The Borderlands franchise is a game series oozing zany fun and absolutely insane, chaotic combat, amassing a generously sized fanbase that has afforded the title enough success to call for sequels, spin-offs, and prequels.

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Each Borderlands game feels different enough to be fun while keeping the vibe fans have come to know and love, bringing in fresh new faces to love or old faces to celebrate the return of. While not every Borderlands game can reach the top, each of them is deserving of the praise gamers heap on them years after they were released.

Updated on April 9th, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Borderlands is a long-running franchise that still seems to be going strong, with a numbered main series and countless spin-off titles expanding on the world and lore of Pandora. In this fast-paced looter-shooter game, players take on the role of vault hunters searching for the greatest treasure yet. Despite this simple premise, the series is still going strong, with fans expecting a new sequel to be announced hopefully before 2024 is out. Fans could easily pass the time until Borderlands 4 by revisiting previous games, or even discovering the next best Borderlands game in their eyes, which is precisely what this list is here to help with. As such, it has been updated to include a previously omitted game, and highlight what makes each entry so great.

12 Pinball FX - Borderlands: Vault Hunter Pinball

A Peculiar Crossover Fans Of Both Games Will Love

• Released: April 14th, 2013
• Developer: Zen Studios
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5

Borderlands is a series boasting a wealth of spin-off titles verging on breaking into new territory, but Vault Hunter Pinball completely smashes through, taking the Vault Hunters to the world of pinball within the Pinball FX multiverse, which has gathered other notable licenses alongside this one.

Fun animations, familiar characters, and exciting pinball gameplay, this crossover game won't be for everyone, but for those who enjoy both games, this is the perfect entry in the series for them. Priced at only a little over $5, it's practically a steal, and might just be worth every Borderlands fan buying, so they can claim they have every game in the series.

11 Borderlands 2: Commander Lilith And The Fight For Sanctuary

Brings Hours More Content, And Raises Character Level Cap

• Released: June 9, 2019
• Developer: Gearbox Software
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

This DLC for the smashing success of Borderlands 2, Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary adds new missions, locations, and loot for fans of the game to strap in and enjoy. Sanctuary is under attack, the Vault Map has been stolen, and Pandora has been poisoned by a noxious gas. It is up to the player to try and remedy all of this, taking on the roles of Lilith and the Crimson Raiders to defend the planet.

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All of this sounds fine in theory, but this DLC made many fans feel cheated by the fact that character level 80 was locked behind a paid DLC. This otherwise would have been a well-received DLC, as its fun and familiar gameplay is praised, as are the new levels and fights.

10 Borderlands Legends

More Borderlands Fun To Be Had, With Some Familiar Faces

• Released: October 23, 2012
• Developer: Gearbox Software
• Platforms: iOS

Borderlands Legends is a spin-off title most players wouldn't expect, as it brings characters and gameplay fans know and love to the mobile phone platform. Its release coincided with that of the much anticipated Borderlands 2, which overshadowed the release of this mobile game tie-in.

While the gameplay was heralded as fun by many of its players, there was a glaring lack of content which meant that the game could grow stale pretty fast. Nevertheless, it served as a good drop-in drop-out style game that could definitely help players while away some hours doing something fun without requiring much thought or concentration on the players' end.

9 New Tales from the Borderlands

A Fun Episodic Affair For Die-Hard Fans

Borderlands' foray into the world of episodic games came in the form of Tales from the Borderlands, the fame and popularity of the first quickly resulting in a demand for more. New Tales from the Borderlands was the answer, bringing a new tale as three plucky people, Anu, Octavio, and Fran, try to change the world.

It lacked a lot of the charm and genuine humor of the original TFTB, resulting in a lot of cringe dialogue and characters that some players could not get invested with. But, this episodic game still holds a narrative that players can influence. Hardcore Borderlands fans should still give it a try, to experience some more previously untold tales.

8 Borderlands 2 VR

Immerses Players In The Game With VR Hardware

Borderlands 2 alone is a fantastic entry in the series, bringing back the familiar feel and gameplay with a whole host of new characters and adventures to dive into on the world of Pandora. And like most games that gain enough notoriety and fans, a VR version was soon put into development and released for PlayStation and PC VR headsets.

However, the VR version of Borderlands 2 was not heaped with the praise the base game was. Some players pointed out a lot of flaws with the VR controls, and the removal of co-op play was seen as heresy to hardcore Borderlands fans. But, players who enjoyed the second game and are curious to experience it in a VR setting will still find fun to be had here.

7 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!

Take Control Of A Series Favorite Character

The head-scratchingly named Pre-Sequel! is a Borderlands game set between the first and second game, telling a new tale featuring old characters that were non-playable before, and bosses that fans might recognize from games they have already played.

The game follows the story of Helios employee Jack (yes, that Jack) as he fights to free Helios from the clutches of an enemy faction called the Lost Legion, and also gain access to the Vault on Elpis, Pandora's moon before anyone else does. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is unique in terms of characters and level design, but the plot and core gameplay mechanics remain the same as previous titles. But if it's not broken, why fix it?

6 Tiny Tina's Wonderlands

Offers A Refreshing Fantasy Experience

Tiny Tina has become a much-loved character in the Borderlands franchise, bringing some truly fun and unique adventures in her spinoff games that revolve around a fantasy-themed TTRPG a la Dungeons and Dragons.

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In typical Borderlands fashion, the game features first-person shooting gameplay mechanics, but there are some divergences from the main series, such as the players controlling characters that differ from the vault hunters they might expect, with fully realized personalities and unique voice lines. Players can mix and match the characters' abilities and powers, and level them up using hero points. As far as Borderlands games go, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a truly unique game that will offer something refreshingly different without being too different from the series they know and love.

5 Borderlands 3

More Fun Shooter Gameplay With New And Old Characters

The much anticipated Borderlands 3 was released in 2019, bringing a fantastic new story set in the world of Pandora, bringing in a squad of new playable characters as well as bringing back faces from previous titles such as sirens Lilith and Maya from Borderlands and Borderlands 2 respectively. In this game, players must protect the vaults from the dangerous twins Troy and Tyreen, who are hoping to possess whatever lies in the Great Vault.

Fans of the previous Borderlands games will find very little to dislike, as it brings in much-loved gameplay mechanics from previous entries and fan-favorite characters. Though the twins can't match the stage presence of the megalomaniac Handsome Jack they are still threatening enough the players feel the strain of the threat they possess, and Borderlands 3 remains a game deserving of much praise, especially following on from the success of its predecessor.

4 Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon Keep

The Inspiration For The Full AAA Spinoff Title

• Released: June 25, 2013
• Developer: Gearbox Software
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Combining Borderlands with a rip-off D&D game is something that definitely is a unique idea, and serves as a basis for this standalone DLC campaign, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. Though an expansion for the second game, its uniqueness definitely means that it is a game in its own right.

Tiny Tina takes on the role of Games Master, narrating the adventure as the Borderlands characters players are familiar with play through her game. It continues the looting shooting gameplay but also brings in some platforming and puzzles, which some Borderlands fans might be unaccustomed to, and see as an unwelcome interruption to the expected gameplay.

3 Borderlands

The Game That Kicked Off The Whole Series

The game that started it all: the very first Borderlands. Released in 2009, it was a truly one-of-a-kind cyberpunk game that laid the groundwork for the games that would follow, from the playable four main characters, each a unique class with their own abilities, and the stories of Vault Hunters scouring Pandora and other planets in hopes of hunting down one of the illusive vaults.

In the distant future, mega-corporations vie for control of planets to mine them of their resources, with Atlas in the lead after they uncovered a Vault filled with alien technology that put them ahead in the tech race. Now everyone is searching for these Vaults, including the four playable characters Lilith, Brick, Mordecai, and Roland.

2 Tales From The Borderlands

A Fun Telltale Romp With Plenty Of Laughs And Charm

There are very few Borderlands fans who have looked at their series and wished it got the Telltale treatment, as the 2K game varies vastly in terms of gameplay from Telltales' episodic adventures. And yet, that is exactly what fans got in the form of Tales from the Borderlands. It came as a pleasant surprise, with a fascinating story to follow, a colorful cast of characters, and plenty of Borderlands-esque humor to enjoy.

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Tales from the Borderlands put players into the shoes of Rhys, a Hyperion employee, and Fiona, a conwoman. Along with Vaughn (Rhys's best friend) and Sasha (Fiona's younger sister), they find themselves thrown together in unlikely partnerships to hunt vaults and survive. While it diverges greatly from the gameplay fans expected, it is a great, unforgettable, and hilarious experience that fans should not sleep on, as they might find it more enjoyable than some entries in the main series.

1 Borderlands 2

Perfected All The Elements Of The Series

Borderlands laid down the groundwork, but Borderlands 2 perfected it. Hailed as one of the greatest games in the entire series, it is no surprise as to why. Though it does bring back very familiar stories with a Vault in need of looting and old settings in the form of the world of Pandora, it brought in one of the game's greatest villains in the form of Handsome Jack. Though not the protagonist himself, he definitely outshines the hero with his stage presence and charisma.

Five years after the events of Borderlands, Pandora is known under the iron fist of the tyrannical Handsome Jack who rules it from his space station Helios. Rumors have started circling about a large Vault, and now it's a race to see who can find it and plunder its contents first. Thrilling, fast-paced, and action-packed, Borderlands 2 is everything a Borderlands game should be.

Borderlands

Video Game(s)

Borderlands , Borderlands 2 , Borderlands 3 , Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! , Tiny Tina's Wonderlands , Tales From The Borderlands

Creation Year

2009

Developer(s)

Gearbox Software , Telltale Games

Publisher(s)

2K , Telltale Games