With Borderlands 4 now out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, plenty of new players are asking the same question: Do you need to play the older Borderlands games first?
The short answer is no. You can absolutely jump straight into Borderlands 4. But like a legendary drop with perfect rolls, there’s extra value if you know the history.
Borderlands 4 is a Standalone Experience
Gearbox developers have said Borderlands 4 is for players who have never played the series before, designed to deliver fresh lore, characters, and gameplay that don’t require prior Borderlands knowledge. The story is fresh, the characters are new, and while there are callbacks for longtime fans, the campaign was built so new players can start here without confusion, where Borderlands 4 is meant to be a standalone experience.
The story takes place on the new planet of Kairos, where the Timekeeper rules with his Order. You’ll pick one of four brand-new Vault Hunters and fight through a fresh campaign. The game is designed so that even if this is your first Borderlands, you won’t feel lost.
Moxy has even set up her own bar on Kairos after crash-landing on the planet, with Zayn working as her bouncer, a familiar face that longtime fans will recognize.
Everything from the open-world design to the movement system is built to be approachable. You can double jump, glide, grapple, and dash across zones without needing to know what came before. Co-op is streamlined too, making it easy for anyone to dive in.
What You’ll Miss If You Skip the Older Games
While you can enjoy Borderlands 4 on its own, there are layers of story and humor that hit harder if you’ve played the earlier titles.
- Characters like Claptrap and Lilith return, and long-time fans will appreciate how their arcs have developed.
- The mystery of the Vaults and the Eridian connection, which has been building since the first game, continues here.
- The humor has shifted again. As we noted in our Borderlands 4 review, the cringe-inducing influencer jokes from Borderlands 3 are gone, replaced with a more serious story sprinkled with the series’ trademark dark wit.
What Borderlands games should I play before 4?
If you don’t have time to catch up on everything, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 are the most important entries to play beforehand. They establish the lore of the Vaults and the arcs of returning characters like Lilith and Claptrap. Playing Borderlands 3 gives you more context for Lilith’s disappearance and the state of the galaxy leading up to 4.
Story Spoilers: How Borderlands 4 Connects to the Past
Spoiler warning: skip this section if you want to go in blind.
Borderlands 4 may stand on its own, but it also ties directly into the larger saga.
The Timekeeper isn’t just another villain. He’s revealed to be a Vault Guardian, which makes sense if you know the Eridian lore from the first three games. A major late-game moment sees Elpis crash into Kairos, pulling a dramatic callback to The Pre-Sequel. Lilith, long absent since Borderlands 3, returns and plays a pivotal role in the story’s climax. Other characters, like Arjay and Zadra, have twists that showcase Borderlands 4’s darker tone.
After being absent for much of Borderlands 3, Lilith makes her return in Borderlands 4 and plays a pivotal role in the story’s climax. Amara’s journey also ties into this, she traveled to Kairos hoping to find Lilith, but was stranded in the mountains biome and spends much of the game searching for a lead.
Newcomers will still follow the plot just fine. But veterans will notice how these moments pay off years of storytelling.
Is Borderlands 4 newcomer-friendly?
Yes. Gearbox has confirmed that Borderlands 4 was built as a perfect entry point. The campaign explains its characters and lore clearly, so first-time players won’t feel lost. Borderlands 4 is fun, but it isn’t flawless.
Performance is one of the biggest issues. As we mentioned in the performance section of our review, Unreal Engine 5 instability leads to frame drops and crashes. Navigation in the open world can be frustrating too, with invisible walls blocking exploration in areas that look accessible.
The story is also a mixed bag. The Timekeeper is serviceable as a villain, but as we said in our review, he doesn’t come close to matching the menace of Handsome Jack. These problems don’t ruin the game, but they are worth knowing before you jump in.
Should You Play Previous Borderlands Games Before Borderlands 4?
So, do you need to play the previous Borderlands games before Borderlands 4? No. It works perfectly well as a standalone experience.
But should you? If you want to feel the weight of Lilith’s return, understand the Eridian lore, or catch the callbacks that make fans grin, then playing at least Borderlands 2 and 3 is worth it.
Whether you’re new to the series or a veteran chasing loot and mayhem, Borderlands 4 has something for you.
