April 2025 State of Play Highlights Borderlands 4 Gameplay Deep Dive

The State of Play for Borderlands 4 was a highlight for fans, featuring a detailed 20-minute gameplay deep dive that showcased the game's new features and mechanics. This event, held on April 30, 2025, provided a wealth of new information and stirred up discussions about the game's unexpected launch date change.

Borderlands 4 State of Play New Details Revealed

20-Minute Gameplay Deep Dive Video

The Borderlands 4 State of Play offered an in-depth look at the latest looter shooter game. During the April 30 stream, PlayStation unveiled a comprehensive 20-minute gameplay video that introduced two of the four new Vault Hunters: Vex the Siren, who harnesses supernatural phase energy and can summon deadly minions, and Rafa the Exo-Soldier, a former Tediore trooper equipped with an experimental exo-suit that can digistruct various weapons.

The gameplay also introduced the new planet of Kairos, a world filled with warring factions, dangerous wildlife, and desperate inhabitants, all under the oppressive rule of the Timekeeper. Players' mission is to spark a revolution against this tyrant, engaging with unique factions and enlisting them in their cause. Familiar faces like Claptrap, Moxxi, and Zane return to assist in this epic quest.

New features showcased included the innovative licensed Parts system, which allows players to customize their weapons by mixing and matching behaviors and abilities. Additional Gear slots were introduced for more specialized builds, and players can now ride a new vehicle, the Digirunner, enhancing their exploration and combat capabilities.

Gearbox Denies Launch Date Change is Influenced by Other Games

Prior to the State of Play, Gearbox Software announced that Borderlands 4's release date had been moved up by two weeks, citing "incredible development work" as the reason. Despite this explanation, speculation among fans suggested that the move might be influenced by the release plans of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), especially given that both Gearbox and Rockstar Games are subsidiaries of Take-Two Interactive.

During Take-Two Interactive's earnings call in November 2024, the company confirmed plans to launch GTA 6 in Fall 2025, within the same fiscal year as Borderlands 4. However, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick assured that there would be no clash between the two titles, stating in a November 2024 interview with Variety, "I think it’s safe to say that we wouldn’t, and no one would, stack up huge releases unnecessarily."

Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford took to Twitter (X) on April 30 to address these speculations directly. He emphasized that the early release of Borderlands 4 was purely a result of the studio's confidence in their product, stating, "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Despite the discussions surrounding its release date, fans can look forward to experiencing Borderlands 4 earlier than anticipated. The game is set to launch on September 12, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. For the latest updates on Borderlands 4, be sure to check out our related articles.