Borderlands 3
2019 · Gearbox Software
Has it aged?Why ↓
Borderlands 3 is a first-person loot shooter where you play one of four Vault Hunters, travelling from Pandora's deserts to planets such as neon-lit Promethea. You shoot bandits, collect weapons and develop your skills; experimenting with guns is the pleasure, while repeatedly emptying your backpack is the tax.
The original shooter-looter returns, packing bazillions of guns and a mayhem-fueled adventure! Blast through new worlds and enemies as one of four new Vault Hunters.
The publisher’s description, from its Steam store page.
What it looks like
the trailer, then the store's own shots
The verdict
Play it with a friend for the weapon experiments, not the story. Guns with alternate firing modes and peculiar quirks make another firefight tempting, even when the fetch quests don't. The meme-heavy humour dates it more than the shooting does. Co-op lets you supply better conversation, but it cannot spare you the repeated stops to compare weapons and clear inventory space.
Play it if
You like trying unfamiliar guns rather than sticking to one favourite, rebuilding your character's skills, and chatting with a friend while clearing rooms of enemies. You enjoy comparing equipment stats enough that a full backpack feels like a decision rather than an interruption.
Skip it if
You need jokes to stop once they've landed, missions without repeated fetch errands, or uninterrupted shooting. Repeated character patter and mandatory inventory sorting are woven through the campaign, not confined to optional distractions.
Common questions
- Do we have to compete for the same gun drops?
- No. Choose instanced loot for co-op and you won't have to argue over who gets a boss's new sniper rifle; you can also trade equipment with your partners.
- Can I play Bloody Harvest outside Halloween?
- Since the 2021 update, Bloody Harvest, Broken Hearts Day and Revenge Of The Cartels can be enabled year-round from the main menu, including their cosmetic rewards.
- Which Vault Hunter gets the mech, and which gets a pet?
- Moze gets the mech; FL4K is the robot beastmaster with a choice of alien pets. Pick whichever companion sounds more appealing than another gun.
What everyone else said
we link, we don't reprint- Eurogamer3/5
Vikki Blake
Has it aged?
How does it hold up today? Based on recent reviews, how opinions have changed since launch, player activity and updates.
% positive each month, last 4 years.
Reviews via Steam ↗Peak: 53k in Mar 2020.
Player counts via SteamCharts ↗Less liked than at launch.
No update in the last year.