How To Play Borderlands 4 Early?
If you’re itching to blast through Pandora’s baddies before the rest of the world, here’s the quick answer: on PC, you can start playing Borderlands 4 a solid half-day ahead of console players.
The PC version unlocks at noon Eastern (9 AM Pacific) on September 11, 2025, while consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) only join the chaos at midnight September 12, or 9 PM if you’re hanging out on the West Coast.
I’ll admit, being the friend who’s already maxed out their Vault Hunter while your mates are still stuck waiting is… kinda satisfying (until someone reminds you about homework).
Honestly, sitting in a Discord call with friends, all listening to me cackle as I find some outrageously overpowered gun in those first twelve hours? That’s a tiny joy worth savoring.
But wait, what if you’re on console and feeling left out? There’s the famous “New Zealand trick.”
Xbox players can change their console’s location to New Zealand, letting you play as soon as the clock strikes midnight NZT, which is a significant head start over US time zones.
PlayStation peeps, sorry, but you need a New Zealand account and must purchase via the region’s store… not the most convenient, and it could get messy with save transfers.
PC players—no timezone hijinks here; everyone’s stuck with a set, global unlock. I once tried the New Zealand trick for a shooter, spent more time Googling than gaming, but hey, Borderlands fans never quit.
Does Borderlands 4 Have Early Access?
Nope, Borderlands 4 does not feature any sort of paid early access, bonus editions, or “Gold” special unlock window. There’s no Digital Deluxe trick, no Vault pass that lets you loot before the world.
It’s genuinely rare these days; it seems like every AAA title has pre-orders with 3-day access, but this one? Gearbox decided: all Vault Hunters, same start time.
Sure, a little disappointing (who doesn’t love a bit of FOMO?). But maybe it’s for the best. My memory of pre-ordering a “Legendary Edition” for another looter shooter, just to find out half the exclusives were boring skins, still burns.
Here, you get the “Gilded Glory Pack” for pre-ordering: snazzy skins, yes, but no time advantage. At least no one will get dunked on by a streamer who speeds through story events a week ahead of launch.
Borderlands 4 Release Date and Time
Borderlands 4 officially launches on September 12, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
But, as always, there’s nuance in the timing: PC gets in at 12 PM ET on the 11th, console players join at midnight local time, and Switch 2 fans have to wait until October 3, so don’t rush out and buy something that won’t play until fall.
Had a friend once buy a game thinking they’d play on launch, turned out it was a staggered rollout and…well, let’s just say that friend became an expert at speedrunning disappointment. Borderlands 4 won’t let that happen (unless you’re on Switch 2, where patience is absolutely required).
Borderlands 4 File Size and Pre-load
Borderlands veterans, ready your SSDs. The PS5 version is surprisingly light at 28-ish GB, Xbox clocks in near 29.5 GB, and the PC demands a hulking 100 GB. Yes, one hundred gigabytes.
Could blame Unreal Engine 5, sprawling worlds, or just Gearbox wanting “maximum loot density.” I remember dreading deleting a year-old RPG to free up enough space for Borderlands 3; looks like folks will face the same dilemma here.
The good news? Pre-load started September 10 for digital pre-orders. Physical buyers will need an extra day-one patch before jumping in.
It’s a chunky install, but Borderlands fans are used to specs, right? Some grumble, sure—especially about the PC download, which is basically a full indie game plus a season pass in size. But bigger game means bigger vaults, hopefully.
Borderlands 4 System Requirements
Let’s not kid ourselves, Borderlands 4 is a shiny, demanding beast. PC players, get ready for:
Minimum:
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8-core CPU (Intel i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X)
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16 GB RAM
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RTX 2070 / RX 5700 XT (8 GB VRAM)
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100 GB SSD storage
Recommended:
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i7-12700 or Ryzen 7 5800X
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RTX 3080 / RX 6800 XT (12 GB VRAM)
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32 GB RAM
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SSD required
Gearbox’s own Randy Pitchford gave a cheeky warning: “If you run below minimum specs and the game launches at all, it’s basically magic.” Not exactly reassuring, but honest. I tried running a demanding shooter on a five-year-old laptop once, every cutscene looked like a slideshow. Don’t repeat my mistakes.
AMD and NVIDIA have dropped new drivers, DLSS 4 (with 5.5x performance boost!) for GeForce, while AMD adds FSR 4 for smoother frames on RDNA 4 GPUS. SSDs are a must; HDD users may as well print out loot drops and tape them to their monitors for all the speed they’ll get.
