April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay Deep Dive

The State of Play event in April 2025 dedicated a significant portion to unveiling the latest in the Borderlands series with a 20-minute gameplay deep dive for Borderlands 4. This deep dive offered fans an exciting glimpse into new features, mechanics, and the speculated reasons behind the game's launch date change. Dive in to discover what's new and what the community thinks about the timing of its release.

Borderlands 4 State of Play: New Details Unveiled

20-Minute Gameplay Deep Dive Video

The Borderlands 4 State of Play, streamed on April 30, 2025, showcased a detailed 20-minute gameplay video. This segment introduced two of the four new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who harnesses supernatural phase energy to enhance her abilities and summon deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper equipped with an experimental exo-suit that can digistruct an arsenal of weapons.

The gameplay also introduced the new planet of Kairos, a setting teeming with warring factions, dangerous wildlife, and desperate inhabitants, all under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. Players will embark on a mission to spark a revolution, encountering and recruiting unique factions along the way. Familiar faces like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to support players in their quest.

New gameplay mechanics and features were highlighted, including a licensed Parts system for customizing weapon behaviors and abilities, new Gear slots for more specialized builds, and the introduction of a new vehicle, the Digirunner, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4's release would be moved up by two weeks, attributing this decision to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans speculated about other possible motives, particularly in relation to the release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6).

Both Gearbox Software and Rockstar Games, the developers behind Borderlands and GTA respectively, are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive. This connection led to fan theories that the adjusted release date might be strategically planned to avoid clashing with GTA 6, especially after Take-Two Interactive's CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned in a November 2024 earnings call their intention to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025, within the same fiscal year as Borderlands 4.

In response to these speculations, Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford took to Twitter (X) on April 30, 2025, to clarify that the decision to move up the release date was solely based on the studio's confidence in the product, stating, "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Despite the discussions around its release timing, fans can look forward to experiencing Borderlands 4 earlier than anticipated. The game is scheduled for release on September 12, 2025, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates and insights into what promises to be another thrilling addition to the Borderlands franchise.