Texas-based Gearbox Software is a respected development outfit, best known in modern times for its Borderlands series. Initially cutting its teeth developing Half-Life expansions for Valve, Gearbox went on to produce the popular Brothers In Arms series, after which it started work on Borderlands. The first Borderlands game was released in 2009 to a largely positive critical and public reception and has since spawned 2 mainline sequels along with a handful of spin-offs.

While Borderlands 3 isn't the fan-favorite release, it has solidified the presence of the series in the hearts and minds of gamers all over the world. It seems unlikely that Gearbox Software will put its most popular franchise out to pasture, so it makes more sense to ask when rather than if it will eventually come out.

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The Borderlands Timeline

The most logical way to gauge when Borderlands 4 might come out is to look at the established development cycle of previous games. Historically, games in the Borderlands series have been released within a time frame that has varied wildly. Looking at only the numbered titles, the Borderlands release history is as follows:

• Borderlands (2009 on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC)
• Borderlands 2 (2012 on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and PC)
• Borderlands 3 (2019 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC)

Borderlands might be the studio's most popular franchise, but Gearbox Software has also developed other titles in between. Its most recent title is Tiny Tina's Wonderlands which arrived in 2022. Following its 2015 acquisition by Embracer Group, Gearbox also expanded its business to publishing third-party games such as We Happy Few, Hyper Light Breaker, and Remnant 2.

Extrapolating The Borderlands 4 Release Date From The Established Trends

The first 2 Borderlands titles arrived in the 7th generation of home consoles, with Borderlands 3 arriving in the 8th generation. Borderlands 4 will presumably arrive in the current 9th generation, which is expected to last until around 2027, so it is a fair assumption that it will arrive sometime before then. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford teased fans that the studio is working on "the [next] big one" since 2019, so if he was referring to Borderlands 4, it could already be around 4 years in the making. One can use this information to make an educated guess about when it will arrive.

If Borderlands 4 was nearing the end of development, it would likely be announced by now. A 2025-2026 release window seems reasonable based on what little is known, barring any major development issues. Gearbox has favored release dates around the end of Q3 for Borderlands games, so Borderlands 4 will likely arrive around a similar time. Fans can probably mark their calendars for around the end of Q3 in 2025 or 2026.

Gearbox Studios Previous Borderlands Development Cycles

Borderlands 3 was announced around 6 months before it launched at PAX East 2019, so the studio will likely adopt a similar strategy for Borderlands 4. There have been rumors that Borderlands 4 may arrive sooner rather than later, but one should always take rumors with a grain of salt. Borderlands 3 only arrived 7 years after Borderlands 2, so if the next entry into the series takes as long to develop, that would put it in 2026.

Taking all this information into account, the most likely release window for Borderlands 4 is September-October 2026. It may come earlier, but there is no concrete information to support an earlier release. All that is known for certain is that Borderlands 4 could be make or break for Gearbox. It remains to be seen if this prediction is accurate in any way.

Borderlands 4 is rumored to be in development.

Borderlands

Borderlands is an action RPG first-person shooter created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. The series is commonly called a looter shooter set in a space Western style, where players can select from multiple classes that can level up and acquire new skills. The franchise has quickly become one of the best-selling franchises and produced spin-offs like Tales from the Borderlands as well as a film adaptation being developed by Lionsgate.

Creation Year

2009

Developer(s)

Gearbox Software , Telltale Games

Publisher(s)

2K , Telltale Games