It’s time to admit Borderlands captured lightning in a bottle with this game, and Borderlands 4 proves it will never happen again

I was really looking forward to Borderlands 4 at the beginning of 2025. Like many other fans, I wasn’t thrilled with Borderlands 3 and hoped Borderlands 4 would recapture the magic of Borderlands 2. But after playing for a few months, I’ve pretty much stopped playing, and I’m realizing I might have been expecting too much from the series.

Even now, Borderlands 2 is considered the high point of the Borderlands series. It’s especially praised for its fantastic writing, and its villain, Handsome Jack, is often ranked among the best in video game history. The game remains incredibly replayable thanks to its fun gameplay and the wealth of downloadable content released after it came out, even 13 years later. While Borderlands 2 is often seen as the standard for the franchise, looking at the games that followed suggests its success might have been a unique case, rather than a sign of things to come.

Borderlands 4 Proves that Borderlands 2 isn’t the Norm, It’s the Exception

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Tried to Replicate Borderlands 2’s Success to Mixed Results

As a big fan of Borderlands 2, I was really excited when The Pre-Sequel came out. I loved the idea of learning how Handsome Jack became the villain we all knew and hated! And honestly, the story did a great job of showing us his backstory. But, man, the gameplay could be a real pain. I remember constantly worrying about my oxygen levels and getting used to the low gravity on Elpis. It was distracting and took away from what was actually a pretty good story. They fixed those issues in later games, which was great, but by then, the story of Handsome Jack was pretty much finished.

Borderlands 3’s Story Was Seen as Rare Misstep After BL2

Okay, so let’s be real, the story in Borderlands 3 just didn’t hit the same way Borderlands 2 did. I didn’t even mind the Calypso Twins that much, but all the silly, over-the-top jokes and the villain being social media influencers felt kinda weak after how awesome Handsome Jack’s story was. Borderlands 4 clearly listened to the complaints about that, but I think they went a little too far in the other direction. A lot of the new characters just felt…forgettable. It’s kinda ironic, but I actually thought Zane and Amara, who carried over from Borderlands 3, had the most compelling storylines in the new game.

Borderlands 4’s Massive Play Count Drop-Off Shows it Wasn’t the Savior Fans Wanted it to Be

As a huge Borderlands fan, I’ve been playing since the beginning, and I have to say, while Borderlands 3 and now 4 really do refine the gunplay and make combat feel amazing, they both struggle to keep players hooked for the long haul. It’s really disappointing to see how quickly player numbers have dropped in Borderlands 4. It peaked at over 300,000 on Steam, but now it’s barely above 6,000! I think a big part of that is the lack of support after launch – it feels like they just haven’t given us enough reasons to keep playing. Honestly, even starting a new character and replaying the story isn’t that appealing this time around. The campaign just wasn’t very memorable or complex enough to make me want to do that.

I’ve loved revisiting Borderlands 2 again and again for its story, and I’ve found myself replaying Borderlands 3 multiple times too. But with Borderlands 4, I feel like I’ve explored everything it has to offer, and I’m not currently motivated to return after finishing the main story. That said, I might feel differently once the first big DLC comes out.

After a disappointing Halloween event, Borderlands 4 offered Bounty Pack 1 as a free gift to players. However, the game’s first big expansion and new playable character are still expected to release in the first three months of 2026.

Three Games Later and It’s Clear that Borderlands 3 and 4 are More Representative of the Series Than 2

OpenCritic Scores for the Borderlands Series After 2

Borderlands 2 — 86%
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel — 74%
Borderlands 3 — 81%
Borderlands 4 — 82%

Looking at the scores, it’s becoming clear to me that maybe we fans have been remembering things a little wrong. It seems like Borderlands 2 was the real standout game, and everything else – Borderlands 3 and even the newer Borderlands 4 – are more representative of what the series is usually like. I think Borderlands 2 was just exceptional, and it probably raised the bar too high for the other games. They’re not necessarily bad, but they’re more in line with the rest of the Borderlands games, and Borderlands 2 was just a special case.

Another Borderlands 2 is Unlikely, and Fans May Need to Accept the Strengths of Other Entries

The latest scores show that each new Borderlands game shouldn’t be judged on whether it tries to recapture the feel of Borderlands 2. The franchise isn’t flawed, and I enjoyed the direction of Borderlands 3‘s story, even with a few repetitive lines. I hoped Borderlands 4 would be even bolder in its storytelling. Each game offers unique qualities that make it enjoyable: The Pre-Sequel has interesting character customization, Borderlands 3 features satisfying shooting mechanics, and Borderlands 4 provides a large and detailed world to discover.

While other games in the Borderlands series are good, none quite match the depth of story and characters in Borderlands 2, and that’s perfectly fine. As a fan of the series, I appreciate all of them. I’ve found something to enjoy – and something to be frustrated by – in every Borderlands game I’ve played. It’s a shame that some fans remember Borderlands 2 as flawless, because it overlooks the strengths of the other games. Handsome Jack was an amazing villain, but players shouldn’t let that make them ignore what the other Borderlands games have to offer.

2025-12-10 00:05