Borderlands 3 is on the horizon, and it’s already shaping up to be the most Borderlands game you’ve ever seen. The previous two-and-a-half entries were (mostly) received with glowing reviews, and developer Gearbox studios is clearly keen to continue its winning streak.
So far, we’ve had four trailers and a release date to mull over. If you’d like to know more about the heroes, villains, and manic-depressive robots of the upcoming Borderlands game, you’ve come to the right place: here’s everything we know so far about Borderlands 3.
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Borderlands 3: Everything we know so far
Borderlands 3 release date and price: When will it launch?
Let’s start with the good news: Gearbox has no problem with announcing a release date for Borderlands 3. The bad news, however, is that it doesn’t launch for quite a while yet. You’ll be able to play Borderlands 3 on 13 September 2019 on console and PC – it’s an Epic Store exclusive until 2020, which means you’ll need to buy it from there if want a digital version on PC.
Luckily for you, Borderlands 3 is available to preorder right now. The standard edition costs £50, and the Deluxe edition, £75. You can preorder via Amazon, at Game or through the Epic Store ; if you’re planning on using the latter, you’ll need to download the Epic Games Launcher for your PC/laptop to install and play the game.
If you're a collector with something a little flashier in mind, Game has you covered. It's selling four different versions of Borderlands 3: Standard, Deluxe, Super Deluxe and Collectors editions. The Deluxe and Super Deluxe editions come with loads of extra cosmetic items for characters, weapons and vehicles; the Collector's edition contains everything from the Deluxe editions, inside a life-sized (ish) classic Borderlands loot crate and other physical items.
Borderlands 3 story: What’s it all about?
In a nutshell, Borderlands is a futuristic shooter that takes place on the planet of Pandora (or in the case of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Pandora’s moon). The stories follow the same basic structure, and it seems that Borderlands 3 is no different.
Pandora is home to a number of mysterious alien “Vaults” that contain extraordinary technology. The mega-corporations that thrive in this futuristic world are competing to find and control both the Vaults and the planet more generally; at the same time, a number of mercenaries known as “Vault Hunters” are hoping to find the Vaults and take the resources for themselves. In Borderlands 3, as with all Borderlands games, you will play as one of these Vault Hunters.
Borderlands 3 gameplay: What can you do?
Vault Hunters
As per usual, there are four Vault Hunters to choose from in Borderlands 3. Here’s a quick glimpse of each one:
Moze, the Gunner – Moze has a big mech thing that can clearly cause a bit of a mess.
FL4K, the Beastmaster – FL4K coerces friendly animals into chowing down on enemies.
Zane, the Operative – Zane is your go-to for tactical gameplay and has access to all kinds of combat tech.
Amara, the Siren – Amara is a Siren, one of several Borderlands characters with crazy tattoos and terrifying, godlike powers.
Guns
It wouldn’t be Borderlands without excessive amounts of guns, and Borderlands 3 is no different. The reveal trailer boasts that you’ll have over 1 BILLION guns at your disposal, which is quite frankly more guns that anyone could ever need.
We don’t know much about these guns – they’re all procedurally generated – but we do know that there’s one you’ll need to fire up using a pull cord, and another that launches hamburgers. We can assume that at least some of these have the same effects as weapons from previous Borderlands games: explosive rounds, elemental damage, that sort of thing.
You can catch a glimpse of some of these guns in the official gameplay trailer, which you can watch below:
Combat
Just shoot stuff. That’s the Borderlands way, and it doesn’t seem to have changed too much. That said, Borderlands 3 introduces a brand new cover-based mechanic. Being able to effectively hide and peek will no doubt make for a more interesting experience – Gearbox has already explained that cover will often be destructible, which should shake things up nicely.
Co-op
Yup, that’s right: you can play Borderlands 3 with a friend. Actually, you can play with up to three friends, so long as you’re playing over WiFi. If you’re a traditionalist who hates that split screen games are becoming an endangered species, however, you’re in luck – Borderlands 3 supports two-player cooperative play.
As with other Borderlands games, you can complete the entire story as a team. Improvements to the multiplayer system now mean that you won’t have to fight over who gets what loot; you’ll also be able to play with a friend who’s a much lower/higher level than you with no difficulty clashing issues whatsoever. Ingenious stuff.
Vehicles
Walking is boring, and it sounds like Borderlands 3 has a world map so large you’ll be in danger of doing plenty of it. Luckily, Borderlands 3 is seemingly filled to the brim with vehicles for you to use in your violent adventures. We’re particularly keen on the monocycle in the release trailer below:
Worlds
According to PC Gamer , Borderlands 3 won’t just take place on Pandora: you’ll also be visiting all kinds of other planets from the spacecraft you call home. Gameplay footage has revealed one of these planets – known as Promethea – and the city of Meridian on its surface where you’ll be spending your time.
Characters
If you’ve played previous Borderlands games, you’ll no doubt see some familiar faces as you watch the trailers unfold. Ellie is running the Catch-a-Ride service, so you can spawn a vehicle whenever you fancy and Mad Moxxi has a bar with slot machines for some well-moderated gambling action. And yes, there’s a Claptrap or two, of course.
We've also caught a glimpse of the villains of Borderlands 3. Unfortunately, we know nothing about them, other than the fact that they're called the Calypso Twins. Gearbox head honcho Randy Pitchford describes these characters as "like the douchiest kind of live streamers of the future you can possibly imagine,” though, so do with that as you please.
We will update this page as more Borderlands 3 information comes our way, so check back soon.