Borderlands 4: How to Fix Borderlands 3’s Biggest Issues?

Look, we enjoyed Borderlands 3 for what it was back in the day here at 2Game, but there's no point in pretending that the game wasn't astonishingly annoying at times. Not the gameplay side of things, mind: that was phenomenal. The story, the dialogue, and the general vibe of the experience were ridiculously off, though.

This, compared to Borderlands 2's enduring legacy, simply wouldn't do. We were taken aback when Gearbox came out to officially announce Borderlands 4 so relatively quickly after the third mainline franchise entry failed to establish itself for good. Yet, that's not a bad sign at all, because there's merit in the grander Borderlands franchise for sure.

What is it, though, that needs to be changed in Borderlands 4 compared to its predecessor, and what lessons might it be able to learn from certain offshoots? Well, let's talk about it.

What was so wrong about Borderlands 3?

In case you haven't played Borderlands 3, it's truly difficult to drive home just how painfully crummy its main campaign was written. The DLCs did improve upon the base game's writing, mind, and genuinely delivered some of the franchise's most memorable moments and characters. The main campaign isn't that, though.

Instead, its main antagonists - the Calypso twins - are easily some of the most annoying and unpalatable in the entire genre. And that's saying something.

The simple fact of the matter is that Borderlands 3 did virtually everything right outside of its main narrative conceit. And what does that tell us about Borderlands 4? Well, hopefully that Gearbox is going to turn its former approach up on its head, that's what.

Here's the thing even the most skeptical of us have to admit: Gearbox did change gears after realizing that Borderlands 3's main narrative wasn't all that. Not only are the game's DLCs miles beyond anything the main story could hope to deliver, but we need to remember Tiny Tina's Wonderlands as well. This standalone offshoot handled its humor and antagonists much, much better than Borderlands 3 did, which worked in its favor. Gearbox simply needs to do the same thing again, and double-down on the many, many bits that worked.

How should Borderlands 4 fix Borderlands 3?

The only right way to "fix" Borderlands is for the games' main story to either not be as ridiculously annoying as it was in Borderlands 3, or to make the entire thing as optional as it is in any other hack 'n' slash title. There's no point in pretending that the main narrative of a Borderlands game is at all more important than the narrative of, say, a Diablo or Path of Exile title. Borderlands 4 needs to treat its story as such, and focus entirely on the gameplay and the vibes.

And on that matter, I would personally appreciate it if Gearbox could take a look back at the original Borderlands for its strange, slightly unsettling atmosphere and adapt it for the new title. That's beside the point, however, and an entirely different can of worms we may open later down the line.

Here's the god news, then: Gearbox absolutely has all the things it needs to make Borderlands 4 work. This is the same team that made Borderlands 3's best parts work as well as it did. Seriously, try just picking the game up and playing it with dialogue volume set to 0: it's easily one of the best first-person looter-shooters you'll ever play.

Guns are chunky, satisfying, and deliver a hell of a punch even when you're under-leveled. Enemies react satisfyingly to getting hit, with appropriately grisly gibs sloughing off depending on what you've hit them with. The movement is arguably better than what you get out of Destiny 2, for crying out loud. Borderlands 3 is a phenomenal game trapped within the scope of a crummy story, and Gearbox just needs to de-emphasize the story enough to help players get through the hump of it. Or, heck, write a better cast of villains.

Can Borderlands evolve with the times?

We will admit that what we've seen of Borderlands 4 so far seems appropriately promising. The main villain - the Timekeeper - is ominous and serious in much the same way Handsome Jack was, and while the core identity of what Borderlands is has seemingly been maintained, there's a groundedness to the shown materials that wasn't there in Borderlands 3.

As the gameplay video featured above suggests, Borderlands 3's gameplay loop seems to have been kept in, too, which is excellent news. We will go so far as to say that it looks like Gearbox has corrected its course and knows how to make Borderlands 4 the kind of game its predecessor already could've been. With that in mind, we're very interested in what happens with the title next.

Borderlands 4 is coming out soon, actually: on September 23, 2025. We've got plenty more content planned for it in the coming weeks and months, so do stay tuned. With a bit of luck, this is the Borderlands title to keep an eye out for.