Summary
- Caleb McAlpine, a Borderlands fan suffering from a terminal cancer diagnosis, was able to play Borderlands 4 early.
- Gearbox Entertainment president and CEO Randy Pitchford flew the fan and a friend to the company's headquarters to play the game and meet the devs.
- According to McAlpine, the game is "amazing."
A terminally ill fan of Gearbox's legendary FPS series was able to play Borderlands 4 ahead of its planned 2025 release. While it remains unclear when all fans of the game will be able to get their hands on the title, Borderlands 4 remains one of the most highly anticipated releases of the next year.
Boasting four mainline titles and a number of popular spin-offs, the Borderlands series is going strong 15 years after the first title was released in 2009. Precious little is known about Borderlands 4, with a brief teaser trailer shown at Gamescom in August giving fans a tiny look at what they can expect. The internet has become a breeding ground for theories and requests leading up to the game's inevitable launch, with many fans focused on the possibility of returning characters and who Borderlands 4 will choose as its villain. One deserving fan now has at least some of these answers, being given the chance to try the game for himself.
In October, Gearbox Entertainment president and CEO Randy Pitchford reached out to a terminally ill Borderlands fan named Caleb McAlpine who had taken to Reddit to ask for the chance to play the game early. The 37-year-old disabled veteran had taken to the online forum to explain that he had around two years left to live due to a cancer diagnosis and was eager to play Borderlands 4 early. According to a new update post on Reddit, McAlpine's dream came true, as Gearbox flew him and a friend to Gearbox's headquarters in Frisco, Texas to give the game a try, as well as to meet the developers and Pitchford himself. "We got to play what they have for Borderlands 4 so far, and it was amazing," McAlpine wrote. "I don't know if I will be around when the game comes out, but I just want to say thank you to all of you for all of your love and support and for helping in making this happen. It truly was an amazing experience and it was just awesome."
Borderlands 4 is "Amazing" According to Terminally Ill Fan
In early November, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick gave a hint as to when fans can expect to see Borderlands 4. As Take-Two is hard at work on Grand Theft Auto 6, scheduled to release in Fall 2025, releasing Borderlands 4 too close to such a massive title would be a huge mistake, according to the CEO. Weighing the options and giving GTA 6 a few months of breathing room on either side, many fans believe that Borderlands 4 will arrive in either late spring or early summer 2025, depending on its current development status. Previously, Gearbox announced that the highly anticipated follow-up to 2019's Borderlands 3 would make its way to store shelves between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
While the game's teaser trailer didn't give the community much to go on, the devs have confirmed that four new Vault Hunters will make their debut in Borderlands 4. The game's Art Director, Adam May, has also teased brighter colors in the upcoming title, with recently released concept art showing off more advanced tech and a completely different vibe than earlier entries. While many have been hoping to see the return of Handsome Jack, Pitchford has gone on record to say that the new villain in Borderlands 4 will be "something far more dangerous and sinister" than everyone's favorite bad guy.
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
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.
- Franchise
- Borderlands
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
