We finally got a proper look at Borderlands 4 at The Game Awards. It wasn't much of a secret, considering Randy Pitchford couldn't contain his excitement, but it was everything we expected. Cel-shaded art, a ton of Psychos, and, in the words of Neo, guns… lots of guns. However, there was something missing from the full reveal trailer.
The Borderlands series is known for its trademark slapstick humour. And, while it was passable in the first two games, players got tired of rolling their eyes by the time Borderlands 3 came along. So, it's not exactly surprising that the reveal trailer for Borderlands 4 didn't include too many silly jokes. It seems that's going to hold true for the entire game as well.
Shut Up, Claptrap
Besides what we saw in the trailer, we know that Borderlands 4 will release some time after April 2025. However, narrative director Sam Winkler recently revealed that the team will aim to improve the quality of humour that the series has become known for. It's unlikely that the series will take a full turn and abandon the comedy angle, but it will at least be a bit more refined.
As spotted by PC Gamer, when asked on Twitter about the relatively serious tone of the trailer, Winkler replied, "Not at liberty to talk much about the content of BL4, but I remain firm in my criticism of BL3's overabundance of toilet humor."
Explaining how he plans to tone down the cringe, Winkler said, "if the word skibidi ships in the game under my watch I’m gonna cry real tears. Paul Tassi joked that we were gonna have a gun called Hawk 2A and a fellow dev asked me if it was real and I wanted to put my hand down the sink grinder".
That sounds like good news for fans of the series. Borderlands 3 was ultimately quite a disappointment, and the terrible humour made it harder to stick with the game. Of course, Claptrap will still be Claptrap, and the Psychos will still do their thing, but from what Winkler reveals, it seems the jokes might hopefully land much better this time.
Borderlands 4 Like Follow Followed Looter Shooter Action Adventure RPG Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 88% Released September 12, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact Developer(s) Gearbox Software Publisher(s) 2K 8 Images CloseWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALBorderlands 4 brings intense action, badass Vault Hunters, and billions of wild and deadly weapons to an all-new planet ruled by a ruthless tyrant.
Crash into Kairos as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking wealth and glory. Wield powerful Action Skills, customize your build with deep skill trees, and dominate enemies with dynamic movement abilities.
Break free from the oppressive Timekeeper, a ruthless dictator who dominates the masses from on high. Now a world-altering catastrophe threatens his perfect Order, unleashing Mayhem across the planet.
Genre(s) Looter Shooter, Action, Adventure, RPG Powered by Expand Collapse
