By Scott McCrae

Copyright gamesradar

Skip to main content

GamesRadar+
The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love

View Profile

Search GamesRadar+

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Game Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Game Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

View Platforms

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Franchises

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

View Entertainment

View TV Shows

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

View Movies

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

View Streaming

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

View Comics

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

View Hardware

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

View Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Gaming Magazines

Why subscribe?

Subscribe from just £3
Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
Try a single issue or save on a subscription
Issues delivered straight to your door or device

From£9.99Subscribe now

Hollow Knight Silksong
Dying Light: The Beast
Battlefield 6
New Games for 2025

Don’t miss these

Borderlands
Get ready for the Borderlands 4 release – live build-up, reactions, and launch info as we countdown to Gearbox’s open-world looter shooter

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

Borderlands
The best Borderlands games, ranked

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 gets an M rating from the ESRB as it warns of “enemies bursting into chunks” and dialogue such as “I’m gonna go home and have sex with my wife”

Borderlands
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford admits Borderlands has gone “too far” in the past, but promises Borderlands 4 has hit the sweet spot

After 4 hours with Borderlands 4 I’m not yet sold on its biggest changes, but Gearbox says “it would be strange” if Borderlands wasn’t “constantly growing and adapting”

Borderlands
Randy Pitchford says Borderlands 4 is intended to “bring new people in” to the series, and I can only hope it’s better at that than the Borderlands movie and its $110 million loss

Borderlands
“It is a turning point in our universe”: Gearbox explains Borderlands 4’s deliberately less-stupid story, and it feels weird to actually be interested in a Borderlands plot

Borderlands
Baldur’s Gate 3 dev buying Borderlands 4 “day one” despite calling out its price controversy and thinking Borderlands 3’s writing “was a dry-ass turkey dropped 8 months after Thanksgiving”

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 has the “biggest world” Gearbox has ever made, and it’s as seamless as it can be thanks to the power of “technical bulls***” that allows for “less borders, more lands”

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 isn’t a “cynical” sequel that’s only being made “to meet the market,” but because Gearbox wants to improve movement like it improved Borderlands 3’s gunplay

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 isn’t $80 after all, publisher confirms, weeks after Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford enraged the community by saying a “real fan” would pay that much

Borderlands
Borderlands 4: Everything we know so far

Borderlands
The new Borderlands 4 trailer feels like an extreme parody of the 2025 games industry: a (literal) bloodbath caused by board members killing cool ideas to save money

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 director says the FPS is “more intense” than others in the series while Randy Pitchford hints its toughest boss hasn’t even been shown

Action RPGs

Borderlands

Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 Metacritic score ties it as the second-highest rated entry in the looter shooter’s mainline series, only losing out to Borderlands 2

Scott McCrae

11 September 2025

Its current score of 84 also places it just below Tales from the Borderlands

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Gearbox)

Borderlands 4 reviews are in, with the game currently sitting at an 84 on Metacritic, tying it with Borderlands as the 2nd highest-rated game in the series to date.

The Borderlands series has always been pretty beloved, with each of the games sitting somewhere in the 80s as far as Metacritic scores go (although the non-main games like Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, The Pre-Sequel, and New Tales from the Borderlands have fared a bit worse). And Borderlands 4 continues that trend with a Metacritic score of 84, with most reviews citing the classic Borderlands staples of the shooting feels good, but good lord, the dialogue is bad.
This score places it on par with the original Borderlands’ reviews, while beating out Borderlands 3’s score of 81. However, it doesn’t quite reach the highs of Borderlands 2, which holds an 89. It also loses out to Tales from the Borderlands (the best one, if you ask me), which garnered a score of 85

You may like

Get ready for the Borderlands 4 release – live build-up, reactions, and launch info as we countdown to Gearbox’s open-world looter shooter

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

The best Borderlands games, ranked

In our Borderlands 4 review, Andrew Brown gave the game 4/5, saying, “Borderlands 4 extracts the essence of a finale shootout and spins it across an entire game, with a staggering amount of guns allowing for pure carnage. While the game’s story and tone fall far from those heights, at times it simply doesn’t matter as much as shooting six robots out of the sky with an electrified explosive gun.”

Currently, only the PC version of the game has reviews available, with the highest score coming from Radio Times and CGMagazine, both of which gave the game full marks. In contrast, IGN Germany and GameSpot gave the game its lowest scores, at 7/10. Most reviews, however, seem to sit around the 8/10 or 4/5 mark.
Keep an eye on our Borderlands 4 live blog for all the updates as the game begins to launch worldwide.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

See more Nintendo Switch 2 News

Gearbox Software

Nintendo Switch 2
Xbox Series X

PlayStation

Scott McCrae

Social Links Navigation
Contributor

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He’s typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Get ready for the Borderlands 4 release – live build-up, reactions, and launch info as we countdown to Gearbox’s open-world looter shooter

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

The best Borderlands games, ranked

Borderlands 4 gets an M rating from the ESRB as it warns of “enemies bursting into chunks” and dialogue such as “I’m gonna go home and have sex with my wife”

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford admits Borderlands has gone “too far” in the past, but promises Borderlands 4 has hit the sweet spot

After 4 hours with Borderlands 4 I’m not yet sold on its biggest changes, but Gearbox says “it would be strange” if Borderlands wasn’t “constantly growing and adapting”

Latest in Borderlands

Get ready for the Borderlands 4 release – live build-up, reactions, and launch info as we countdown to Gearbox’s open-world looter shooter

The Borderlands 4 whack-a-mole begins as Gearbox takes down streams ahead of release, while onlookers eyeball performance

8 Borderlands 4 tips to help you conquer Kairos

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

Early look at Borderlands 4 disappears and reappears after fans spot “a huge spoiler” about a returning character, but somehow Conan O’Brien crashing the game was kept in

Beefy Borderlands 4 system requirements promise “solid performance on older PC hardware,” but after Randy Pitchford’s warnings about “realistic expectations” I’m starting to feel a little scared

Latest in News

Sigourney Weaver says her Star Wars movie The Mandalorian & Grogu is “a different world” to Andor

Wallace and Gromit creator teases Feathers McGrawy prequel: “Watch this space”

Borderlands 4 Metacritic score ties it as the second-highest rated entry in the looter shooter’s mainline series, only losing out to Borderlands 2

Battlefield 6 community lead reminds everyone “NDA applies” as the long-rumored battle royale mode heads to Labs, trying to get ahead of the leaks I’m sure are already brewing

Deadpool and Wolverine star Channing Tatum says turning down Guillermo Del Toro’s Beauty and the Beast was “one of the biggest mistakes of my career”

This behind-the-scenes Demon Slayer video might not answer the eternal debate of subbed vs. dubbed anime, but it will make you appreciate the English voice talents even more

GAME REVIEWS
MOVIE REVIEWS

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

This enormous exploration board game won’t be for everyone, but it’s a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay

Hollow Knight Silksong review: “Worth the wait and then some, this isn’t just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it’s fiddly at times”

Cronos: The New Dawn review: “An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas”

This gorgeously weird monster board game warms my Halloween-loving heart, and it’s a delight

The Conjuring: Last Rites review: “Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens’ final chapter”

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: “Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer’s best adventure yet”

The Long Walk review: “One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made”

Frankenstein review: “A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation”

Weapons review: “A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian”

Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: “Ortega shines, but it’s a zombie who steals the entire show”

Peacemaker season 2 review: “Darker and sadder than the first year, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids.”

Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: “Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots”

Alien: Earth review: “Arguably the franchise’s strongest outing since James Cameron’s Aliens”

King of the Hill season 14 review: “Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Contact Future’s experts

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Advertise with us

Review guidelines

Write for us

Accessibility Statement

Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,

BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…