Borderlands 4 official story trailer releases showing off a much darker tone

Borderlands 4, the upcoming action-adventure RPG developed by Gearbox Studios, has received its official story trailer

The new story trailer released on the Gearbox YouTube channel gives players a closer look at the big bad for Borderlands 4, the Timekeeper. The trailer shows how the Timekeeper has implanted the player with a Bolt, a spine-grafted cybernetic device that he uses to "dominate the populace" of Kairos, trapping them to the planet. Additionally, the Timekeeper and his Order reign dominant on the planet of Kairos, ruling from a fortress city called Dominion City.

Players will start with very humble beginnings and begin their journey across Kairos to kindle the flames of a revolution against the Timekeeper and his Commanders. The inhabitants of Kairos have already begun rising up against the overlord, and you, the player, are set to be the final spark to ignite a full-scale revolt.

From the trailer, we can see that Borderlands 4 is shifting toward a darker tone compared to the previously released games in the franchise, which is probably a great decision as it will keep the game feeling fresh and not just a regurgitated version of the previous release, but with more guns.

Borderlands 4 will release on September 12, 2025, and will be coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The Nintendo Switch 2 release is expected, but will be announced at a later date, possibly via Nintendo during an upcoming Direct.