Borderlands 4 PS5 Review – Chaotic Fun or More of Same?

 Borderlands 4 Standard Edition – PlayStation 5 Review

The Borderlands series has always thrived on its chaotic gunplay, tongue-in-cheek humour, and unique cel-shaded art style. With #ad Borderlands 4, Gearbox has doubled down on what made the franchise popular while refining the formula to feel fresher and more responsive than ever on the PlayStation 5. The result is an action-packed looter shooter that feels both comfortably familiar and surprisingly modern.

Right from the opening cinematic, the game oozes personality. The over-the-top characters, wild scenarios, and irreverent comedy are still present, but there’s a noticeable shift towards slightly more grounded storytelling. While Borderlands 3 leaned heavily into absurdity, this fourth entry attempts to balance the ridiculous with a stronger sense of narrative weight. The writing is sharper, with better pacing and a story that keeps you invested without losing the series’ trademark charm.

The PS5 hardware truly gives Borderlands 4 room to breathe. Load times are practically non-existent, letting you dive into missions without the usual wait. Graphically, the cel-shaded art style has been refined rather than reinvented, with bolder outlines, richer colours, and lighting effects that make Pandora and beyond feel more alive. Explosions fill the screen with particle effects, while character animations are smoother and more expressive. It’s a world that feels simultaneously cartoonish and cinematic, which is exactly what Borderlands should be.

Gunplay has always been the heart of the series, and here it feels more satisfying than ever. Weapons are weightier, recoil has been tuned to feel more realistic, and the sheer variety of firearms is staggering. Every new gun feels distinct, whether it’s a laser-firing sniper rifle or a rocket launcher that doubles as a flamethrower. The game does a better job of making you care about the weapons you pick up rather than constantly discarding them for slightly higher stats. Legendary gear is exciting again, not just another number climb.

Character classes remain a huge part of what gives Borderlands its replayability. This time, there are four brand-new Vault Hunters, each with multiple skill trees that allow for deeper customisation. The branching abilities encourage experimenting with playstyles, whether you prefer up-close melee chaos, tactical long-range sniping, or support-oriented builds. On PS5, swapping between loadouts and skill adjustments is quick and seamless, meaning you can adapt to different encounters without losing momentum.

Co-op play is, as always, where Borderlands shines brightest. Up to four players can join forces, and the netcode feels rock-solid on PS5. Matchmaking is straightforward, and cross-play support opens the door to teaming up with friends regardless of platform. Chaos quickly becomes pure fun when enemies swarm from all directions, and the mix of abilities, weapons, and tactics keeps things fresh even deep into the campaign.

Performance is where the PS5 really flexes its muscles. The game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second in performance mode, while a fidelity mode pushes 4K visuals with slightly reduced framerate. Both options look and feel excellent, though the silky smoothness of performance mode is arguably the best way to enjoy the mayhem. The DualSense controller adds another layer of immersion, with adaptive triggers giving each weapon a distinct feel. Firing a heavy shotgun rumbles differently from spraying an SMG, making the experience more tactile than ever before.

If there’s a drawback, it’s that the formula can still feel repetitive over long sessions. Missions often boil down to shooting waves of enemies, collecting loot, and moving on to the next area. While the writing and world design help break up the monotony, the series hasn’t completely escaped its cycle of fetch quests and bullet-spongy bosses. That said, the fast-paced gameplay loop remains addictive, and the improvements in gunplay and character progression help mitigate the sense of déjà vu.

In the end, #ad Borderlands 4 Standard Edition on PS5 is exactly what fans hoped it would be: a polished, bigger, and bolder looter shooter that embraces its roots while offering smart refinements. It doesn’t reinvent the franchise, but it doesn’t need to. What it does is deliver hours of chaotic, co-op-friendly fun wrapped in one of the most distinctive visual styles in gaming. For long-time Vault Hunters and curious newcomers alike, this is a journey worth taking.

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