Get ready for the Borderlands 4 release – live build-up, reactions, and launch info as we count down to Gearbox's open-world looter shooter

And away we go! If you weren't busy enough with the likes of Hollow Knight Silksong taking up space in your life, we're moving onto another big September release. That's right, Borderlands 4 is finally here and set to give you plenty to shoot and loot all throughout the autumn.

While we're doing a scan for any breaking Borderlands 4 news, we can probably start by speculating on whether the game is going to land on our list of the best FPS games. Gearbox has done a lot of work to refine its shooting and movement systems, although I do still have questions about the larger open world, and the non-linear storyline which is woven throughout it.

As today is launch day, certain traditions need to be adhered to. That being, someone has decided to stream Borderlands 4 early only to be swiftly hit by the mighty ban hammer.

It's also worth noting that it's rarely clear whether that footage comes with the day-one patch installed, so I wouldn't leap to conclusions. Equally, if you're keen to jump without spoilers, be wary that the web is likely filled with 'em now.

Oddly enough, this isn't the first time an early look at Borderlands 4 led to a spoiler. In a more official capacity, Conan O'Brien got to play the game early and swiftly arrived at the opinion most of us do - Claptrap sucks.

"He's my least-favorite trash can I've ever met," O'Brien says, which I assume is a brutal takedown.

Plenty didn't dwell on that - or the fact that the game crashed - for long, though. Fans noted an early-game spoiler that led to the video being taken down and reuploaded with said spoilery section removed.

All of that to one side for now, we put the question to you, dear reader

It's time for our Borderlands 4 review! We've given it a four-star rating, praising the superb shooting and "staggering amount of guns to choose from." However, the game is a wee bit let down by a "dull story and antagonist," while the dialogue can get under your skin a wee bit.

"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," we say. "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."

If you're curious about how Borderlands 4 is looking from a broader view, the looter shooter's Metacritic score ties it as the second-highest rated Borderlands entry in the mainline series, only losing out to Borderlands 2.

There are a few perfect scores in there, some that go as low as 7/10, but broadly, you're looking at a pretty solid score. It's worth noting, though, that only PC codes have been made available, so we'll need to wait and see how things are looking on console regarding performance.

Of course, you don't have to let Metacritic decide which Borderlands game is best. What say you?

If you're looking to pick up Borderlands 4 today, it'll set you back a standard $70. That may seem too standard to mention, though it follows some online chatter as Gearbox Randy Pitchford stoked some controversy by saying a real fan would make a $80 purchase work.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ at Gamescom, Pitchford was keen to stress some meaning behind his thoughts. "I think they could charge $200" for Borderlands 4, he said, because "you can't find a better value in the world for any type of entertainment." He then added: "I wish they'd give it away, because then everyone would play it."

Thankfully, the looter shooter has avoided the inflated price tag.

Another decent note for launch, Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford wants "everyone to have realistic expectations for performance" ahead of launch, especially when it comes to PC.

"The expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable. [...] It's a big, bold, new, seamless world and I'm sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming," he says.

10 minutes to Borderlands 4! (If you're playing on the PC in the UK, anyway.) The wait remains for console fans, though.

Borderlands 4 players have already discovered alternate cosmetic versions of the game's legendary weapons, and even Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is surprised at how quick they were. Meanwhile, we're all sat here rattling our cages waiting for the game to unlock on our platform of choice. Unless you're on PC, of course.

After just an hour and change, Borderlands 4 has already hit over 136,000 current players on Steam. That's according to the official stats straight from Valve. Seems like that number is only likely to keep growing from here – and there's no telling just how many console players will join in on the fun.

Don't be fooled: just because there's a new Borderlands releasing, that doesn't mean folks aren't already speculating about Borderlands 5. Don't expect to hear anything out of Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford about it at any point soon, however.

YouTube

Watch On

You know, it's not actual gameplay footage, but the Borderlands 4 cinematic launch trailer certainly brings the hype. Personally, I've no nostalgia for the franchise at all, and even then it makes me want to look into booting it up right now to take a look at what Gearbox has been cooking up. Sometimes it's good to loot and shoot and loot.

"Around Borderlands 3 launch, we reached peak concurrency on the Sunday evening after a Tuesday launch," Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford recently shared over on Twitter, linking to a story about how many folks are playing Borderlands 4. "We may be in a whole new level here breaking records early"

It does make one wonder just what "peak concurrency" might end up looking like this time around.

It does seem worth noting that while user reviews and the general response to Borderlands 4 is changing rapidly, there have been a not-insignificant number of reports of performance issues coming from folks. It's early days yet, and the reviews do look to be trending upwards, but it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking to dip in early.