Borderlands 4 has gotten a full new trailer at The Game Awards, and it looks like the game stays true to its style. The Borderlands franchise is known for its distinct cell-shaded look and gun-blazing, exciting adventure, and the new trailer promises more of what fans have come to know and love.
The long-anticipated fourth game in the Borderlands franchise got a new trailer at The Game Awards tonight. "We're putting everything we have into this game," announced Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford at the trailer reveal. The visuals show glimpses of a new setting, four new Vault hunters, some intriguing tech, and, of course, Claptrap and tons of loot.
The trailer reveals a lot more about the title and what players can expect when the game is released, sometime in 2025. The visuals depict what looks to be a large-scale war, Bandit-making masks, and a lot more emphasis on the mechanical side of things. As two armies clash on a battlefield, four new Vault Hunters arrive on the scene.
Borderlands 4 Artstyle Still Looks Great Despite Fan Concerns
It Still Looks Distinctly Like A Borderlands Game
When first glimpses were shown of Borderlands 4, fans were concerned that the game seemed to be moving away from its signature cel-shaded style in favor of more realism. Now that the full trailer is out, it's clear that the title hasn't lost its style and manages to merge the two styles into one that works well. Fan reaction to the way the game looks has been largely positive, with many in the Borderlands YouTube praising the look of the game.
Gearbox Software has scheduled Borderlands 4 for a 2025 release, and there are a number of features the game can improve the series with.
The only element of the game that isn't winning players over seems to be the new Vault Hunters, who fans say are not as distinctively full of personality as usual. The lineup includes the usual mix of heavy hitters, quick movers, and elementalists, though not much is shown of the individual hunters and their playstyles. Regardless of their design, it seems that mechanical elements like vehicles will play a bigger role as the new hunters search for loot and explore a variety of environments, including a neon-punk city, a fortress, a glowing cavern, and more.
Our Take: There's A Lot To Unpack In The Borderlands 4 Trailer
A Secret Message Flashes In The End
The Borderlands 4 trailer dives right into the action, showing so much new content that it will take several watches to unpack. Besides the obvious new reveals, like the four vault hunters and a glimpse into their powers, the trailer has some more hidden tidbits to uncover. At one point, the trailer pauses on a dark silhouetted figure holding a bandit mask that looks distinctly Roland-shaped, making it possible that the fourth game in the installment will bring back the beloved original Vault Hunter.
Besides the blink-and-you-miss-it moments of lore and gameplay reveals, the trailer seems to end in the flash of some words. The teaser trailer ended in a similar flash of a secret message, which was decoded to mean "He is watching. Break free." The full reveal trailer repeats the words "break free" with a new secret message for players to decode. The entire trailer, from the beginning to the cryptic end, is bound to make fans very excited about the epic and large-scale new direction that Borderlands 4 looks like it's taking the franchise.
In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, Screen Rant confirms it is on the judging panel at The Game Awards 2024. Our editorial process is separate from our contributions to judging, and as such, our panel inclusion does not compromise our journalistic integrity.
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