In case you didn’t know, Borderlands 4 is now set to launch earlier than it was originally announced on September 12, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Today, Gearbox Entertainment and PlayStation showcased what’s new for the franchise with a Borderlands 4 State of Play.

This time around, the Vault Hunters are traveling to a new world called Kairos, an all-new planet equipped with warring factions, deadly fauna, and desperate inhabitants. For thousands of years, the oppersive Timekeeper kept the planet hidden, controlling its inhabitants with cybernetic implants called Bolts and an army of synthetic soldiers known as The Order.

As with every Borderlands title, players can choose between four different Vault Hunters. Today, we got to see two of the four: Vex the Siren and Rafa the Exo-Soldier. Vex uses supernatural phase energy to empower herself and can conjure deadly minions. Rafa is a former Tediore trooper who wears an experimental exo-suit capable of digistructing an arsenal of weapons.

One of the new things being introduced in Borderlands 4 are a unique trait that each Vault Hunter have. Vex’s trait makes her Action Skills attune to the element of the weapon she currently has equipped, incentivizing an arsenal of elemental weapons to shock, burn, or freeze enemies based on the situation.

Borderlands 4 also introduces a wide range of movement abilities including gliding, dashing, double-jumping, and point-grappling. These abilities can be used in combat and exploring the world. Another new traversal feature comes in the form of a personalized Digirunner vehicle at will  and jet-boost your way towards the horizon across Kairos’ sprawling, seamlessly connected spaces.

There are 8 unique weapon manufacturers, each boasting their own strengths. Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Vladof, and Torgue return from previous games. Order, Ripper, and Daedalus are brand-new, with fresh characteristics:

• Order guns focus on precision with high-powered bursts
• Ripper guns charge up to go fully automatic
• Daedalus guns are easy-to-use and incorporate multiple ammo types
• Tediore guns are reloaded by tossing them as grenades
• Maliwan guns specialize in elemental damage to burn, freeze, and shock
• Jakobs guns can fire bullets as fast as you can shoot with ricochets on critical hits
• Vladof guns have a high rate of fire and huge magazines
• Torgue guns have heavy-duty explosive rounds that can switch to sticky projectiles.

There is also a new Licensed Parts system where guns will have behaviors and abilities from multiple manufacturers into a single weapon.

New gear slots can specialize builds even further. Ordnance is a shared slot for grenades and heavy weapons like rocket launchers. Ordnance recharges on a cooldown to keep players locked and loaded during especially tough encounters. Repkits allow players to heal themselves or activate temporary buffs to help turn the tide of an intense battle.