If you’re a long-time Borderlands fan, you know the wait between franchise entries is always filled with wild leaks, chaotic teaser clips, and endless hype for the next round of vault hunting on Pandora. As soon as Gearbox dropped the first official gameplay trailer for the next installment earlier this year, the first question on every player’s mind was how to pre order Borderlands 4 and what perks come with locking in your purchase early. This guide breaks down all confirmed details, no unsubstantiated rumors, to help you decide if pre ordering is right for you, and which edition fits your playstyle and budget.
What You Get When You Pre Order Borderlands 4: Confirmed Bonuses
Gearbox has already announced universal pre order bonuses that apply to all editions, no matter which retailer or platform you buy from. Every pre order comes with the Golden Vault Hunter Skin Pack, which includes a custom golden armor set, head accessory, and emote for all four playable launch characters. You’ll also get 5 golden keys and an exclusive glowing Claptrap weapon charm that works on all legendary and unique weapons in the game.
Golden keys are one of the most valuable pre order perks, because they let you open the special golden chest in Sanctuary that drops legendary gear scaled to your current level at any point in your playthrough. You can save them for endgame if you want, to get high-powered gear for raids and competitive multiplayer, or use them early to breeze through the first few hours of the main story. If you pre order Borderlands 4 on PC, you’ll also get free access to the closed beta weekend happening two weeks before the official launch date.
Some retailers are also offering store-exclusive bonuses on top of the universal perks. For example, GameStop pre orders come with a physical mini Claptrap keychain, Amazon pre orders include a 50-page digital art book, and Steam pre orders give you a free Borderlands 4 profile theme and animated emoticon pack for your Steam account. It’s worth checking listings across a few different retailers before you buy, to make sure you get the extra perks that matter most to you.
Comparing All Borderlands 4 Editions: Which Is Worth Your Money?
Gearbox has released three separate editions available for pre order, each tailored to different types of players. You don’t have to splurge on the most expensive option to get a great experience, so it’s worth weighing what content you’ll actually use before you spend extra cash. All editions include the universal pre order bonuses listed above.
I’ve bought the Ultimate edition for every Borderlands game since Borderlands 2, and it’s almost always a better value than buying the DLC separately if you’re a hardcore fan. The season pass alone usually costs $49.99 if you buy it after launch, so you’re saving about $20 by bundling it with the base game in the Ultimate edition. But if you’re on the fence about how much you’ll play, you can always upgrade to a higher edition later through your platform’s store, so you don’t have to commit to the most expensive option upfront.
Common Pre Order Pitfalls to Avoid
Pre ordering games can sometimes come with hidden headaches if you don’t do your research first, and Borderlands 4 is no exception. The most common mistake players make is pre ordering from untrusted third-party sellers on sites like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. A lot of these sellers markup prices by 20-30% claiming they have guaranteed early stock, but all official retailers get the same allocation of copies on launch day, so you’re just wasting extra money for no reason. Stick to official platform stores (PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, Epic) or well-known physical retailers like GameStop, Amazon, or Best Buy to avoid getting scammed.
Another mistake is paying the full price upfront when you don’t have to. Most official platforms let you put down a $10 deposit to lock in your pre order bonuses, and you can pay the remaining balance any time in the 72 hours before launch. That means you don’t have to drop $70+ months before the game comes out if you’re tight on cash right now, and you can still get all the pre order exclusive perks that won’t be available for purchase after launch. When you pre order Borderlands 4 from an official platform, you’ll also get a full refund if you change your mind any time before the game launches, no questions asked.
If you’re buying a physical copy, make sure you check for region locking before you order from an international retailer. I made this mistake with Borderlands 3, when I bought a Japanese copy for the exclusive cover art, and couldn’t redeem any of the digital pre order bonuses on my US PlayStation account. It took three weeks of back-and-forth with customer support to fix, and I almost missed out on the golden keys entirely. Save yourself the hassle and make sure any physical copy you buy is region-free for your console.
What We Know About Borderlands 4 Launch So Far
The official launch date is set for this holiday season, and the game will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. Cross-play is fully supported across all platforms, so you can play 4-player co-op with your friends no matter what console they have, and cross-save lets you pick up your progress on a different platform if you upgrade later. Gearbox has also confirmed that all pre order bonuses are tied to your account, not your platform, so you can access them on any device you play the game on.
The four playable launch characters are a new Siren with gravity manipulation powers, a Beastmaster that can command three different types of alien pets, a heavy Gunner with two deployable turrets, and a fan-requested Assassin class that can turn invisible and deploy decoys to trick enemies. The story picks up seven years after the end of Borderlands 3, with the Crimson Raiders facing a new threat from a corporate conglomerate that’s trying to mine all of Pandora’s eridium to build a galaxy-spanning weapon. Gearbox has also teased that a lot of fan-favorite characters from previous games, including Claptrap, Lilith, and Handsome Jack’s AI, will make appearances in the main story.
The biggest quality of life change coming to Borderlands 4 is the overhauled loot system, which will drastically cut down on the number of useless white and green rarity weapons that drop after the first 10 hours of the game. Gearbox says 70% of drops after the early game will be blue rarity or higher, so you won’t have to spend half your playtime sorting through junk loot to find usable gear. The endgame will also include three raids at launch, plus a new competitive multiplayer mode where teams of 4 vault hunters race to collect the most loot in a closed map.
At the end of the day, whether you decide to pre order Borderlands 4 comes down to how excited you are for the next entry in the franchise and what type of content you care about. If you know you’re going to play it on launch day and want the exclusive skins and golden keys, locking in your pre order early is a no-brainer, just make sure you pick the right edition for your playstyle and buy from an official retailer to avoid headaches. If you’re on the fence, you can always wait for launch day reviews, but you’ll miss out on the pre order exclusive bonuses that won’t be available for purchase after the game comes out.