Borderlands is the looter-shooter that invented the genre on console. Colourful post-apo world, millions of randomly generated guns, irresistible co-op. Dark humour, addictive gunplay, infinite replayability.
2K Games first-person shooter blending procedural loot and a post-apocalyptic world. Published by 2K Games, released in Europe and Asia in October 2009. Four-player co-op, millions of randomly generated weapons, four character classes and sharp cel-shading art. European and Asian versions.
Borderlands review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Cel-shading with thick inked outlines, a garish palette and a deranged post-apocalyptic universe: the game looks like a playable comic book. The over-the-top design of the enemies and the trashy aesthetic compose an immediately recognisable identity. This visual direction, stylish and unbridled, left a lasting mark on the FPS.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Mowing down hordes to make ever-slightly-better weapons rain down kicks off a fearsomely catchy loot hunt, especially in co-op. Leveling up, comparing your finds and heading back to farm reward every outing. The repetitive objectives weigh on solo play, but the offbeat humor and the quest for the perfect gun make every session hard to wrap up.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Loot rules over Pandora: with weapons generated at random, you keep replaying zones, cracking open every chest and chaining side quests. The four classes reward several playthroughs, and four-player co-op stretches the journey further still. Its standing as an endless looter rests on a progression loop that simply never runs dry.
A pioneer of the looter-shooter, the first Borderlands weds brisk gunplay, abundant loot and offbeat humor on a hostile planet, launching a much-imitated formula. Widespread in the West on PS3, its collecting interest stays moderate and lies in this founding role of a genre rather than scarcity. An affordable piece for fans of cooperative loot shooting.
Better with friends
Loot pillaging and unhinged gunplay marry here in four-player co-op where everyone cultivates their class and a wild arsenal. Mutual aid dominates, but the race for legendary guns breeds a teasing one-upmanship full of twists. Playable two-player in local split-screen, it suits express sessions as well as long campaigns, always with savage humor.
Is Borderlands still worth playing in 2026?
Borderlands laid the foundations of the console looter-shooter, and its DNA stays legible in everything the genre has produced since. Its post-apocalyptic comic-book world keeps a visual identity that does not date, and the endless hunt for randomly generated weapons retains its addictive pull. Co-op remains its best face, where the solo sometimes betrays a lack of structure and repetitive quests. Less rich and less funny than its sequel, the first game will appeal above all to those curious about origins and to fans of loot among friends.
