The Borderlands franchise is one of the most popular looter shooters on the market, and with the movie out now, you may want to jump into the games for the first time.
From the mainline games to spin-offs, we’ve got a full breakdown of every Borderlands game for you right here, including their release dates, developers, and what platforms you can play them on.
If you’re curious about the Borderlands movie as well, you can check out our review here.
Borderlands
- Release date: October 20, 2009
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch
The original Borderlands kicked things off back in 2009. Released for the PS3, Xbox One, and PC, the first-person looter-shooter introduced players to the Vault Hunters: Brick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Roland.
The Hunters are a group who journey to the planet of Pandora in search of the legendary Vault that’s said to hold priceless riches — including advanced alien technology. The group is determined to reach the Vault first and has to fight their way through bandits, corrupt cooperations, and hostile wildlife to do so.
Upon starting the game, you select one of the four Hunters to play as and begin taking on missions while exploring the world. Each character has unique abilities and proficiency with certain weapons, and as you level up, you can pour skill points into specific specialties to create unique builds.
With loads of loot to collect, vibrant cartoon-style visuals, and a lot of replayability — the original Borderlands delivered a fresh take on the genre that carved the way for a long-standing franchise.
Borderlands 2
- Release date: September 18, 2012
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Android devices
The sequel to Borderlands arrived in 2012 and took everything from the original release and amped it up to 11. Borderlands 2 is set five years after the events of the first game and introduces a brand new set of Vault Hunters: Axton, Maya, Salvador, and Zer0.
The new protagonists find themselves on the planet of Pandora which the tyrannical Handsome Jack, leader of the Hyperion corporation is ruling over. While Jack is reigning with an iron fist, word of another Vault that’s even larger than the first has been unearthed, drawing the attention of many Vault Hunters.
Alongside searching for the new Vault, the primary aim of the new protagonists is to stop Handsome Jack — who’s often celebrated for being one of the best video game characters of all time. He’s diabolical, strangely charming, and a perfect love-to-hate character.
His dialogue with the player, which largely takes place over a radio system is incredibly compelling and a great way for the story to keep pushing forward. The sequel is worth playing for Jack alone, but the sheer variety of new loot, improved gunplay, and wealth of interesting side quests make it an absolute must-play for anyone who enjoyed the original.
Borderlands 2 is often cited as the fan favorite, and it’s easy to see why.
Borderlands The Pre-Sequel
- Release date: October 14, 2014
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Android devices, and Nintendo Switch
The third entry is the franchise is set in between the original and Borderlands 2. If Jack was your favorite thing about Borderlands 2, then you’ll likely love the pre-sequel as it’s all about him.
The pre-sequel focuses on Jack’s origins in becoming the tyrant we’re familiar with. After Hyperion’s Helios space station is captured by the Lost Legion, Jack leads a group of four new Vault Hunters to reclaim it.
As well as defeating Lost Legion hostiles, the group is also set on finding a hidden Vault of riches said to be on Pandora’s moon, Elpis. It wouldn’t be Borderlands without a Vault after all.
What makes the prequel unique in the character department is that each of the Vault Hunters are memorable bosses or NPCs from the previous entries — like Nisha “The Lawbringer” who was Jack’s girlfriend in Borderlands 2, and Wilhelm “The Enforcer” who players fight the second game after he’s transformed into Jack’s cybernetic minion.
The pre-sequel is a slightly shorter experience overall, but it uses and expands upon the gameplay mechanics of 2 with some notable additions like freeze weapons, low-gravity environments, and laser guns.
Tales from the Borderlands
- Release date: November 2014
- Developer: Telltale Games
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iOS and Andriod devices, Nintendo Switch
Tales from the Borderlands is a different take on the franchise — coming from the team at Telltale, who are known for producing The Walking Dead adventure games and The Wolf Among Us.
Tales plays out in an episodic fashion and swaps out FPS gameplay for a more streamlined point-and-click experience. Taking place after the events of Borderlands 2, Tales focuses on two new protagonists: Hyperion employee Rhys, and con artist Fiona who find themselves teaming up in search of a Vault.
Players have to navigate both characters around different environments to interact with various objects and solve puzzles to progress. Like other Telltale releases, there’s also a big emphasis on decision-making, where the choices you make will impact how the story plays out.
Tales was able to successfully carry over the unique personality and humor from the main series into a different kind of package for fans to experience. It consists of five episodes in total and is well worth playing for any fans of the franchise.
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Borderlands 3
- Release date: 13 September, 2019
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Stadia, Nintendo Switch
The latest mainline installment in the franchise is Borderlands 3, which was released in 2019 after a lot of anticipation. While many would say the story and main villains pale in comparison to its predecessor, the gameplay is the strongest in the series.
The gunplay in Borderlands 3 is the most responsive out of all the Borderlands games, and character mobility has been vastly improved — giving players the option to crouch-slide, and mount walls to get over short heights. It’s also possible to take cover for a limited amount of time behind barriers.
Four new Vault Hunters once again take center stage: Amara, Moze, Zane, and FL4K. This ragtag crew is tasked to retrieve a lost Vault map from the Children of the Vault, and their twin leaders, Troy and Tyreen Calypso. Their quest takes them across the galaxy and players will have to navigate different planets throughout the story as opposed to just staying on Pandora.
Alongside (you guessed it) even more loot to find (which you can use Shift codes to get hold of), and a meaty endgame experience, Borderlands 3 also has the most in-depth build variety in the series. This is due to Vault Hunter’s ability to unlock three (or two for Zane) unique skills that can be equipped simultaneously.
All of this not only results in the best Borderlands gameplay to date but countless hours of content for fans to sink their teeth into.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
- Release date: March 25, 2022
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a 2022 spin-off that resolves around the titular Tiny Tina – a 13-year-old demolitions expert, who was a fan favorite NPC in Borderlands 2 before receiving her own DLC — Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon’s Keep in June 2013.
Wonderlands is a follow-up to the DLC where Tina is the dungeon master of the Dungeons and Dragons-inspired tabletop RPG, ‘Bunkers and Badasses’. The player’s character, referred to as The Newbie is joined by companions Valantine, and Frette, as they embark on a quest to defeat the mighty Dragon Lord.
The spin-off is notable for featuring a high-profile cast of voice actors including The Lonely Island and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg as Valentine, and Arrested Development’s Will Arnett as the Dragon Lord.
Much like D&D, players can customize their character at the start of the game, selecting one of six classes, freely mixing and matching different skills for the first time in series history. Spells can also be used in combat, which ranges from setting enemies on fire to turning them into sheep.
The high fantasy setting injects a new flavor into Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands while retaining the core looter shooter elements the series is renowned for.
New Tales from the Borderlands
- Release date: October 21, 2022
- Developer: Gearbox Studio Québec
- Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Nintendo Switch
The most recent Borderlands installment, New Tales from the Borderlands (which you can check out our review for here), is the successor to the original Tales developed by Gearbox Studio Québec.
New Tales picks up approximately a year after the events of Borderlands 3 and follows three new protagonists: adopted siblings Anu” and Octavio Dhar, and frozen yogurt store owner, Fran Miscowicz.
The trio is searching for a Vault that could change their lives, and throughout the game, players must help them navigate the world, complete quick-time events, and utilize each character’s unique abilities to progress. Anu can scan objects with her high-tech glasses, Octavio can hack into people’s devices and social media feeds, and Fran’s trusty hoverchair freezes enemies.
Much like the first Tales from the Borderlands game, you’ll also have to make plenty of important choices that will affect the direction the story takes.
Borderlands 4
- Developer: Gearbox Software
- Release window: 2025
- Platforms: TBC
Borderlands 4 was officially announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024.
Fans were treated to a cinematic teaser, and while it didn’t give much away on the surface there were some interesting easter eggs to spot.
We don’t know much about 4 right now but the Steam description cites it as “the definitive looter-shooter.”
The teaser video‘s description also gives a little bit of insight, stating “In this next installment of the definitive looter shooter, players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet.”
There’s no firm release date but Borderlands 4 is slated to arrive sometime in 2025.
Those are all the Borderlands mainline games and spin-offs in order of release. For more content about the movie, you can check out our ending explained, post-credits scene guides, and all the differences compared to the games.
