The story sees the Vault Hunter working with Ellie as they venture into The Whispering Glacier in search of an “alien monolith” to find the titular Vault of the Damned. A “cosmic entity” that wants to ruin Kairos is apparently within, and the duo are keen to prevent that. Alongside the return of Mancubus, there’s Pickle and even Crazy Earl.

The Whispering Glacier holds plenty of secrets, including new areas hidden by massive flesh grows and an alternate dimension where a random World Boss awaits. Aside from the various bosses and mini-bosses (which include Scavs, Kraggons and even the DAHL Legion), players can look forward to 11 new Legendaries and three Pearlescent weapons. There are also 28 new cosmetics to unlock.

Of course, to access the content, you’ll need to have finished “A Lot to Process” in the base game, which means being level 13 or higher, or starting a new character and skipping straight to the DLC. A full reveal of C4SH’s gameplay and even a new cinematic short will be released next week, so there’s plenty to help with the wait.

Borderlands 4 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Its Switch 2 version was originally in development, but has since been paused, allegedly proving a challenge for the team.

Bounty Pack 2’s release later this month will be accompanied by a major update for Borderlands 4 that brings with it a new tier of loot rarity—Pearlescent. This new tier has been described as being “superior to even Legendary gear”, and will be available to all players regardless of which DLC they may or may not own. Bounty Pack 2 players will also get their own exclusive Pearlescent-tier gear.

Story Pack 1 will introduce an entirely new region to the game, complete with new story missions and the first post-launch Vault Hunter addition—C4SH. The character was teased back in September, giving us hints about his various abilities. C4SH is themed as a gunslinger, along with slight nods towards potential necromantic abilities. The tease was accompanied with a look at C4SH’s kit, which includes a pair of revolvers and some strange-looking artefacts.

Legend of the Stone Demon is the second of five planned post-launch Bounty Pack DLCs. It can be picked up as part of the Bounty Pack Bundle, or as part of the Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions of Borderlands 4. Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, on the other hand, is the first of two planned Story Pack DLCs, and can be picked up individually, as part of the Vault Hunter Pack, or as part of the game’s Super Deluxe Edition.

Initially, Gearbox had also planned to bring Borderlands 4 to the Nintendo Switch 2. However, poor performance of the title on PC led to the studio pushing back the Switch 2 launch in favor of ironing out its technical issues on other platforms. While things had largely been quiet since then, earlier this week, Take-Two Interactive spokesperson Alan Lewis had confirmed that development on the port had been paused.

“Our focus continues to be delivering quality post-launch content for players on the ongoing improvements to optimize the game,” said Lewis. “We’re continuing to collaborate closely with our friends at Nintendo. We have ‘PGA Tour 2K25’ coming out and ‘WWE 2K26’ [for Switch 2], and we’re incredibly excited about bringing more of our titles to that platform in the future”

A follow-up report has indicated that development on the Switch 2 port had been “paused for a couple of months.” According to notable leaker NateTheHate, the port has “proven to be a challenge and has likely crossed over into the realm of investment/time needed to port it well being too high in comparison to sales potential.”

In the meantime, Borderlands 4 is still available on other modern platforms, and Gearbox has recently unveiled an updated roadmap for its post-launch content plans. Also check out our review for more details on the co-op looter shooter.

With the news that the Nintendo Switch 2 version has been paused, one must wonder about its future (the recent 2026 roadmap notwithstanding). Speaking to GamesIndustry, Zelnick said, “We’re still supporting Borderlands. We’ll have new content coming, we have updates coming, and we still are very optimistic about that title.”

This follows president Karl Slatoff stating that, “Gearbox Software will continue to support Borderlands 4 with new content and updates, and we expect the title to achieve strong sell-through over its lifetime” in Take-Two’s latest earnings call (transcription via GamesRadar).

That’s pretty much in line with everything we already know, but what about long-term content plans? Will Gearbox deliver everything on its current roadmap, which includes a new Bounty Pack and two story expansions, before moving on? Or can we expect even more content beyond Q3 2026?

Time will tell, but for Standard Edition owners along for the ride, the looter shooter will receive new Pearlescent rarity items next month, followed by a new Invincible boss and the first Takedown in Q2 2026. Gearbox has also promised performance improvements, a level cap increase, balance updates, new endgame activities, limited-time events, and my most-wanted feature, Shared Progression.

It essentially means that all collectibles unlocked on your first playthrough, including Fast Travel kiosks, Vault Key Fragments, and more, will be available for all future characters. No more needing to hunt them down again. Unfortunately, there’s currently no ETA on its arrival.

Lewis did mention, however, that Take-Two Interactive is still continuing to work with Nintendo to bring its games to the Switch 2, including upcoming releases like WWE 2K26.

“Our focus continues to be delivering quality post-launch content for players on the ongoing improvements to optimize the game. We’re continuing to collaborate closely with our friends at Nintendo. We have ‘PGA Tour 2K25’ coming out and ‘WWE 2K26’ [for Switch 2], and we’re incredibly excited about bringing more of our titles to that platform in the future.”

What he means by the development being paused is currently unknown. It might be an outright cancellation for the platform, since the recent quarterly earnings report for Take-Two Interactive doesn’t have any mention of Borderlands 4’s Switch 2 release.

Another report had indicated that Gearbox and Take-Two Interactive might be aiming for a February 27 launch of the Switch 2 port of Borderlands 4, with the alleged date being listed by a Portuguese retailer. The description of the physical release indicated that it would be a Game Key Card, which would require players to download the files to play.

Gearbox had announced that it was delaying the Switch 2 port of Borderlands 4 back in September, noting that it was making sure that it could deliver “the best possible experience to our fans.” Along with optimization improvements, the studio was also working on features like cross saves. “We do not take this decision lightly, but are committed to ensuring we deliver the best possible experience to our fans, and the game needs additional development and polish time to do that,” said Gearbox through the Borderlands Twitter account.

Thankfully, Nintendo’s eShop policies have meant that those who pre-ordered Borderlands 4 on the Switch 2 wouldn’t lose any money. Rather, all digital pre-orders were cancelled, and refunds were automatically initiated. It is worth noting that some work had been done on Borderlands 4‘s Switch 2 port, with a trailer being released back in July showcasing the platform-specific gameplay.

Borderlands 4 is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and Gearbox has continued to provide post-launch support for the co-op looter shooter. In a new roadmap, the studio confirmed that Bounty Pack 2: Legend of the Stone Demon will be released in February, and Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned will come out in March.

The second Invincible boss is also slated to debut alongside the game’s first Takedown in Q2 2026. Gearbox has described it as an “extremely challenging gauntlet where players will have to battle their way through a new area, taking on hordes of enemies and new boss encounters.”

For more on Borderlands 4, check out our review.

According to the report, there have been a total of 71 million games sold in 2025 across PC and consoles in Europe, which marks a 6 percent drop over the same period from 2024. This data accounts for sales having taken place up to July 28. Of the 71 million game sales, 52 million were digital copies, while 19.7 million were physical copies. These are 3 percent and 9 percent reductions over the previous year, and around 74 percent of games sold this year in Europe have been digital, which, when it comes to percentages, is a 2 percent rise from 2024.

The best-selling game in Europe in 2025 has been EA Sports FC 25. The title was released back in 2024, and taking it into account, Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently sits in the number 2 spot for game sales overall in Europe across PC and consoles. The top 20 sales chart, which you can check out below, also include other games released this year, including The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, Elden Ring: Nightreign, and Nintendo Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World. It is worth noting that digital sales data for Nintendo games hasn’t been revealed.

The data, coming from official European charts company GSD, also interestingly omits Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It was noted as being missing because publisher Kepler Interactive hasn’t shared sales data for the game with GSD. An analyst from GSD, Sam Naji, also revealed some details about how game spending has changed for PC and consoles over the year.

In his analysis, Naji said that the first 19 weeks of 2025 saw spending drop by 2 percent compared to 2024, down to €1.33 billion, while the number of copies sold dropped by 9 percent. He attributed this to the average price of games having gone up by around 8 percent, with gamers spending an average of €29 per game, when compared to 2024’s average of €27 per game. He also noted that digital spending had gone up by 8 percent compared to a 6 percent drop in number of units sold, attributing it to a 15 percent rise in average price for digital games – €22 to €25 per game.

Best Selling Games in Europe for 2025 Across PC and Consoles:

1. EA Sports FC 25 (EA)
2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows (Ubisoft)
3. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)
4. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)
5. Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)
6. Split Fiction (EA)
7. Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Activision Blizzard)
9. Mario Kart World (Nintendo)
10. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (Plaion)
11. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Bethesda)
12. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (EA)
13. Elden Ring: Nightreign (Bandai Namco)
14. It Takes Two (EA)
15. Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar)
16. NBA 2K25 (2K Games)
17. F1 25 (EA)
18. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft)
19. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)
20. Battlefield 1 (EA)

“If you are playing on the Switch 2 you won’t be able to upload or view custom images from other platforms,” 2K explained in an FAQ for the game. The publisher then went on to say that “Nintendo Switch 2 players will not see Image Uploader-based Community Creations from any platform or be able to upload their own.”

While this means that custom-made wrestlers that were created using only the in-game tools would be fine to share, those that were made on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, or by making use of the Image Uploader tool provided by 2K for the creation of custom textures will not be available. When it comes to community creations, the ones made using the Image Uploader tend to be the most detailed and popular.

Fans of WWE 2K games on social media have not been happy about this announcement, with one fan even noting that the Nintendo Switch version of WWE 2K18 supported the feature just fine.

“Ended up going to Nintendo support to get a refund,” posted one player on Reddit. “Have the game on PS5, only double dipped for a portable universe mode with custom creations.” They went on to confirm that Nintendo allowed a refund and that it “didn’t take too long.”

Some players are speculating about whether the lack of Image Uploader support on the Switch 2 version of WWE 2K25 comes down to restrictions placed by Nintendo. One player wrote about their frustrations with this decision, wishing that Nintendo would trust the users of its consoles to make use of the parental control tools available rather than restricting content like this.

“Wait.. so custom images are forbidden by Nintendo?” they wrote. “I really wish Nintendo would tell us their target audience. Why does Nintendo have to be like YouTube? You have parental controls for a reason, stop hindering grown adults’ fun by protecting kids. Yall ain’t their parents. The parents are.”

The Switch 2 version of WWE 2K25 was announced earlier this month alongside a new trailer that featured various members of the WWE roster, including LA Knight, Finn Balor, and Raquel Rodriguez. The trailer also provided a look at the wrestling title’s gameplay.

Pre-ordering the Switch 2 release would have gotten players access to the Wyatt Sicks pack. Those who decided not to pre-order, however, can still get their hands on the DLC pack by picking up the Deadman Edition or the Bloodline Edition of WWE 2K25.

Aside from the Nintendo Switch 2, WWE 2K25 has been out on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S since March. For more details, check out our review, where we gave it a score of 7 out of 10.

In the preview, IGN noted that developer Hangar 13, according to president Nick Baynes, had similar opinions about Mafia 3 as the players did in hindsight, namely the fact that an open-world game in the vein of the Grand Theft Auto franchise didn’t suit the Mafia franchise. Baynes also suggested that the positive reception of the more linear Mafia: Definitive Edition might have led Hangar 13 to making Mafia: The Old Country a linear title as well.

The preview played by IGN involved three chapters of Mafia: The Old Country – chapters 3, 4 and 5. According to the publication, Hangar 13 has been seemingly quite successful at recapturing the general mission design structure that made the original Mafia and its first sequel beloved. The game focuses a lot more on its narrative rather than saddling players with side-quests and collection missions in an open world.

Earlier this month, Hangar 13 had also released a new trailer for Mafia: The Old Country, giving us an extensive look at its gameplay. The trailer involved protagonist Enzo Favara having a meeting with Ton Torrisi before heading out on a mission. However, before leaving for the mission, Enzo also has to prepare by picking out his ideal gear in order to infiltrate a villa. The trailer gave us a look at both stealth-based gameplay, as well as some more action-oriented segments.

Before this, Mafia: The Old Country had also gotten a trailer during Summer Game Fest 2025 back in June. The trailer gave us a look at some of the upcoming title’s story scenes, as well as some gameplay. According to the trailer, a core theme of Mafia: The Old Country will be the idea of revenge, and how it “can only come from someone else”.

According to Hangar 13, authenticity has been a major priority for the studio when it comes to portraying early-1900s Sicily in Mafia: The Old Country. A developer diary from back in May featured quite a few of the developers, including game director Alex Cox, lead writer Matthew Aitken, and art director Steve Noakes, among others.

“When it comes to something like the knives in the game, there’s very little reference that’s available for that. Right?” said Noakes. “And so really we had to dig very deep. We went into some tiny little backwater of a machine shop where this guy and his son were still crafting knives by hand, imbuing them with their particular regional styles, known for their thumbprints, if you like, of their particular approach to building knives. We just wouldn’t really experienced that any other way.”

Mafia: The Old Country is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on August 8.

As spotted by a Twitch partner, Borderlands 4’s audio options screen features a separate slider that apparently controls specifically Claptrap’s volume. This reveal prompted narrative director Sam Winkler to reveal that the slider also has some jokes involved. In a social media post, Winkler said that one of the jokes he had written for the game’s Claptrap Volume slider features exclusive lines, including a niche reference to an older game.

“I wrote some lines just for this feature and it includes maybe the dumbest most niche reference to a certain terrible accent in a certain classic immersive sim,” wrote Winkler. While we don’t know what immersive sim he is referring to in his post, his use of the word “classic” would imply it is from the Deus Ex series.

Borderlands 4 just recently got a new trailer showcasing one of its new regions – the Wastelands. The region is a sandy one, and includes destroyed structures that would indicate that it was once inhabited by some form of industry. Going by the trailer, the level also seemingly involves a fair bit of verticality, and will likely involve quite a few bandits that have to be taken out by the player.

Gearbox also recently revealed that there will be quite a few difficult bosses for players to take on in Borderlands 4. In a social media post, the studio posted a screenshot of the boss Inceptus, claiming that “nothing goes harder” than it. Studio boss Randy Pitchford, in a response, noted that the title will definitely feature some bosses that might surpass Inceptus in terms of “going hard”.

“Actually… I can think of some bosses that go harder,” wrote Pitchford in his post. “Inceptus is pretty hard, though.”

Creative director Graeme Timmins has also confirmed that Borderlands 4 will be getting photo mode in a post-launch update. He noted that the studio’s first priority was to make sure that the moment-to-moment gameplay was good. Because of this, the feature wasn’t able to make it into the game in time for its September 12 launch.

“I had us prioritise polishing some other elements, more core to the moment-to-moment experience,” wrote Timmins. “We’ve always planned for it, and had it tasked up, we just needed to spend a bit more time on things that would directly impact QoL of playing the game.”

Borderlands 4 is currently in development for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2. As you wait for the upcoming co-op looter shooter, check out what Pitchford has said about the studio’s plans for post-launch content for the game.

In his post, Pitchford noted that his initial statement about “real fans” came about because he wanted to let fans of the franchise know that a potential $10 increase in the price of Borderlands 4 wouldn’t negatively impact the game too much. He also wrote about how his choice of words – “real fans” – were misconstrued as him taking the franchise’s fan base for granted.

“I am sorry there was a misunderstanding,” wrote Pitchford. “The absolute sincere truth is that I don’t want anyone to pay any more than they should or are comfortable with and I always work with the intent and hope that a customer always feels they got the better end of the deal no matter what they pay.”

“The actual context was that a guy replied to a post about Borderlands 4 on the Nintendo Switch 2 was warning me that if the price ends up being $80, the game will fail. What I was trying to do was explain that it wasn’t my call but that if a $10 price increase does happen (since that’s obviously where the industry is going), it will be okay and that Borderlands 4 will be okay because it’s a great game and there are a lot of fans who will see the value and want it.”

“I think my trying to short hand that using the phrase ‘real fans’ triggered some people and I saw that it got inflated as if I was making some big statement (I wasn’t – I was just trying to help someone who I thought was sincerely worried about us and looking out for us) and I could see that it was being pressed into the idea that I was taking the audience for granted (which is a super s****y look, but it was not at all my intent and does not reflect at all how I feel).”

Further in the post, Pitchford also wrote about how he understands that there are realities of business and economics, despite being an artist that doesn’t want to see prices going up.

“As an artist I don’t want prices to go up because I want everyone to have access to what we create,” the post continues. “I get that business is a thing and that the market and economy are driving prices up and sooner or later we’re going to have to all adapt to that so that the creative engine can make at least as much as it spends to provide us with amazing content. Whatever the case, I’m here to try to entertain people and my priority has always been to try to add some joy and happiness and creativity to the world.”

Borderlands 4 is slated for release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 12. For more details on Pitchford’s statements, check out our thoughts on the matter. Also check out what Pitchford has said about the development budget behind Borderlands 4 and its potential price tag.

Tiny Tina was first introduced to fans of the Borderlands franchise with the second game, which featured her in a minor role. This role would later get expanded through the release of a DLC for Borderlands 2 – Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. Ultimately, the popularity of the character would ensure that she would come back in later games, and she ultimately also got an entire title based on her – Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.

It is worth noting that, considering the success of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, Gearbox might intend to make the character more important to its overall business going forward with her own line-up of games. This would also mean that we would see less and less of her in Borderlands games as time went on. Burch’s statement and relative silence about her appearance in Borderlands 4 might also end up being a ruse to keep players from getting spoiled on the game before its release.

Borderlands 4 is shaping up to be one of the biggest releases for Gearbox overall, with the studio CEO, Randy Pitchford, describing it as having “by far the biggest universe that we’ve built.” He continued to say that the game’s world is “seamless,” pointing out that “there’s no load times.”

Pitchford also spoke during a recent GDC panel about the title not featuring a minimap. The decision was made, according to him, because the a minimap would simply get in the way of players exploring the world on their own. Rather, Gearbox wants players to wander around and occasionally pull up the full map of the game if they were to get lost.

“A lot of the things you do can be local space, but a lot of the things you do or want to do are out there, and a local space map is not a good way to navigate when you’re thinking about objectives and opportunities – several at the same time that might be miles away – and a compass really helps us do that,” said Pitchford.

“So we made a commitment, and we put all of that investment into this compass system, and you still have the big map,” he continued. “It’s one click away.”

Pitchford recent words also sparked some controversy surrounding the unannounced price tag for Borderlands 4. While he was quick to say that the game’s price wasn’t his decision to make, he also said that “real fans” would find a way to buy the game even if it were to cost $80. He quickly apologised for the statement after quite a bit of backlash, however.