Borderlands cover art

Borderlands

2009Gearbox SoftwarePlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Borderlands is an action role-playing first-person shooter set on the distant planet of Pandora. Players choose from four characters, each with distinct combat abilities, and explore an open world rendered in a distinctive cartoon-style visual approach. Gameplay revolves around completing missions, defeating enemies, and collecting procedurally generated weapons with varying statistics and elemental effects. The game supports cooperative play for up to four players, with enemy difficulty scaling based on the number of participants.

What it feels like

Dark humor and comedic tone permeate the writing, character dialogue, and set-pieces. High-energy kinetic action and colorful, over-the-top presentation convey playful enthusiasm.

Lighthearted50%
Exuberant45%

What it's about

Set on the alien planet Pandora with sci-fi technology, setting, and tone throughout. Pandora is a hostile wasteland planet ravaged by corporations and conflict, suggesting post-collapse setting.

Science Fiction75%
Post-Apocalyptic50%

How it plays

Aiming and firing ranged weapons with tactical feedback is the core interaction loop of the game. Combines first-person shooting combat with an endless randomized loot loop, defining the core loop of Borderlands. Procedurally generated weapons with varying statistics and rarity drive the reward treadmill and character progression.

Gunplay90%
Looter-Shooter90%
Loot & Drops85%
Class System65%
Leveling & Grind60%
Character Builds55%
Gear Upgrades55%
Resource Management50%

How it looks and sounds

First-person perspective is fundamental to the moment-to-moment gunplay and shooter experience. Distinctive cartoon-style visual aesthetic with bold, saturated colors defines the look. Cartoon-style rendering with outlined, stylized character and environment design.

First-Person95%
Vibrant Color65%
Cel-Shaded60%

How it's structured

Four-player cooperative play over network with enemy scaling is a major structural feature. Pandora is a large explorable space where players choose mission order and roam non-linearly. Designed for solo play while also supporting multiplayer, with full single-player campaign.

Online Co-op70%
Open World70%
Single-Player55%

Shares First-Person, Looter-Shooter, Gunplay, Loot & Drops.

Both lean into Looter-Shooter, First-Person, Gunplay, Loot & Drops.

Looter-Shooter95%First-Person90%Gunplay90%Loot & Drops85%
Destiny 273% match

Shares First-Person, Gunplay, Looter-Shooter, Loot & Drops.

Both lean into First-Person, Gunplay, Looter-Shooter, Loot & Drops.

First-Person95%Gunplay92%Looter-Shooter88%Loot & Drops85%
Borderlands 372% match

Shares First-Person, Looter-Shooter, Gunplay, Loot & Drops.

Both lean into First-Person, Looter-Shooter, Gunplay, Loot & Drops.

First-Person95%Looter-Shooter95%Gunplay90%Loot & Drops60%

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Gunplay90%Science Fiction85%Loot & Drops65%Single-Player70%

A lesser-known kindred — First-Person, Gunplay, Science Fiction, Resource Management. 96% positive across 4,402 Steam reviews.

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Gunplay95%First-Person90%Science Fiction75%Single-Player85%
20XX32% match

A lesser-known kindred — Gunplay, Loot & Drops, Online Co-op, Science Fiction. 91% positive across 4,562 Steam reviews.

Both lean into Gunplay, Loot & Drops, Online Co-op, Science Fiction.

Gunplay80%Loot & Drops65%Online Co-op70%Science Fiction50%
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