Gearbox Unveils Dark Story Trailer for Borderlands 4, Introducing New Vault Hunters and a Ruthless Regime
Borderlands 4 story trailer reveals a new planet, powerful Vault Hunters, and a brutal villain as Gearbox sets up a thrilling rebellion on Kairos.
Image via Gearbox
So at the recent Fan Fest event (it was on June 21), Gearbox showed the Story Trailer for Borderlands 4. It’s the first time fans are getting a really good look at what’s happening with the game. There is a guy called The Timekeeper who’s kind of the bad person in charge on a place called Kairos. He seems to be controlling everything from the sky? And he’s got these weird Bolt things that people have to wear, kinda like forced implants. When the Vault Hunters show up, they all get captured and bolted, which makes everything way more intense.
Borderlands 4: New World, New Problems
Borderlands 4 is gonna be taking place on the new planet Kairos, which no one even knew existed before. It became visible because Lilith apparently did something with Elpis (Pandora’s moon) and accidentally made Kairos not hidden. On this planet, the Timekeeper has full control. People are being forced to wear Bolts, and the Order is strict and scary. Eventually, a group called the Crimson Resistance wants to start a rebellion, and weirdly enough, Claptrap is kind of leading it? Or at least encouraging the Vault Hunters to fight back.
Meet the New Vault Hunters
Besides Vex and Rafa, who we have already seen before, they showed us two more characters. Harlowe is the Gravitar, who’s got powers related to gravity or something with physics, maybe? And Amon, called the Forgeknight, got this thing where he can mix ice and fire, and uses an axe. They all have different personalities, but some people online say they feel like versions of older characters. Others seem excited by how cool their abilities are.
Movement and Gameplay Are Getting Big
One of the major things they are changing is how players move. There is a double-jump, gliding, grappling, and some sort of dash ability. Compared to Borderlands 3, this seems way more fluid. A developer, Graeme Timmins, mentioned how the areas are all seamless, with no loading screens between them. There’s also a combat radar now (not to be confused with minimap, which they are not bringing back), plus something called the EchoBot drone, which helps with directions and stuff.
Borderlands 4 Release Info, Editions, and DLC Things
Borderlands 4 is coming out on September 12, 2025, for platforms like PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The Switch 2 version will be released later on. There are three editions of the game for pre-order. All editions include the Gilded Glory Pack with skins and Echo-4 drone stuff.
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Deluxe Edition has more skins and extra missions (called Bounty Pack).
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Super Deluxe Edition gives you everything else and two more Vault Hunters that come later with story stuff.
So basically, they are planning long-term DLC support for after release, too.
What Developers Are Saying
Gearbox said this isn't just another money-making sequel. They wanted to push creativity forward. The writing lead, Taylor Clark, said movement was a focus this time, like how gunplay was the focus in Borderlands 3. Executive Producer Chris Brock said something like, “We tried to apply the same polish to traversal like we did with combat before.” Also, the reason combat radar exists now is because fans asked for it, even though the mini map is still gone.
The trailer for Borderlands 4 made it clear – it’s darker, more about control and resistance. The gameplay is more open and fast, and characters are looking fresh, even if people have mixed feelings. Gearbox seems to try something different while still being Borderlands, which makes this game something worth keeping an eye on before it releases this September.
