How to Play the Borderlands Games (and Spin-Offs) in Timeline Order

Every Canon Borderlands Game successful Chronological Order

These blurbs incorporate mild spoilers for each game, including characters, settings, and communicative beats.

1. Borderlands (2009)

The crippled that kickstarted it all. The precise archetypal Borderlands launched successful 2009, telling the communicative of Lilith, Brick, Roland and Mordecai: a radical of 4 "Vault Hunters" that task retired connected the treasure hunt of a lifetime. Arriving connected the volatile satellite of Pandora, they question retired a legendary bunker known arsenic The Vault, which is said to location unimaginable treasures.

As expected, their expedition rapidly turns into a chaotic maelstrom of carnage, with the radical facing disconnected against a militia known arsenic the Crimson Lance, contending with the planet's savage wildlife and taking down hordes of bloodthirsty bandits. From the infinitesimal Borderlands deed shelves, it was a immense hit, launching the looter shooter genre into the stratosphere done its compelling gameplay loop of sidesplitting masses of enemies, discovering a near-limitless proviso of guns and gathering your chosen character.

The crippled was besides supported heavy aft release, getting a further 4 expansions that took the crippled from zombie-themed islands to a tongue-in-cheek riff connected Mad Max's Thunderdome.

2. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (2014)

Developed by 2K Australia with the assistance of Gearbox Software, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel whitethorn person launched aft Borderlands 2, but it fills successful the spread betwixt the archetypal 2 Borderlands games. The communicative follows a radical of caller Vault Hunters, Athena, Wilhelm, Nisha and Claptrap, arsenic they caput retired connected a ngo to find a Vault connected the satellite of Elpis.

The Pre-Sequel was, successful a batch of ways, a clump much of the Borderlands fans knew and loved. Set successful a caller locale with caller classes to maestro and learn, it offered much guns, brag fights, quests and force encounters to plough done portion the satellite waited for an inevitable Borderlands 3. However, its main selling constituent was further fleshing retired the communicative of Borderlands 2, with the crippled featuring the 2nd game's main antagonist, Handsome Jack, successful a starring role.

Alongside featuring galore of the 2nd game's main bosses and characters years earlier their roles successful the sequel's story, it besides offered a afloat presumption of Jack's descent into madness, establishing the iconic foe's origins. Much similar the different games, 2K Australia added respective expansions aft the crippled launched, including the Holodome Onslaught and Claptastic Voyage maps, arsenic good arsenic 2 playable characters: the Doppelganger and the Baroness.

3. Borderlands 2 (2012)

The authoritative sequel to Borderlands, Borderlands 2 launched successful 2012, bringing players backmost to Pandora with a caller squad of ambitious Vault Hunters successful tow. The communicative begins with our heroes, Maya, Axton, Salvador and Zer0, heading to Pandora to hunt for a caller Vault. However, it rapidly becomes evident that the planet's overlord, the sadistic Handsome Jack, doesn't instrumentality kindly to brave adventurers seeking fame and luck by uncovering the latest fabled Vault connected Pandora. While riding a bid crossed the untamed planet, Jack attempts to person them killed, leaving them stranded successful an icy wasteland.

Left for dead, the squad acceptable retired connected an escapade to observe the information down Handsome Jack's schemes, attempting to halt to him and find the Vault successful the process. Borderlands 2 was fundamentally a bigger, much expansive instrumentality connected the archetypal game, offering plentifulness of quests, caller classes to master, a charismatic main villain to instrumentality down and, somehow, adjacent much guns to find and collect.

It's inactive regarded by galore arsenic the champion Borderlands to date, offering a amusive story, memorable combat encounters and a steadfast dose of the series' trademark consciousness of humour. Much similar the archetypal game, it besides came with a clump of post-release support, including 4 further campaigns, 2 bonus playable characters, and respective Headhunter missions.

4. Tales From The Borderlands (2014 - 2015)

The archetypal afloat spin-off of the series, Tales From The Borderlands was Walking Dead developer Telltale's instrumentality connected the Borderlands universe, offering an episodic, story-focused escapade acceptable connected the aboveground of Pandora. Unlike the mainline entries, Tales doesn't centre connected a squad of super-powered, gun-obsessed Vault Hunters. Instead, it follows a crook and a firm lackey who unwittingly stumble into a expansive adventure.

Set aft the events of Borderlands 2, we travel Rhys, a Hyperion worker lobbying for a higher presumption successful the company, and Fiona, a con creator moving with her sister, Sasha. After Rhys attempts to one-up a workfellow by intercepting a woody to get a vault key, helium learns the cardinal was a fake successful a con set-up by Fiona, entangling the 2 unneurotic and mounting disconnected a concatenation absorption of events that enactment them connected the way of a marque caller Vault.

As with each of Telltale's games, Tales From The Borderlands focuses chiefly connected a branching, cinematic communicative with motivation choices that tin alteration the absorption of the narrative. In the years pursuing its release, Tales From The Borderlands has been acknowledged arsenic a cardinal portion of the Borderlands canon, with archetypal characters from the crippled adjacent popping up successful Borderlands 3.

5. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022)

Gearbox Software's astir caller introduction successful the Borderlands franchise, from the outside, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands doesn't look similar a Borderlands game. Subbing retired futuristic godforsaken wastelands for a sprawling phantasy kingdom, portion Wonderlands whitethorn person plentifulness of dragons, goblins and unicorns, it's precise overmuch inactive a Borderlands crippled successful everything but the setting.

Acting arsenic a fully-fledged mentation of the beloved Borderlands 2 DLC, Tiny Tina's Assault connected Dragon Keep, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands erstwhile again has you entering the satellite of Bunkers and Badasses; the Borderlands equivalent of Dungeons and Dragons. With Tina arsenic your very enthusiastic dungeon master, you'll conflict against a scope of phantasy monsters, embark connected immoderate heroic quests and conflict your mode to the monstrous Dragon Lord.

As with each Borderlands games, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands boasts a metric ton of guns to find, classes to maestro and enemies to kill, portion besides incorporating caller ideas to complement the displacement successful setting, specified arsenic an overworld country you traverse betwixt missions and the quality to usage spells. It besides has its ain helping of expansions to excavation into, with 4 abstracted DLCs featuring caller dungeons, bosses and gear.

6. Borderlands 3 (2019)

Seven years aft the merchandise of Borderlands 2, Gearbox Software returned for an authoritative 3rd entry, launching Borderlands 3 successful 2019. As always, the threequel brings a caller fresh formed of Vault Hunters into the fray, introducing players to Amara, FL4K, Zane and Moze, and sending them retired connected a chaotic caller adventure.

This clip around, players are tasked with stopping a brace of murderous siren twins named Troy and Tyreen, who are venturing crossed the postulation and harnessing the powerfulness wrong the vaults for a mysterious cause. In a franchise first, players are tasked with travelling to aggregate planets to instrumentality them down, teaming with an array of acquainted faces specified arsenic Lilith, Rhys, Maya, Brick, Zer0 and, of course, Claptrap.

As always, you tin expect plentifulness of looter shooter chaos to ensue, with a heap of guns to find, enemies to eviscerate and caller quality classes to master. There's besides plentifulness of DLC contented to leap into erstwhile you're done, with Borderlands 3's further contented offering 4 caller campaigns, takedown missions and adjacent decorator and manager cuts that resurrect a clump of contented near connected the cutting country floor.

7. New Tales From The Borderlands (2022)

Gearbox Software's authoritative follow-up to Tales From The Borderlands, New Tales From The Borderlands is presently the past crippled connected the chronological timeline. Bringing successful a slate of caller characters alternatively of opting for a continuation of the archetypal Tales game, New Tales has 3 protagonists: Anu, Octavio and Fran.

The communicative follows the group's adventures aft stumbling into a vault and uncovering a precious artefact, which inadvertently puts them successful the enactment of occurrence of the Tediore corp and its ruthless CEO, Susan Coldwell. With the relic present successful their possession, the trio begins to uncover its existent powers, each the portion attempting to evade Coldwell arsenic she hunts them down.

Much similar the erstwhile game, New Tales From The Borderlands is focused astir wholly connected weaving a branching communicative that adapts and warps based connected your choices. You tin expect plentifulness of dialog options, QTE combat sequences and pugnacious decisions that volition interaction the result of the adventure.

8. Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 takes spot instantly aft the events of Borderlands 3 connected a caller satellite called Kairos. To debar spoiling anything, we won't spell into item astir however this crippled connects to Borderlands 3 until radical person had immoderate clip to play. If you're that curious, you tin cheque retired our Borderlands 4 review.

Every Borderlands Game successful Release Order

1. Borderlands (2009)
2. Borderlands Legends (2012)
3. Borderlands 2 (2012)
4. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (2014)
5. Tales From The Borderlands (2014 - 2015)
6. Borderlands 3 (2019)
7. Tiny Tina's Wonderland (2022)
8. New Tales From The Borderlands (2022)
9. Borderlands: Vault Hunter Pinball (2023)
10. Borderlands 4 (2025)

What's Next For Borderlands?

Borderlands 4 is the astir caller introduction successful the looter-shooter series. The 4th mainline Borderlands crippled released connected September 12 connected PS5, Xbox Series X|S, portion a Switch 2 mentation volition beryllium disposable successful October. The crippled has been mostly well-received since launch, speech from a slog of show issues that Randy Pitchford surely has immoderate thoughts about.

Although that's each we person to spell connected for now, we learned precocious the franchise volition beryllium a large absorption for Take-Two pursuing its acquisition of developer Gearbox: Take-Two brag Strauss Zelnick noted successful an investor's telephone that the institution sees a batch of "potential maturation opportunities" for the IP.

Callum Williams is an IGN freelancer covering features and guides. When he's distant from his desk, you tin usually find him obsessing implicit the lore of the latest obscure indie fearfulness crippled oregon bashing his caput against a brag successful the newest soulslike. You tin drawback him implicit connected Twitter astatine @CaIIumWilliams.

Originally posted:

Sep 23, 2025 4:01 pm