Borderlands 4 Release Date Moved Up: Impact on GTA 6?

Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, *Borderlands 4*, is set to launch 11 days earlier than originally planned, as revealed prematurely by development chief Randy Pitchford in a video. Originally slated for a September 23 release, *Borderlands 4* will now hit the shelves on September 12, available across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

In the video, Pitchford expressed his excitement, 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 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 a PlayStation State of Play event focused on *Borderlands 4* is expected to be released soon.

The decision to advance the release date of *Borderlands 4* has sparked speculation about its timing in relation to the upcoming *Grand Theft Auto 6* (GTA 6), which is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S sometime in the fall of 2025. Given the vague release window of GTA 6, there's a possibility that *Borderlands 4* was moved to avoid direct competition and secure a better market position.

It's important to note that *Borderlands 4* is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, which also owns Rockstar, the developer of GTA 6. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, there is likely a strategic overview of all game releases to maximize their success. The adjustment in *Borderlands 4*'s release date might be a response to recent clarifications on GTA 6's timeline, aiming to give *Borderlands 4* a more favorable launch window.

With *Borderlands 4* set for September 12, it seems unlikely that GTA 6 will launch in the same month or in August. Potential release dates for GTA 6 could be in October, November, or December 2025. However, there's a risk that Take-Two might inadvertently cause its major 2025 titles to compete against each other if released too closely. This concern is heightened by the planned summer 2025 release of another 2K game, *Mafia: The Old Country*.

In a February interview, IGN posed the question of potential cannibalization to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick. Zelnick reassured that Take-Two plans its releases to mitigate such risks, emphasizing a strategy that respects consumers' need to fully engage with one hit game before moving to the next. He stated, "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... 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 its release to early winter or even into the first quarter of 2026. When asked about the confidence in meeting the fall 2025 deadline 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."