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

To this day, Borderlands 2 is put on a pedestal as a shining example of what the series can be. The most praise this game gets is for its writing, with Handsome Jack in particular as a regular contender for the best video game villain of all time. What’s more is that Borderlands 2‘s gameplay loop and post-launch DLC have made it a game that’s very replayable, even 13 years after its original release. With all the praise that has been heaped onto Borderlands 2, I think it’s easy to assume that it has set the standard for the franchise, but looking at the entries that have released since proves that the success of Borderlands 2 may have just been a one-off rather than a trend-setter.

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

The next entry released after Borderlands 2 tried to continue the success of Handsome Jack’s story by telling a prequel tale of how the character became the villain players saw in the previous game. While this aspect of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was largely successful, frustrating mechanics like managing the O2 meter and constant low gravity on Elpis made its gameplay distract from an otherwise solid narrative. These gameplay mechanics would be corrected in the future, but the story of Handsome Jack was essentially over by that point.

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

It’s no secret that Borderlands 3‘s story is a dramatic drop-off in quality compared to Borderlands 2. While I didn’t find the Calypso Twins to be as irritating as other fans, Borderlands 3‘s overuse of “toliet humor” coupled with its influencer villains left something to be desired after the nuanced and engaging arc of Handsome Jack. Borderlands 4 took this feedback into consideration, but may have overcorrected too much, as I felt many of its new cast members were bland, by-the-numbers characters — and, ironically, I thought Zane and Amara returning from Borderlands 3 had the game’s most interesting arcs.

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

Borderlands 3 and now Borderlands 4 have each innovated and improved upon the series’ overall combat gameplay, but still fail to stick the landing when it comes to longevity. Borderlands 4 has seen a dramatic decline in players since launch, currently sitting at just over 6,000 players on Steam when the game peaked at more than 300,000 just a few months ago. This drop-off can largely be attributed to the game’s pitiful post-launch support driving players away, but I think there’s also less of a reason to replay the main campaign with a new character simply because of how straightforward and forgettable it is.

I’ve replayed Borderlands 2 multiple times over the years just to experience that story again, and I’ve even felt compelled to replay Borderlands 3 multiple times as well. With Borderlands 4, I feel like I’ve seen enough of the game that nothing is really drawing me back to it after completing the main story. However, this still could change once the first major Borderlands 4 DLC drops.

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

These scores paint a picture of the Borderlands series that not many fans are willing to accept: Borderlands 2 is the outlier and not the norm. None of the subsequent games have lived up to the praise that Borderlands 2 received, with both Borderlands 3 and 4 being closer to each other than to 2. What this tells me is that the more recent Borderlands games are reflective of the series as a whole, while Borderlands 2 was simply a one-off exemplary entry that may have set expectations too high for others to live up to.

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

The lesson these scores teach is not to go into each new Borderlands game expecting it to “fix” the franchise by being more like Borderlands 2. I don’t think the franchise is broken, and I generally liked what Borderlands 3 did with the story, aside from a few overused dialogue lines, and wished Borderlands 4 would have taken more risks with its narrative. Each Borderlands game has its own strengths that make it worth playing: The Pre-Sequel has fun Vault Hunter builds, Borderlands 3 has great gunplay, and Borderlands 4 has a dense open-world to explore.

However, none of these games have the level of nuance and storytelling that Borderlands 2 does, and that’s okay. For me, being a fan of the Borderlands series means enjoying more games than just Borderlands 2, and I can honestly say that every Borderlands game that I’ve played has aspects I’ve enjoyed and aspects I’ve found frustrating. Too many fans look at Borderlands 2 with rose-colored glasses, and it does a disservice to the rest of the franchise. Handsome Jack may have been a once-in-a-lifetime character, but players shouldn’t miss the forest for the trees with other Borderlands games just because they don’t have a Handsome Jack-tier villain.

Released

September 12, 2025

ESRB

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