A Co-Op Overhaul Fans Have Been Waiting For

Borderlands 4 is gearing up to give squad-based looting a serious glow-up. Speaking at PAX East 2025, Gearbox laid out a raft of quality-of-life tweaks aimed squarely at co-op die-hards—promising quicker matchmaking, fairer difficulty, and the quickest route yet to jump straight into chaos with friends.

Instant Friend Fast-Travel

Forget slogging across maps to rendezvous: you’ll be able to fast-travel directly to any buddy’s location the moment you join their session. It’s drop-in, drop-out from minute one—no multi-hour prologue required.

Smarter, Player-Specific Challenge

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford confirmed that dynamic difficulty scaling will now adjust per player. Combined with the already-announced instanced loot, everyone sees treasure and threats tailored to their level—keeping firefights tense without punishing newcomers.

“”Co-op is a religion to us. If you play co-op, it is best-in-class co-op by far. We have revamped the lobby system so it’s easier than ever to connect with people, easier to get into a co-operative game. It’s drop-in and drop-out, none of this play for three hours and then you can start co-op. No, just get in, people can drop in and drop out.” Pitchford told the crowd.

A Revamped Lobby in Seconds, Not Minutes

The new lobby system is designed to whisk fireteams together with fewer menus and less downtime. Gearbox’s goal: the “best-in-class co-op” experience the series has always chased.

Loot, Legends, and New Faces

• Tighter Legendary Drop Rates: Expect fewer but more meaningful Legendary weapons than Borderlands 3—sharpening the late-game hunt.
• Four Vault Hunters at Launch:
  • Vex – Siren
  • Rafa – Tediore Exo-Soldier
  • Harlowe – Gravitar
  • Amon – Forge Knight

Release Date—and a Price Question Mark

Borderlands 4 hits PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on September 12, 2025. With game prices creeping upward, even Gearbox isn’t sure whether the sticker will read the usual $70 or edge toward the $80 territory set by recent blockbuster releases.

Bottom Line: Gearbox is betting big on community play. With instant friend teleporting, difficulty that adapts to each teammate, and a more streamlined lobby, Borderlands 4 aims to be the easiest—and most electrifying—way to loot and shoot together when it lands this September.