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

Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, *Borderlands 4*, is set to hit the shelves 11 days earlier than originally planned. This exciting news was confirmed by Randy Pitchford, the development chief, in a video that was inadvertently released early. Originally slated for a September 23 release, *Borderlands 4* will now launch on September 12 across multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.

In the video, Pitchford shared his enthusiasm, stating, "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 couldn't contain his excitement, exclaiming, "What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get Borderlands 4 earlier!" Additionally, Pitchford mentioned that a PlayStation State of Play dedicated to *Borderlands 4* is set to be released soon.

The decision to move the release date forward has sparked speculation about its connection to the impending release of *Grand Theft Auto 6* (GTA 6), set for the fall of 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. With GTA 6's release window being quite broad, it's possible that *Borderlands 4* has been shifted to carve out its own space in the market. It's worth noting that both games are under the umbrella of Take-Two, the parent company of both 2K Games, which publishes *Borderlands 4*, and Rockstar, the developer of GTA 6. At the executive level, decisions are made with the aim to maximize the success of all titles, and the adjustment of *Borderlands 4*'s release date might be a strategic move to avoid clashing with GTA 6.

If *Borderlands 4* launches on September 12, it might indicate that GTA 6 will not be released in the same month or in August. Potential release dates for GTA 6 could then be in October, November, or December 2025. However, releasing these major titles too closely together poses a risk of cannibalization. Another title to consider is *Mafia: The Old Country*, another 2K game set to launch in the summer of 2025.

In an interview with IGN in February, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed concerns about the potential negative impact of releasing major games in close proximity. Zelnick emphasized that Take-Two plans its releases to avoid such issues, stating, "No, I think we will plan the releases so as not to have that be a problem. And what we found is when you're giving consumers hits, they tend to be interested in pursuing other hits. In other words, I've said this many times, even when the hits aren't ours, they're a good thing for the industry. In this case, 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."

Amidst this speculation, there remains the possibility that GTA 6 could face delays, potentially shifting into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. When asked about the confidence in meeting the fall 2025 release for GTA 6, Zelnick responded cautiously, "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."