April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay

The April 2025 State of Play event was a thrilling showcase for fans of the Borderlands series, with a significant focus on the upcoming Borderlands 4. The event featured an extensive 20-minute gameplay deep dive, offering a detailed look at the game's new features and mechanics. Dive into the new details revealed and explore 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 State of Play event on April 30 provided an in-depth look at Borderlands 4, the latest installment in the beloved looter shooter franchise. The gameplay video introduced 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 arsenal of weapons.

The gameplay also unveiled the new planet of Kairos, a world teeming with warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants, all under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. Players will embark on a mission to ignite a revolution against this tyrant, recruiting unique factions along the way. Familiar faces like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist in this epic quest.

New features showcased include the innovative licensed Parts system, allowing players to customize their weapons by mixing and matching behaviors and abilities. Additional Gear slots enable more specialized builds, and the introduction of the Digirunner vehicle adds a new dimension to exploration and combat.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change is Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4 would be released two weeks earlier than initially planned. The studio attributed this change to the "incredible development work" on the game. However, fans speculated that the decision might be influenced by the release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), especially given that both Gearbox and Rockstar Games are owned by Take-Two Interactive.

During Take-Two Interactive's earnings call in November 2024, the company confirmed plans to release GTA 6 in Fall 2025. CEO Strauss Zelnick emphasized that this would not conflict with Borderlands 4's release window, which falls within Take-Two's 2026 fiscal year (April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026). In an interview with Variety, Zelnick stated, "I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t, and no one would, stack up huge releases unnecessarily."

Addressing the speculation, Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford took to Twitter (X) on April 30 to clarify that the decision to move up the release date was solely based on the studio's confidence in the game. He stated, "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 and insights by checking out our related articles below!