Borderlands 4 Launches Soon, Collector’s Edition Lacks Game
Gearbox is due to release Borderlands 4 on Sept. 12, 2025 on all major platforms, and pre-orders are now open. There are also various editions available, although the ECHO-4 Collector’s Edition (since renamed to “Bundle”) doesn’t come with the actual game.
Borderlands 4 builds upon previous entries in the series by offering a choice of four all-new Vault Hunters (playable characters) and literally billions of weapon combinations. The game world is also the biggest in the franchise yet, with new traversal abilities to aid exploration.
“I’ve been blown away by how high the team at Gearbox have raised the bar for Borderlands 4,” said David Ismailer, President of 2K, the Borderlands publisher. “The development team crafted a premium AAA adventure that evolves the series’ gameplay and storytelling in new ways, while delivering on the quintessential Borderlands looter-shooter experience fans know and love.”
Editions up The Wazoo
Gamers can get their mitts on Standard, Deluxe, and Super Deluxe editions of Borderlands 4, with GameStop offering an exclusive Collector’s Edition. However, while the former three versions are all digital editions that include progressively more DLC, the GameStop exclusive is a physical release with a load of game merch but no actual game.
The ECHO-4 Collector’s Edition, as it was initially marketed, quickly received a correction from Gearbox on June 17, through a post on X (Twitter): “The Echo-4 Bundle was mislabeled as a Borderlands 4 Collector’s Edition. This has been corrected on the website. The Borderlands 4 ECHO-4 Bundle features exclusive merch and a SHiFT code you’ll be able to use for Golden Keys day one!”
The Bundle, which is still listed on GameStop’s site under “Collector’s Boxes”, includes an 8” statue of drone companion ECHO-4, complete with light-up eyes. There’s also a 17″ polyester map of Kairos (the game world), a 20″ stainless steel Vault Hunter logo chain, and four double-sided lithograph art prints. It currently retails for $149.99 and clearly states that the game is sold separately.
However, some gamers have already been caught out, with Gearbox’s X account fielding replies from disgruntled consumers who, for one reason or another, didn’t realise the Collector’s Edition/Bundle is missing the game itself. The fact that in-game codes are part of this Edition adds to the confusion, as is a tweet from Randy Pitchford, head of Gearbox, where he explicitly referred to it as a Collector’s Edition.
Reasonable Discourse
However, not everyone on the internet is up in arms about this supposed oversight. Plenty of level-headed fans have taken to Reddit to offer sensible opinions on this situation, with most acknowledging that it’s actually better to have to buy the game separately.
“Not the first time this has happened. Blizzard has also done it. They’re Collector’s boxes that are usually marked down (minus game cost), and ship later than release so people can purchase digital and have the game on release, not after. I think they’re a good idea personally, as someone who doesn’t purchase physical games anymore. I think it would be good if they also made one with a physical game though,” said user CJDistasio.
This sentiment was echoed by stallion8426: “Lots of studios do this. It prevents delays with the game itself being delivered while also allowing for people who don’t have a disc-based console as their platform of choice to get it.”
“I think that maybe people have some sort of disassociation with the price,” added ZoulsGaming. “Like it’s okay to pay 150 for a collectors edition, but paying 70 dollars for the game and 80 dollars for the collectors stuff is totally not okay.”
The Game Itself
Previous Borderlands games have taken place on the planet of Pandora, but this time players will get to explore a prison planet called Kairos. The map with the Bundle gives an idea of the areas that will be open to players, including the Fadefields, the snowy Terminus Range, ruined Carcadia Burn, and the Dominion, the impenetrable fortress city belonging to game villain The Timekeeper.
As with previous entries, four-player online co-op is covered on all platforms, while this time around two-player splitscreen couch co-op is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. There are three brand new game mechanics available this time, too, including a rideable Digirunner (a kind of hoverbike), the ECHO-4 drone that can help upgrade equipment and find new routes, and finally enemy strongholds that can be reclaimed to open up new routes and fast travel options.
PC gamers eager to jump into looting and shooting this September should keep the specs in mind: Borderlands 4 minimum specifications are a touch on the eye-watering side. Players will need at least 16 GB RAM, a 64-bit processor and operating system, eight CPU Cores for the processor, and 8 GB VRAM for graphics. SSD storage is also required, as is either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT GPU.
