Borderlands 4 will add swimming, and fans don't seem impressed: "You could also swim in Turok on the N64, big whoop"

One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
(Image credit: Gearbox)

We got another Borderlands 4 trailer alongside a release date during last night's PlayStation State of Play, and fans are talking about the fact you can now swim in the game.

Just like the original Assassin's Creed, you weren't able to swim in previous Borderlands games. Even waist high water could prove fatal. Now, a very short clip in the new trailer shows a Vault Hunter swimming for a moment to get a better angle on some enemies. Fans have mixed reactions to this development.

While a post on Reddit seems excited about the news, a lot of the commenters aren't. "I wonder if there will be underwater gameplay," asks one redditor. "I hope not because it's dreadful in most games that have it but I do wonder." Another player writes, "swimming sucks in every game though."

Underwater levels are often the most contentious in video games – you either love them or you hate them. They've been a staple for decades, with one redditor noting "You could also swim in Turok on the N64, big whoop."

But, according to CCO of Gearbox Randy Varnell in a PlayStation blog post, we'll be able to "Move across the Borderlands like never before—double jumping, gliding, dodging, fixed-point grappling, and more—dealing death from every direction." So, hopefully it will be implemented well and we'll even be able to kill enemies from the water.

Borderlands 4 - Release Date Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube Borderlands 4 - Release Date Trailer | PS5 Games - YouTube
Watch On

While you wait for Borderlands 4 to come out September 23, check out all the other video game release dates this year and see what you've got to look forward to this month.

Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

Read more
Borderlands 4 Big in 2025
Toilet humor, open-worlds, and "billions" of weapons: Borderlands 4 is pushing the looter-shooter series further than ever before
A mask in front of flames during the upcoming PS5 game, Borderlands 4.
Borderlands 4 CEO wouldn't call the shooter an open-world, but it is the "most open and free" game Gearbox has ever made
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 release date set for September, and Gearbox has a dedicated reveal show coming this spring
Borderlands 4
Gearbox lead wants Borderlands 4 to have less "toilet humor," says the thought of "skibidi toilet" and a gun called "Hawk 2A" in the game makes him want to "cry real tears"
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters
Gearbox didn't set out to create an open-world game with Borderlands 4, but the FPS does have "open-world-like features, such as seamless travel between zones"
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4: Everything we know so far
Latest in FPS Games
Screenshot from PowerWash Simulator 2, showing two jet washers spraying one dirty wooden house.
After 3 years and 44,327 overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews, viral hit PowerWash Simulator is finally getting a sequel complete with split-screen co-op
Screenshot from Spectre Divide, showing a character in a purple jumpsuit and full face mask aiming their gun.
Despite more than $60 million in investments, Shroud-backed FPS Spectre Divide and its dev are shutting down after the first season failed "to cover day-to-day costs"
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
After concerns from Valve, creators of CS:GO mod that aimed to "recreate the 1.6 vibe" are now "auditing the current build" to comply with guidelines
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom director claims The Dark Ages can be beaten without using a gun, but "the game's not necessarily built to do that"
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Battlefield dev reveals more of his Bad Company 3 script and confirms the plot would revolve around the squad getting kicked out of the military and brought back for a final suicide mission
A Titan readies for combat in an animated trailer for Apex Legends Season 19
Yet another Respawn shooter has reportedly been canceled, following the studio's Star Wars FPS and rumored Titanfall Legends game to the grave
Latest in News
Nintendo Switch 2, dock and TV
Report: Nintendo analysts expect Switch 2 to cost at least $400, have a great launch lineup with new 3D Mario and Metroid Prime 4, and be the biggest console launch in history
Silent Hill f
Famed Higurashi When They Cry creator Ryukishi07 says he worked so hard on the Silent Hill f story that "I don't think I would mind if it was the last thing I ever wrote"
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors devs launch official wiki "free of ads, banners, and all of the junk that gets in your way," joining Stardew Valley and Terraria in community wikis with minimal intrusions
WalkScape
"Staying MTX and advertisement free is absolutely key": Almost 20 years later, RuneScape fan turns his MMO love into an old-school RPG where fitness is the grind
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition Magellan Man
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition 15-inch Magellan Man is part of his studio's "spirit and soul," so the crew went to China to make sure it's good enough
Cabin Crew Life Simulator
"Success beyond expectations, earning over $100,000": This weird job sim made in a year would be torture for me, but it's changed its developer's life after "bitter failure"