Borderlands 4 Launch Moved Up 11 Days: Impact on GTA 6 Release?

Gearbox’s upcoming first-person shooter Borderlands 4 is set to launch 11 days earlier than originally planned, as confirmed by Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford in a video that appears to have been released prematurely.

Originally scheduled for September 23, Borderlands 4 will now release on September 12, 2025, and will be available across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.

In the video, Pitchford shared the exciting update: “Everything is going great, actually. In fact, everything is going kind of the best-case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking, and so the launch date for Borderlands 4 is changing. We’re moving it forward. The launch date is now September 12.”

He added with enthusiasm: “What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get Borderlands 4 earlier!”

Pitchford also mentioned that an upcoming PlayStation State of Play presentation focused on Borderlands 4 is expected soon, giving fans more insight into the game ahead of its early release.

Naturally, speculation has arisen over whether this last-minute schedule change was influenced by the anticipated release of *Grand Theft Auto 6*, currently slated for fall 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Releasing during the same window could mean *Borderlands 4* faces stiff competition from Rockstar’s highly anticipated title.

It’s worth noting that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, which falls under the umbrella of Take-Two Interactive—the same parent company behind Rockstar Games. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, there is likely awareness of all major titles within the group, with strategic planning in place to maximize each game's commercial potential. It’s possible that the final release window for GTA 6 prompted the decision to move up Borderlands 4.

If *Borderlands 4* launches on September 12, it becomes less likely that *GTA 6* will arrive in August or September 2025. October, November, or even December are now potential release months for *GTA 6*. However, there remains a risk that releasing multiple high-profile titles too close together could result in internal market saturation—especially considering other upcoming 2K titles like *Mafia: The Old Country*, scheduled for summer 2025.

When asked about the possibility of release overlap affecting sales, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated in a February interview: “No, I think we will plan the releases so as not to have that be a problem. What we found is when you're giving consumers hits, they tend to be interested in pursuing other hits… We hope that the hits will largely be ours. So we feel really good about it and I think that we will time our releases so as to respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next.”

Still, uncertainty remains around GTA 6's exact release timing. When asked how confident he was in meeting the fall 2025 window, Zelnick acknowledged the inherent risks: “Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it.”