Borderlands 4's end game has already run out of gas

The wait for Borderlands 4 has been long, as the last mainline entry in the series was released back in 2019. As the years passed, anticipation awaited Borderlands 4 continued to grow and 2025 finally brought a new offering in the beloved franchise. Despite the mounting tension, Borderlands 4 has still proven to be a divisive entry in the series.

Borderlands 4 definitely has tons of great features. Between its interesting story, more well-balanced humor and diverse cast of Vault Hunters, Borderlands 4 gets things right in a lot of important ways, especially its gameplay, which feels like a big improvement. But when it comes to the title's endgame, the lack of extra content once the main story is done is quickly felt.

Borderlands 4's endgame content leaves a lot to be desired, at least for now

granted, Borderlands 4 has only been out for a little over a month, so judging a game's endgame offerings this early in its lifecycle is incredibly difficult, as this feature could feel completely different by this time next year. The good news is that there are already confirmed plans for new content, and some of it will also arrive before the end of the year. Before the game's launch, Gearbox fell Borderlands 4s roadmap post-launch, so there's definitely new content on the way, but there's one specific method that can take that endgame to the next level in the meantime.

One of the biggest improvements that can be made until extra content comes is fixing World Events. Instead of making them random, it would be ideal to give players the ability to play these events whenever they want. For me, World Events are one of the most frustrating parts of the game, because getting the chance to play one feels more like a lottery, and that makes it far from satisfying. This seems like it could be a fairly easy fix with a future update, but as it stands there are no known plans to rework World Events.

How Borderlands 4's endgame currently compares to previous entries

Borderlands 4's post-launch content is starting to pick up

• Horrors of Kairos run from 23 October to 6 November.

• Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day arrives November 20.

• The first Invincible Boss, Bloomreaper the Invincible, will appear sometime in december.

• Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned arrives beginning of 2026.

While the playoff well may have run dry for now, at least there's plenty of extra content right around the corner. Of course, the Horrors of Kairos event still leaves a lot to be desired, but the promise of Bounty Packs and the first Story Pack on the way is at least exciting.

There's always the possibility that this upcoming content could repeat the mistakes that Horrors of Kairos made by not being as rich in content as hoped for, but I'm keeping a positive outlook on the game's future, at least for now. Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day introduces a variety of skins, while the impending launch of Story Pack 1 could really kick things off.

Borderlands 4's first year hopefully sticks the landing

After previous posts like Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 truly embraced post-launch content, Borderlands 4 will hopefully follow in the footsteps of these chapters. Right now, the roadmap for the first few months of the game is an exciting tease of what's to come, but keeping up that momentum will also be a big challenge.

About the first one Borderlands game hadn't embraced adding extra endgame content post-launch, the franchise as a whole might not have grown into the series it is today. The endgame content and activities provide Borderlands titles plenty of replayability, ultimately extending its lifespan. A strong endgame can really make or break a game's staying power, and only time will tell Borderlands 4 successfully manages to keep players engaged for the next few years.

In its current state, Borderlands 4 may not be filled with robust endgame content, but that doesn't make it a bad game by any means. Because of its strong story and characters, it has many great qualities, and I'm eager to see how Gearbox chooses to delve deeper into its world as new content is added to the mix. It's important to remember that the game is still incredibly fresh, so there's plenty of time for Borderlands 4 to develop and become a stronger experience after its story. Players who have beaten the main story may be caught in a lull for now, but on the bright side, Gearbox has already teased what's in store for the game.

Released

September 12, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, User Interaction