Borderlands 4 Gameplay Footage Revealed During State of Play, Teases New Planet Kairos

This new Borderlands 4 gameplay reveal happened during the PlayStation State of Play today, and it gave fans a meaty 20-minute look at Gearbox Software’s upcoming looter-shooter, set to launch on September 12, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Hosted by Creative Director Graeme Timmins and Senior Project Producer Anthony Nicholson, the deep dive showcased a ton of new features, mechanics, and details about the game’s setting on the planet Kairos. That’s right, Borderlands 4 moves away from Pandora to Kairos, a “high-tech but lo-fi” world ruled by a ruthless dictator called the Timekeeper, backed by his synthetic army, the Order. The planet’s protective barrier was shattered when Pandora’s moon, Elpis, crashed into it, sparking a rebellion against the Timekeeper. You play as a Vault Hunter hunting for alien treasures in a race against the Timekeeper.

Two of the four Vault Hunters were also spotlighted, starting with Vex the Siren, who uses Siren powers to summon spectral beings for combat support. Then there’s Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore soldier in an exosuit, wielding tools like “Ark Knives” for close-quarters carnage. Each one of these characters has unique Action Skills, with Vex conjuring allies and Rafa building weapons on the fly. The other two Vault Hunters weren’t detailed, but expect diverse playstyles.


Kairos features four large, open zones (like the snowy Terminus Range) with no loading screens between areas. Dynamic weather and events (e.g., random encounters) keep exploration fresh. You can summon a customizable Digi Runner hover vehicle anywhere for fast travel and combat with mounted guns.


Gearbox overhauled the looting system after Borderlands 3’s issues, starting with making Legendary weapons rarer and feel more special, while crate loot is more rewarding. Loot is now instanced per player, so no fighting over drops. Weapons can mix parts from different manufacturers, creating wild combos. There are returning manufacturers (Maliwan, Torgue, Hyperion, etc.) plus three new ones: Order, Ripper, and Daedalus, each with unique weapon traits.

We’ve added the magic back to our loot chase, and we know you’ll love grinding all the great gear on Kairos. Farming coveted gear is much more intuitive now that you can replay entire missions or use Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine to fight bosses whenever you’d like. Speaking of bosses, Borderlands 4 makes them bigger and better than ever—like Vile Lictor himself, a monstrosity you can glimpse at the end of the Gameplay Deep Dive,” said Graeme Timmins
Creative Director, Gearbox Software.