# Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
**Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel** is a first-person shooter-role-playing game developed jointly by [Gearbox Software](https://www.edgepedia.org/gearbox-software) and 2K Australia and released on October 14, 2014 in North America and October 17, 2014 internationally for [Xbox 360](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-360), [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3), and Windows PC.[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) It is a standalone entry in the Borderlands franchise set between the events of *Borderlands* (2009) and *Borderlands 2* (2012), and it was the first game in the series to take players off the planet Pandora, onto its moon.[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | October 14, 2014 (North America); October 17, 2014 (international), on Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PC[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) |
| Developers | Gearbox Software and 2K Australia, in co-development[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) |
| Setting | Pandora's moon Elpis, with low-gravity and near-vacuum environments[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) • [2](https://www.gamesradar.com/borderlands-pre-sequel-review/) |
| Playable classes | Four new Vault Hunters: Athena, Wilhelm, Nisha, and Claptrap[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) |
| Story | The origin of Handsome Jack, the villain of Borderlands 2, and his rise to power[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) |
| New mechanics | Oxygen-powered Oz kits with double jump and air boosts, ground-slam attacks, laser weapons, and cryo elemental damage[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) • [4](https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/) |
| Reception | Metacritic 75 from 55 critic reviews; user score 6.4 from 1,221 ratings[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/borderlands-the-pre-sequel/) |
| Later releases | Remastered for PS4 and Xbox One in 2015 in the Handsome Collection; also bundled with Borderlands 2 on Nintendo Switch[6](https://as.com/meristation/2019/01/21/analisis/1548074623_548295.html) • [7](https://los40.com/los40/2020/03/30/videojuegos/1585577800_731265.html) |
## Development
The game was announced in April 2014 as an all-new standalone Borderlands game set between the first two entries, co-developed by Gearbox Software near Dallas, Texas, and 2K Australia.[8](https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2014/04/2k-and-gearbox-software-announce-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/) 2K Australia, founded in 2006 and based in Canberra, had previously worked on 2K's BioShock franchise, including BioShock and [BioShock Infinite](https://www.edgepedia.org/bioshock-infinite), and supported the development of [BioShock 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/bioshock-2).[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4) At the time of release it was described by the ABC as Australia's only AAA game developer.[9](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-02/canberra-computer-game-developers-call-for-more-support/5835520)
The collaboration spanned continents. Gearbox described the work as involving many international flights and late-night phone calls between the two studios.[10](https://blog.playstation.com/?p=133485) [The Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian) identity of the studio left a mark on the game itself: early voice recordings with Australian actors were liked enough that Gearbox decided to make several characters Australian, which is why the moon's inhabitants sound Australian.[11](https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s4106784.htm)
## Setting and story
The campaign takes place largely on Elpis, Pandora's moon, depicted as desolate gray-blue rock dotted with industrial complexes.[12](https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/) The story explains how Jack, a low-level Hyperion Corporation employee, became the tyrant known as Handsome Jack in [Borderlands 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/borderlands-2).[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) Players control four new Vault Hunters, Athena, Wilhelm, Nisha, and Claptrap, each with unique skill trees, and contribute to Jack's rise.[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4)
One change to the series' writing was to have the Vault Hunters participate in conversations, giving each character more personality and a non-gameplay reason to replay with different classes.[12](https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
## Gameplay
The core loop remains the Borderlands formula of shooting and looting, but the moon setting adds new movement and combat mechanics.[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4)
- **Oz kits.** Because much of the moon lacks breathable air, players equip O2 Kits, which the game's characters call "Oz kits" because of the font on the equipment.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) • [13](https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-death-and-comedy) An Oz kit enables a double jump, letting players leap onto tall buildings and across wide chasms, and tapping jump while airborne spends a single mid-air boost; hitting the crouch key slams the character straight down to the surface.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) • [4](https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/) Oz kits are also a loot category in their own right, with larger air tanks, slam-damage bonuses, and elemental effects.[14](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/borderlands_the_pre_sequel)
- **Butt slams.** Slamming down from the air onto enemies became one of the game's signature additions, and reviewers later ranked it among the series' best movement changes.[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/im-ranking-every-borderlands-game-ahead-of-bl4s-release-from-worst-to-best-because-the-people-love-their-lists-and-im-here-to-provide/)
- **Laser and cryo weapons.** The game added laser guns ranging from beam rifles to blasters, and a new cryo element that freezes enemies solid, sometimes shattering them.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/) Reviewers judged these additions pleasant but not transformative: lasers handle much like other guns, and cryo was seen by some as lacking a strong identity compared with the series' fire, corrosive, and electric elements.[2](https://www.gamesradar.com/borderlands-pre-sequel-review/) • [13](https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-death-and-comedy)
- **The Grinder.** A station that consumes three items of the same rarity level and has a chance to output an item of higher rarity; feeding it three Jakobs sniper rifles can produce a Maliwan sniper rifle, or three incendiary lasers can yield a cryo laser.[12](https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
Co-op remains central, with split-screen local play and online drop-in, drop-out multiplayer.[1](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4)
## Reception
Critics received the game as competent but conservative. Metacritic recorded a score of 75 from 55 critic reviews, with 67 percent positive and 33 percent mixed and no negative reviews, while the user score settled at 6.4 from 1,221 ratings.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/borderlands-the-pre-sequel/) [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) scored it 77, calling it "a well-executed but thoroughly unambitious extension of Borderlands 2" in which low-gravity jumping adds a new dimension to combat.[4](https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/) [Game Informer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-informer) found that 2K Australia had not changed the familiar gameplay loop much, and that laser and cryo weapons were nice but hardly revolutionary.[16](https://www.gameinformer.com/games/borderlands_the_pre-sequel/b/ps3/archive/2014/10/13/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-game-informer.aspx)
The most common criticism was that the game felt like an expansion rather than a full sequel. PC Gamer described it as a super-sized mound of Borderlands 2 DLC,[4](https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/) and GamesRadar later wrote that it feels more like an expansion to Borderlands 2 than a full game, a filler entry released to tide fans over until [Borderlands 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/borderlands-3).[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/im-ranking-every-borderlands-game-ahead-of-bl4s-release-from-worst-to-best-because-the-people-love-their-lists-and-im-here-to-provide/) • [17](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-borderlands-games/) Reviewers also noted technical problems such as wonky hit detection and enemies clipping into walls,[14](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/borderlands_the_pre_sequel) and that the limitations of last-generation hardware were noticeable.[16](https://www.gameinformer.com/games/borderlands_the_pre-sequel/b/ps3/archive/2014/10/13/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-game-informer.aspx) On the positive side, critics praised the story and characters, with one review calling the decision to give the Vault Hunters dialogue one of the best developments for the series' writing.[12](https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
## Later releases
In 2015, remastered versions of Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel were released for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4) and [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one) as part of the Handsome Collection, which bundles both games and much of their downloadable content.[6](https://as.com/meristation/2019/01/21/analisis/1548074623_548295.html) The game's downloadable content included Claptastic Voyage and the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2.[18](https://www.gamespot.com/games/borderlands-the-pre-sequel/reviews/) A Nintendo Switch release bundles Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel together, requiring a 35 GB download.[7](https://los40.com/los40/2020/03/30/videojuegos/1585577800_731265.html) In retrospective rankings of the series, The Pre-Sequel has generally placed below the mainline entries, whose Metacritic scores sit in the 80s, while non-main games such as The Pre-Sequel have fared somewhat worse.[19](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/borderlands/borderlands-4-metacritic-score-ties-it-as-the-second-highest-rated-entry-in-the-looter-shooters-mainline-series-only-losing-out-to-borderlands-2/)
## References
1. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Available October 14, 2014, Take-Two Interactive press release (June 5, 2014)](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/51a619b6-6f10-4fa5-892b-0c652ca5cfc4)
2. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/borderlands-pre-sequel-review/)
3. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/1900-6415910/)
4. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel review PC, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review/)
5. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
6. [Borderlands 2 VR, análisis, MeriStation (AS)](https://as.com/meristation/2019/01/21/analisis/1548074623_548295.html)
7. [Nintendo Switch recibirá nuevos juegos, LOS40](https://los40.com/los40/2020/03/30/videojuegos/1585577800_731265.html)
8. [2K and Gearbox Software Announce Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Capsule Computers](https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2014/04/2k-and-gearbox-software-announce-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
9. [Canberra computer game developers call for more support, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-02/canberra-computer-game-developers-call-for-more-support/5835520)
10. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Coming to PS3 October 14th, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/?p=133485)
11. [Good Game Stories: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, ABC](https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s4106784.htm)
12. [Review: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Destructoid](https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-borderlands-the-pre-sequel/)
13. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: Death and Comedy, Paste Magazine](https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-death-and-comedy)
14. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review (PS3), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps3/borderlands_the_pre_sequel)
15. [I'm ranking every Borderlands game ahead of BL4's release, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/im-ranking-every-borderlands-game-ahead-of-bl4s-release-from-worst-to-best-because-the-people-love-their-lists-and-im-here-to-provide/)
16. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Review, Game Informer](https://www.gameinformer.com/games/borderlands_the_pre-sequel/b/ps3/archive/2014/10/13/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-review-game-informer.aspx)
17. [The best Borderlands games, ranked, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-borderlands-games/)
18. [Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/borderlands-the-pre-sequel/reviews/)
19. [Borderlands 4 Metacritic score ties it as the second-highest rated entry, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/borderlands/borderlands-4-metacritic-score-ties-it-as-the-second-highest-rated-entry-in-the-looter-shooters-mainline-series-only-losing-out-to-borderlands-2/)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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