Borderlands 4 aims for a record-breaking 30 billion guns, Gearbox reveals
Borderlands fans are in for a bigger, bolder arsenal as Borderlands 4 heads toward release, with a bold claim: players will have access to 30 billion possible guns.
In a recent interview, the game’s art director, Adam May, explained that the figure comes from a combination of a large base weapon library and procedural generation. By mixing categories, manufacturers, fire modes, attachments, and elemental effects, the potential weapon count grows quickly. A slight change in an attachment might yield a new gun, and adding a different elemental effect or scope can multiply the permutations, creating an enormous catalog from a compact starting point.
May stressed that design and art teams work in tandem to ensure weapons feel and look right for how they function. If a weapon is meant to be ultra-fast, it will look sleeker and sharper; if it’s built for big rockets, it will be bulkier and more bulbous to match its power.
Borderlands 4 will also introduce a new band of Vault Hunters and a seamless open world designed to invite players to explore without breaks or loading hiccups, keeping the signature Borderlands chaos and humor intact while expanding the playground.
The game is scheduled for release on September 12, giving fans a concrete date to anticipate how the enormous gun variety translates into actual in-game loot and encounters. The approach combines a sprawling base catalog with procedural generation to produce weapon variations on the fly, promising familiar loot chaos with fresh twists.
What this means for players is a promise of endless experimentation and customization. The vast scale of weapon permutations could deepen build diversity and “loot hunter” replayability, though it may also pose balancing challenges as developers work to ensure meaningful differences remain clear during fast-paced combat.
Additional context and reader considerations: Expect to see a wide range of weapon aesthetics tied to manufacturers and firing styles, with visual design mirroring mechanical purpose. Fans will likely keep an eye on how the new open world impacts traversal, exploration, and the pacing of loot drops.
Summary: Borderlands 4 is pushing the series’ weapon variety to unprecedented levels with a claimed 30 billion possible guns, enabled by a large base library and procedural generation. The game introduces new Vault Hunters, a seamless open world, and arrives on September 12, inviting players to explore, experiment, and optimize countless builds.