Is Borderlands 4 Coming to Xbox Game Pass?
Nope—not at launch, anyway. If you've been clinging to hope that the new Borderlands will magically drop onto your Game Pass library on day one, you might want to ease back and manage those expectations. I saw the speculation swirling around in forums and my group chat, where half my friends just assumed Microsoft and Gearbox would sort out some magic deal at the last minute (because, you know, it feels like everything ends up on Game Pass eventually). But official word from Gearbox and 2K says Borderlands 4 is launching September 12, 2025, across the usual big platforms—PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S—and, in a neat twist, Nintendo Switch 2 a bit later. But Game Pass? Right now, it’s a no-show.
Now, having been burned before ("Oh, it'll drop next month, just wait!"), I get the cautious optimism. Borderlands 3 did get a stint on Game Pass, so it's not totally wild to think the fourth might eventually take the same route. The timing just isn’t lining up: Borderlands 3 is actually leaving Game Pass right around the Borderlands 4 release. That's got some folks joking about a “Borderlands blackout” on the service, though honestly, I chuckled more at the sheer timing than anything else. Is it meant to push more direct sales for Borderlands 4? Maybe. Publishers have their reasons, though, if we’re being real, Game Pass has become such an expectation that when a tentpole release skips it, you can almost hear the groan across the internet.
I think the emotional punch here isn’t just disappointment—it's frustration mixed with a touch of nostalgia. Remember when Borderlands 2 drew everyone back in with its loot chaos? My friends and I basically lived in those co-op lobbies during college; we’d rerun Handsome Jack's dumb banter for hours, hunting for legendaries. Game Pass was just a dream back then, and buying a Borderlands game felt like a minor commitment. Fast forward to now, and subscription fatigue is real. Most of us just want a taste before dropping full price, even if we eventually cave and buy the season pass anyway. The idea of Borderlands 4 coming to Game Pass is so attractive because it fits that “try now, buy never” mindset—the Netflix of loot shooters.
But, let’s talk about the future. Could Borderlands 4 hit Game Pass eventually? It’s possible, sure—but it wouldn’t be a first. Tons of major games skip the launch window before quietly shuffling onto Game Pass months (or years) after their splashy debut. If Gearbox wants to juice sales, they'll keep it off the subscription menu for a while. Yet major publishers don’t always telegraph these decisions. Maybe a surprise pivot will happen when player numbers dip, or post-launch expansions bring a new marketing wave. For now, though, it’s just not happening for launch, and there's nothing official to suggest that's changing anytime soon.
