Borderlands 4 Review Roundup: A Great Place to Loot and Shoot

Borderlands 4, the latest in the Gearbox Software looter-shooter series, launched on September 12th and the reviews are in. This latest chapter brings players to the vibrant planet Kairos, delivering refined gunplay, expansive skill trees, and chaotic co-op action. With a Metascore of 84 based on 66 critic reviews, Borderlands 4 has earned generally favorable praise, tying it as the second-highest-rated entry in the series alongside the original Borderlands.

Below is a roundup of some key reviews that give an example of the range of thoughts on the game. Let's dive in and see if this vault hunter has found the buried treasure.

High Praise

There are several outlets who have high praise for Borderlands 4, saying that it is not only a return to form for the series, but perhaps the best it's ever been.

CGMagazine - 10 / 10: "This is Borderlands perfected. A game that takes the foundation of the series and elevates it in every conceivable way. Funnier, smarter, richer, more thrilling, and absolutely overflowing with reasons to keep playing long after the credits roll." - Full Review

XboxEra - 10 / 10 "Open World Loot-focused cooperative shooters are my favorite genre. Borderlands 4 is the best one in it that I’ve played. I have no major faults, only a few minor gripes about one character and how long bodies take to disappear when you want to grab the loot underneath ‘em. Outside of that, Borderlands 4 is a masterpiece." Full Review

Hooked Gamers - 9.5 / 10 "Overall, Borderlands 4 is a masterful continuation of the series. It honors its roots while daring to venture into new territory, both geographically and mechanically. The diverse and compelling new world of Kairos, combined with the most extensive skill trees and a refined sense of humor, makes this a must-play." Full Review

It's Great, but...

There are also reviewers who praise Borderlands 4 for its great gameplay but find issue with technical problems, story, or single-player difficulty that somewhat limit the experience.

Destructoid - 9 / 10 "Borderlands 4 is easily the best in the series when it comes to gameplay and fun factor, and the best overall game in the franchise since Borderlands 2, but some performance issues on PC are cause for concern." Full Review

Game Informer - 8.5 / 10 "Though many of the series’ core elements remain intact, Gearbox has refined and reconfigured them in such ways that Borderlands 4 rises beyond anything the series has accomplished to this point, making for a chaotic looter-shooter worthy of the series’ sterling early-2010s reputation." Full Review

GamesRadar+ - 4 / 5 "Borderlands 4 extracts the essence of a finale shootout and spins it across an entire game, with a staggering amount of guns allowing for pure carnage. While the game's story and tone fall far from those heights, at times it simply doesn't matter as much as shooting six robots out of the sky with an electrified explosive gun." Full Review

GameSpot - 7 / 10 "All in all, if uncovering loot, crafting builds, and unleashing chaotic mayhem is what you're looking for, Borderlands 4 has you covered. ... Just maybe find a good podcast or video essay to fill the moments between the shooting and looting." Full Review

This new trailer shows off some great gameplay and features of the game. And it has cool vibes. (Is that something we say now?)

Our Take

Borderlands 4 shines with its refined gameplay and vibrant world, earning high praise for its fun factor and series loyalty. If you are a returning Borderlands fan, then this entry is not going to let you down, especially if you have a crew ready to jump in with you. While some reviewers feel that this entry plays it a little safe, hopefully we'll see more expansion of the formula in the packed calendar of events and updates that Gearbox has planned.

If you're not a looter-shooter fan, or have actively bounced off the grind in the past, then Borderlands 4 may not be doing enough to bring you in, but you can't fault a game for sticking to its guns and perfecting what it does best. If you want to dive into more detail, you can find a complete overview of all the critic opinions at Metacritic.com or pick up the game for yourself with the link below.

Borderlands 4 for Playstation 5 - $69.99 at Amazon

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• Borderlands 4, developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, launched on September 12th, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S (a Nintendo Switch 2 version is scheduled for release in October). Purchasing the game with one of our links helps support us here at GameMinr