GTA 6 Isn't The Reason Borderlands 4 Release Date Moved Up, According To Dev

Published Apr 30, 2025

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The rumored fall release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is not the reason move up the Borderlands 4 release date was due to potentially stiff competition in the later part of the year from the juggernaut GTA IP. The game was originally intended to be released on September 23, but it is now releasing 11 days sooner.

According to CEO of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford on X, the decision to move Borderlands 4's release date forward to September 12 has nothing to do with other games or studios and was simply a decision made out of confidence in the game, saying: "Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100% the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates." He continued, "Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Gearbox's Randy Pitchford Says New Date Is "0%" Because Of Other Games

Instead, It's The Result Of "Confidence"

Progress on the development of Borderlands 4 has apparently been progressing so well that it has given Gearbox Software a lot of confidence in the newest entry to the popular looter-shooter franchise. Pitchford just announced the change in release date yesterday, and the internet has been swarming with rumors and speculation regarding whether Pitchford or other developers and publishers know a potential release date for GTA 6, a game most studios want to avoid being in the same release window as.

The psycho helmet from Borderlands 4's trailer, and Jason and Lucia sitting on a car from the GTA 6 key art.

Borderlands 4 Launch Date May Have Just Narrowed Down GTA 6's Release Window

Borderlands 4 got a release date at the State of Play, which some fans think could be a hint towards GTA 6’s because of their shared parent company.

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Even with an official statement from Pitchford, the speculation is likely to continue, and it's not just GTA 6 that the game may be attempting to avoid. Ghost of Yotei's release date was recently announced for October 2, which would put it mere days after the original date for Borderlands 4. Of course, this is just speculation and theories, and there is no concrete reason to doubt Pitchford's stated reason for moving the release of Borderlands 4 up.

Our Take: There Are Probably Multiple Reasons For Moving Borderlands 4 Up

Hopefully, The Game Releases In A Good State

Choosing to change the release date of any product, but especially a video game, is a huge decision. There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of Pitchford or Gearbox Software, but there are usually several factors that come into play when deciding to change a game's announced release date. A date change could create misinformation, expose the product to changing market trends, or even make some fans lose interest. But with the game being moved up and away from other games, it might give the game a bigger chance to shine, even if that isn't the main reason.

No matter the exact reason (or reasons) for the date change, we don't have much longer to wait to learn more about Borderlands 4. The dedicated State of Play is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST/2 p.m. PST later today, where we will get a lot more details about Borderlands 4 and the dive back to Pandora.

Source: Randy Pitchford/X