Borderlands 4 already has something that the Borderlands movie's PG-13 rating doesn't: the promise of "Intense Violence or Gore"

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Strong Bloody Violence? Yes please

Borderlands 4 Opening Night Live Gamescom 2024 screenshot of a gasmask being held up by a skeletal hand in front of a plume of fire.
(Image credit: Gearbox)

The next Borderlands instalment is officially on the way, and it's sounding set to be one gory affair.

It's just a teaser trailer, but Borderlands 4's reveal at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024 has us chomping at the bit for more kooky looter shooter antics come its unspecified 2025 release date. But after a closer look at its newly-published Steam page, it seems the new entry in the series is taking a decidedly more mature approach when it comes to certain themes, which is more than can be said for the Borderlands movie (though you can read more about that "disorderly shambles" in our Borderlands review). Reportedly both originally conceived and shot as an R-rated extravaganza, that's not exactly how the PG-13 movie ended up. Thankfully, we shouldn't be seeing a repeat of that.

"The developers describe the content like this," reads the Borderlands 4 mature content description on its Steam storefront, stating that "this game may contain content not appropriate for all ages, or may not be appropriate for viewing at work." The reason? "Intense Violence or Gore, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, General Mature Content." 

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We have no idea how extreme this supposed gore and violence will end up being, but with a cryptic trailer showing a mechanical skeleton holding a burning gas-masked aloft over a backdrop of searing flames, Borderlands 4 might be the badass palate cleanser we've been desperate for Gearbox to drop after all this time.

Here are the best Borderlands games ever, ranked for your ease, if you want to relive the greatest hits ahead of Borderlands 4.

Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Senior Staff Writer, GamesRadar+

Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she started her games journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and Tech Radar Gaming before joining GamesRadar+ full-time in 2023. As part of the Features team, her duties include attending game previews and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional news or guides stint. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine thinking/talking about Resident Evil, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.