Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3: Everything we know so far
By Omri Petitte, Tyler Wilde, PC Gamer 12 hours ago

It's official. Here's everything we know about Borderlands 3's release date, setting, characters, and more.

Borderlands 3 was one of the worst-kept secrets in videogames, but as of the Gearbox panel at PAX East 2019, it's not a secret anymore. Check out the announcement trailer above, and below find every scrap of info we've gathered about Borderlands 3 so far.

For our full breakdown of the trailer, head here.

What is the Borderlands 3 release date?
There's no official release date, but an earnings call from publisher Take-Two points to a possible release before Fall 2019.

Gearbox has kept silent on a specific release date, even though it was entertaining ideas as far back as 2012. Publisher Take-Two seems keen on a potential 2018-2019 launch window, as suggested by an investors call report from March 2017. In it, CEO Strauss Zelnick included a “highly anticipated new title from one of 2K's biggest franchises” as part of the publisher's fiscal 2019 outlook, a span of months ranging between October 2018 and September 2019.

Zelnick's comments appeared again in subsequent reports in August, November, and February 2018, increasing the likelihood of a solidified timeframe. But keep in mind Borderlands 3 wasn't named specifically, so Zelnick could've been referring to another game. And those plans could've changed in the past year.

Still, Borderlands 3 is a strong contender for Take-Two's plans, especially considering the known quantities of the studio's annual sports releases, the juggernaut omnipresence of Grand Theft Auto 5, and the radio silence from Steam sale darlings XCOM, Civilization, and BioShock (the latter's recent stirrings notwithstanding). It has until fall 2019 to make that window.

Borderlands 3 'Mask of Mayhem' teaser

The teaser above, dubbed 'Mask of Mayhem', is full of imagery from the series, which gives us lots of clues about what's to come. Gearbox's Randy Pitchford said that the Handsome Jack mask is just a troll, though. "He's dead."

Who's in Borderlands 3?
It's a reunion. Lilith, Maya, Brick, Mordecai and Zer0 are in the trailer. Rhys, from Tales from the Borderlands, shows up. Tiny Tina is now less tiny. Marcus, Ellie, Sir Hammerlock, and, of course, Claptrap make appearances, too.

Gearbox hasn't confirmed the names of the new Vault Hunters, though this leak has them as Moze, Amara, Zane, and Flak.

What is Borderlands 3's setting?


Not Pandora! Well, also Pandora. But based on the trailer, it looks like we're heading to a big city, and there's a jungle spot, too, so it won't all be desert. There's a lot of focus on the word 'worlds,' plural.

We break down the whole trailer here.

Is Claptrap actually good or actually bad?
Both.

What sort of loot will be in Borderlands 3?


Expect the usual bevy of wacky weapons and bizarre effects—including a gun that walks, as seen in the trailer.

Elon Musk's flamethrower oughtta be there, too. In January, Musk attracted Pitchford's attention when he debuted a novelty flamethrower available to the public from his Boring Company, joking on Twitter that the flamethrower was sentient and came with a free cryptocurrency blockchain. Pitchford then declared the flamethrower's inclusion in the next Borderlands game, requesting Musk to write the flavor text. Musk agreed. "Boring Flamethrower" already smacks of a cheekily named legendary drop, and sentient guns aren't anything new—this is the same series that gave us a yelling SMG—so keep an eye out for it.

Other Borderlands 3 details


Around 90 percent of Gearbox is working on Borderlands 3. Pitchford told a PAX West panel audience that the studio was full steam ahead on a project “most of you guys want us to be working on.” Since no one was brave enough to shout out “Colonial Marines 2,” that project is most definitely Borderlands.
Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are getting free 4K texture packs
Gearbox saw a few notable departures, including writer and Scooter voice actor Mikey Neumann. Borderlands 2 lead writer Anthony Burch also left the studio in 2015. Claptrap voice actor David Eddings moved on to Rooster Teeth last year.