Every Borderlands Game, Ranked

Borderlands 4 has hit the shelves as of September 12, 2025, so why not take a look at how it ranks among the rest of the Borderlands franchise? Since Borderlands first introduced players to looter-shooter mayhem back in 2009, Gearbox Software has been adapting and evolving the gameplay, perfecting itself into the definitive first-person action RPG experience. With 4 mainline entries, 2 spin-offs, and 2 narrative-driven adventure games, it’s time to definitively rank all Borderlands games, so check below to see where your favorite ranks!

8

New Tales from the Borderlands

An Interactive Story Where Choices Don’t Matter and Humor is Far Too Forced

Released

October 21, 2022

ESRB

m

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New Tales from the Borderlands is the second attempt at a narrative-driven adventure game, but this time, Telltale Games was not involved in its creation. Sadly, that shows. With three protagonists with their own stories that entwine, players aren’t going to be playing much of anything, but instead, watching a story that’s just not all that interesting or funny.

While it is technically part of Borderlands, most have forgotten or never even played New Tales from the Borderlands, and it’s easy to see why. The humor doesn’t land, and the story isn’t very interesting, and there really isn’t any gameplay to be ranked, leaving it in a strange place within the entire franchise.

7

Tales from the Borderlands

One of the Best Narratives, But It’s Gameplay is a Story

Released

November 25, 2014

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence

Engine

Telltale Tool

Tales from the Borderlands is exceptional, proving just how good Telltale Games were when responsible for the license of other franchises. Tales from the Borderlands was a five-part episodic game, where every decision and choice mattered to provide consequences and further drive the narrative. With humor and a quest that promises great things for its cast, Tales from the Borderlands had so much Borderlands within its DNA, even without the core gameplay.

While Tales from the Borderlands is always worth one playthrough, or even two to see alternate choices, the fact that it’s a narrative adventure game means that there isn’t replayability or endgame offered in the first-person looter-shooters, so while it’s a beloved game, it can’t rank higher.

6

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

A Fun Fantasy Story That Doesn’t Offer the Best Endgame Variety

Released

March 25, 2022

ESRB

T For Teen due to Blood, Crude, Humor, Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands was a more expansive and ambitious project that took what players loved from Borderlands 2‘s DLC, Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, and adapted it further, with a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired campaign helmed by the iconic and hilarious Tiny Tina. With a fully fleshed-out fantasy world with new enemy types, weapons, and Vault Hunters, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands did an exciting thing with the story, especially with a star-studded cast thanks to Adam Sandberg, Will Arnett, and Wanda Sykes.

However, once players did complete the story, the curtain basically drew to a close. The endgame is rather repetitive and doesn’t really offer anything, and the variety within the core Vault Hunters isn’t as fleshed out and exciting as it was with other gamevas. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands can be a fun adventure, but it’s not one that many revisit.

5

Borderlands

The Game That Started It All Deserves Much of the Credit

Released

October 20, 2009

ESRB

m

Borderlands may not be the most played of the series, but it’s certainly the grandfather that deserves the most respect. Borderlands took plenty of risks, being bold enough to become a first-person shooter that focused on action RPG elements and looting rather than it did PvP mayhem. Borderlands set the style, the tone, and really the foundation for every game going forward, so everything innovative about future sequels may be better, but can be seen on the foundation of the OG game.

Borderlands had a more serious tone, with a muddier atmosphere and color palette, but it was still such an interesting art style and gameplay loop that kept players around. The only unfortunate side of Borderlands was the lack of content after finishing the campaign, and while the DLC packs fixed some of this, there still wasn’t much to do, but the fun of the characters and the randomized weapon system really made this one worth trying.

4

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Despite a Lack of Endgame and Loot, The Pre-Sequel is a Cult Classic

Released

October 14, 2014

ESRB

m

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

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Waiting for Borderlands 3 was going to take a while, so why not get 2K Australia to fill the gap with a smaller game that’s a lot like Borderlands 2, but with a unique flair? Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel has a bit of revisionism in its later years, as it’s got more of what people enjoyed from Borderlands 2, except there’s a little less content there. However, what is there is still a great time, especially since each of the 6 Vault Hunters had so much variety to craft an overpowered and unstoppable killer that made running combat encounters fun, but not exactly rewarding, with the lack of dedicated loot drops.

The story is really great, especially as players get to learn snippets of post-Borderlands 2, while also enjoying the story of how Handsome Jack became who he was in Borderlands 2. Gameplay-wise, the low-gravity mechanics took some getting used to, but they weren’t bad. The Pre-Sequel‘s failings were not entirely to the fault of the developers, since the planned DLC roadmap was canceled, leaving the game short of content that was offered before.

3

Borderlands 3

Great Gameplay, Incredible Endgame, Marred by Easiness and Characters

Released

September 13, 2019

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language

There’s a great game within Borderlands 3, and for the most part, that’s found within the gameplay. Controller or keyboard in hand, players can feel how good Borderlands 3 is to play, with slide mechanics and just general tweaks to gunplay that make it feel so much smoother than previous iterations. It’s fun to play, but it’s also burdened by how easy it is to become overpowered, making builds feel too dependent on the meta to be enjoyable, even with an incredibly varied endgame.

Another part of what doesn’t work for Borderlands 3 is doubling down on elements from Borderlands 2 that just wouldn’t work in the modern market. The indulgence of humor, the embracing of current trends like the twin villains being streamers, just made Borderlands 3 feel a tad dated before it had even released. It’s hard to ignore the story and side missions of Borderlands 3, as there’s not a lot of consistency, but instead, a slog of shouting voice lines that aren’t too fun to repeat.

2

Borderlands 4

Borderlands is Back With Incredible Gameplay and a Healthy Mixture of Humor and Grit

Released

September 12, 2025

ESRB

Rating Pending

Borderlands 4 is the latest entry in the mainline series, and it’s clear why fans had to wait 6 years for this one. Borderlands 4 does so much right, providing an addictive gameplay loop that mixes build variety, gunplay, and sheer exploration with a grand amount of fun. The right lessons were learned, doing away with cringe and shouty humor for a more selective approach so that when the jokes do come, they hit and land. Outside of the humor, the story has a serious tone that allows its villainy to breathe and be admired as true threats, and the gameplay is just an absolute treat to bask in. Each combat encounter is more fun than the last, especially when players build their Vault Hunters into the perfect killing machines with a mixture of OP skills, guns, and Firmware.

Related

Borderlands 4: Things That Make No Sense In The Story

Borderlands 4’s campaign has concluded for many players, but rolling the credits might leave some fans asking a few logical questions.

The only thing that truly holds Borderlands 4 back is the performance issues that have persisted for some players even after launch, and the fact that it’s a new content cycle means there aren’t many offerings once players hit their level cap, reach UHV5, farm the weapons they want, and complete all missions. However, with 2 new Vault Hunters and DLC Packs promised, Borderlands 4 could very well rival the top pick to be crowned the Borderlands king.

1

Borderlands 2

The Peak of the Series in Terms of Writing, Content, Challenge, and Build Variety

Released

September 18, 2012

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol

There’s a reason that everyone always goes back to Borderlands 2, and it goes far deeper than pure nostalgia. Borderlands 2 is iconic, truly immersing fans into the world of Pandora with deeper threats, more riveting characters, and further adventures. The mayhem’s all there, but so is the heart. Borderlands 2 gets so much right, with a great balance of humor that’s (mostly) aged well, and a villain that’s just unsurpassable with Handsome Jack. Even outside of the campaign, Borderlands 2 has so much on offer with its barrage of DLC packs that it’s impossible to run out of things to do.

Each of the 6 Vault Hunters present in Borderlands 2 offers so much build variety, and that’s without talking about the billions of guns that can truly make each fight feel earned and godly. Players can really never run out of enjoyment with Borderlands 2, since the DLCs, Raid bosses, Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, and OP8, all guarantee a healthy addiction to this mayhem-fueled ride that never stops.