Gearbox accidentally leaks its own Borderlands 3 trailer, and it's giving off serious Guardians of the Galaxy vibes

(Image credit: 2K Games)

In case, by some magic, you've managed to avoid all of Gearbox's endless stream of trailers and promotional material for Borderlands 3, we have some good (or bad, depending on your proclivities) news; the game is out this week, ready and set to launch in just under 5 days' time on Friday, September 13.

Initial reviews for the upcoming looter shooter sequel are expected later today, September 9, at 7AM PST/10PM ET/3PM BST, and it looks like Gearbox is preparing to release one more trailer to celebrate the embargo lifting, too.

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Unfortunately, the developer's Twitter account appears to have posted the trailer online a little earlier than expected, as it shortly deleted the video from its own timeline soon after publication, but not before fans managed to download the full three minute cinematic and keep it alive on Reddit.

The launch trailer appears to lift directly from Borderlands 3's grand opening cinematic, which follows in the footsteps of previous games with a musical, action-packed cutscene that sets the tone (and story) of the shlooting to come.

It's likely that Gearbox will release the full-res version of the launch trailer today, but - as one commenter on Reddit wisely notes - we're really feeling the Guardians of the Galaxy influences with this one. You can expect our review of Borderlands 3 sometime over the next week or so, so be sure to stay tuned to GamesRadar+ for our full impressions of the game soon.

Check out our Borderlands story recap to catch you up in time for game's release, or watch the entire thing in video form below!