Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, *Borderlands 4*, is set to hit the shelves 11 days earlier than originally planned. This exciting news was confirmed by development chief Randy Pitchford in a video that inadvertently went live ahead of schedule. Originally slated for a September 23 release, *Borderlands 4* will now launch on September 12 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
In the video, Pitchford expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "Everything is going great, actually. In fact, everything is going kind of the best-case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking, and so the launch date for *Borderlands 4* is changing. We’re moving it forward. The launch date is now September 12." He added with excitement, "What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get *Borderlands 4* earlier!"
Pitchford also mentioned that a PlayStation State of Play focused on *Borderlands 4* is expected to be released soon, adding to the anticipation surrounding the game.
The decision to move *Borderlands 4*'s release date forward has sparked speculation about its relation to the looming release of *Grand Theft Auto 6* (GTA 6), which is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S sometime in the fall of 2025. Given the vague release window for GTA 6, there's a possibility that *Borderlands 4* was moved to avoid direct competition and give it more breathing room in the market.
It's important to note that *Borderlands 4* is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, which also owns Rockstar, the developer of GTA 6. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, there is likely a strategic approach to managing the release schedules of all Take-Two's games to maximize their success. The decision to advance *Borderlands 4*'s release might be influenced by recent developments in GTA 6's release timeline.
If *Borderlands 4* launches on September 12, it could potentially rule out a GTA 6 release in the same month or August. This leaves October, November, or December 2025 as possible release dates for GTA 6. However, there's a risk that Take-Two might inadvertently cannibalize its major 2025 releases if they are too closely spaced. This concern is heightened by the upcoming release of another 2K game, *Mafia: The Old Country*, slated for summer 2025.
In an interview conducted in February, IGN posed the question of potential harm from closely timed releases to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick. Zelnick responded by emphasizing that Take-Two plans its releases to avoid such risks, driven by a desire to "respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next." He further explained that consumers tend to pursue multiple hit games, even if they are not from Take-Two, which is beneficial for the industry. Zelnick expressed confidence in timing the releases to ensure each game gets its due attention.
Amidst this speculation, there remains the possibility that GTA 6 could be delayed into early winter or even the first quarter of 2026. When asked about the confidence in hitting the fall 2025 release for GTA 6, Zelnick cautiously noted, "Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it."
