Rank 3: Borderlands 4
What kind of game is this? Borderlands 4 is a loot shooter characterized by its recognizable cel-shading look and unique humor. In gameplay, you play the role of a so-called vault hunter. Currently, you can choose from four different vault hunters in Borderlands 4, all with different abilities.
With your vault hunter, you try to stop the big villain named “Timekeeper”. The associated story campaign, various missions, boss fights, and loot grind can be tackled solo or in co-op with friends.
Why this rank? Borderlands 4 particularly struggled with performance in the open world at launch. There were significant FPS drops and associated stutters. Nevertheless, the game gets a lot right – especially the skills of the vault hunters are a lot of fun. In addition, there were some meaningful improvements compared to its predecessors, including a hover bike that you can call at any time and a more dynamic movement.
A minor downside is the current endgame – it is quite meager. Although the developers have announced an improvement with the return of the takedowns, that is still at least until 2026. For many players, there are currently few reasons to play Borderlands 4 – after all, they have partially completed the available content for weeks or months and are completely satisfied with their vault hunters’ gear.
The performance and the current lack of long-term motivation are ultimately the reasons why Borderlands 4 landed in third place instead of second. Here, the next title is just slightly ahead.
If you want a deeper look into my opinion on Borderlands 4, you can find my complete playtest report here: Borderlands 4 reminds me in the test of Destiny, making it a fantastic loot shooter
