dated humor, I eventually made a groundbreaking discovery. When you turn that dialogue volume down, throw on a podcast, and just let yourself enjoy the moment-to-moment gameplay, Borderlands 3 is actually a pretty fun game.
With the constant jabbering turned to a minimum, Borderlands 3's qualities begin to shine through. Gunplay feels great, sound design is top-notch, and the whole game runs and looks surprisingly excellent on the Steam Deck. It may not be the playstyle that Gearbox had in mind when designing Borderlands 3, but it was how I finally learned to love a game that I had turned my back on years ago.
Borderlands 4
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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
