April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay

The State of Play for Borderlands 4 provided an in-depth look at the game through a 20-minute official gameplay deep dive, showcasing new features and mechanics. Here's everything you need to know about the new details revealed and the fan theories surrounding the game's launch date change.

Borderlands 4 State of Play New Details Revealed

20-Minute Gameplay Deep Dive Video

The Borderlands 4 State of Play on April 30 unveiled exciting new details about the upcoming looter shooter. The 20-minute gameplay deep dive video introduced players to two of the four new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who harnesses supernatural phase energy to empower herself and summon deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper equipped with an experimental exo-suit that can digistruct an array of weapons.

The video also introduced the new planet of Kairos, a world filled with warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants, all under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. Players' mission is to ignite a revolution against this tyrant, forging alliances with unique factions along the way. Familiar faces like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist in this epic quest.

New gameplay features were also showcased, including the innovative licensed Parts system, allowing players to customize weapons by mixing and matching behaviors and abilities. Additional Gear slots cater to more specialized builds, and the introduction of the Digirunner vehicle adds a thrilling new way to navigate the game's expansive world.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change is Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4's release date would be moved up by two weeks. The studio attributed this change to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans have speculated about other possible reasons, particularly citing the potential release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6).

Given that both Gearbox Software and Rockstar Games, the developers of Borderlands and GTA respectively, are owned by Take-Two Interactive, some fans believe the date shift could be a strategic move by the parent company. This speculation was fueled by Take-Two's statement during their November 2024 earnings call, where they confirmed plans to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick assured that this would not conflict with Borderlands 4's release window, which falls within the company's fiscal year 2026 (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026).

Addressing these speculations, Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford took to Twitter (X) on April 30 to clarify the situation. He emphasized that the decision to ship the game early was solely based on the studio's confidence in their product, stating, "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Regardless of the reasons behind the change, fans can look forward to experiencing Borderlands 4 earlier than anticipated. The game is set to launch on September 12, 2025, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Stay tuned for more updates on this highly anticipated title!