Borderlands 4 has been in development for almost as long as GTA 6

Borderlands 4 has been in the oven so long, you could’ve finished college twice while waiting.

In this interview with Nintendo, Randy Varnell, the game’s Chief Creative Officer, revealed Gearbox started working on Borderlands 4 way back in 2019, right after Borderlands 3 shipped. That’s six years of development, putting it in the same ballpark as GTA 6.

While Rockstar’s opus has hogged headlines for its endless wait, Borderlands 4 has quietly matched its timeline. Varnell confirmed the long haul in a new interview, saying they’ve spent “every one of those years” building out the next chaotic chapter. Turns out, it’s not just Rockstar that takes its sweet time.

Borderlands 4 has been cooking for ages — Just not GTA 6 ages

Borderlands 4 introduces a brand-new planet, Kairos, a fresh crew of Vault Hunters, and traversal mechanics that finally make getting around as fun as blowing stuff up.

It’s still cel-shaded, still loud, still weird, but now bigger, more seamless, and with zero loading screens. No PS4. No Xbox One. Just PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam + Epic), and the Nintendo Switch 2. It drops September 12, 2025 — moved up from its original release date because Gearbox is feeling bold, which is only natural after six years of work behind the scenes.

That timeline also reflects a growing reality in AAA development: six-year cycles are the norm now, not the exception.

Borderlands 4 followed a staggered development path: some devs moved to other projects, others prototyped in the background before full production kicked in.

Rockstar did the same: GTA 6 didn’t really get rolling until Red Dead Redemption 2 launched in 2018. These aren’t direct sequels churned out in factory lines; they’re slow-cooked chaos machines.

And let’s not forget how the Switch 2 factored into that timeline. Gearbox isn’t just porting Borderlands 4, they’re building for it. Varnell gushed about the hardware, saying it lets them create a true co-op experience in a seamless open world. “We’re not fighting the system,” he said. “The system’s enabling us and empowering us to make the best version of Borderlands 4 we can. ” That’s high praise in dev-speak.

So yes, Borderlands 4 has taken its time. But if six years gets us the biggest, boldest entry yet, bring it on. September 12 can’t come fast enough.