Today, on November 19, 2020, the first PlayStation 5 consoles officially arrive in the hands of their new owners. With Borderlands 3, there is a very suitable game ready for the PS5 launch – even if it is already a year old.
Here’s why Borderlands 3 is back in the spotlight: Yes, Borderlands 3 is now over a year old. Nevertheless, now is the perfect time to dig out the game again and put it in the console – at least if you managed to secure a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S despite the chaos. Because Borderlands 3 has a NextGen upgrade in store that has been available from day one.
On Xbox Series X, players have been able to cause chaos in the polished Borderlands for quite a while now, and PS5 players in Germany can join in starting today, the official launch day of the new PlayStation.
If you haven’t warmed up to the previous launch titles or the PS Plus Collection yet, and still have a penchant for crazy loot shooters, you should definitely check this out. And returning players can also look forward to new features.
1. Improved Performance
Borderlands is a hell of a fun but also wild game. Things go up in the air, there are flashes of lightning all around, and true hordes of enemies can lay down a barrage of fire on you. The PS4, for example, often hit its limit, leading to performance issues – especially in split-screen mode, it became less enjoyable at times.
(via YouTube)
On PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, even 4-player split-screen sessions are now possible (and a vertical mode is finally onboard). Menus also often took time to respond or lagged behind – not to mention the sometimes very long loading times. This is said to be a thing of the past on NextGen.
The NextGen version has been fully optimized and is said to run significantly smoother than usual. It advertises 60 fps in 4K resolution in single-player and online co-op. Reports indicate that a smooth 120 fps may be possible in performance mode, which Gearbox also addressed on Twitter:
2. New Content to Discover
If you have already collected all weapons, defeated every boss, and finished the DLCs, you can still look forward to new content. Recently, the first part of Season Pass 2 was released with new content. Although it is not included in the free upgrade, those looking to return to Borderlands may consider a purchase.
The “Designers Cut” has already been released, which includes new Skill Trees for your Vault Hunters along with the new Roguelike mode “Arms Race”.
- Zane gets a new shoulder cannon
- Amara gets a new Phase ability
- Moze can now summon the Iron Cub
- And FL4K now has a new trap and a Loader Bot to offer.
Here you can find the new Skill Trees in detail.
So there are plenty of new possibilities for you to try out with your Vault Hunters. The game is also continuously supplied with events, the Chaos mode offers a tough challenge even for pros, and in spring 2021, the Director’s Cut with new missions and content will be released. So Borderlands 3 remains interesting.
3. An Affordable Game for Launch
Getting the new consoles with a lot of accessories is quite expensive. The new games are not necessarily cheap either. If you want to save a little but still want plenty of content for your PS5, you can safely go for Borderlands 3. The best part is: The NextGen upgrade comes at no additional cost if you already own the game. And newcomers can also travel to the Borderlands quite cheaply by purchasing the game in its old version and then upgrading for free to PS5 and Xbox Series X.
How does the upgrade work? If you have the disc version for PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can simply insert the old disc into the console and then download the upgrade version. For digital PS5 or Series S, you need to access the store where you downloaded the game, and you can collect the upgrade there. Important: If you have a digital console, you currently cannot upgrade your physical copy of Borderlands 3.
Did you already get a PS5 at launch? Then you can find some tips and settings that are perfect for starting with PlayStation 5.
