2025 has already been a massive year for gaming, with hits like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 all earning enough praise to even get them in the running for the coveted Game of the Year award. The year is far from over, though, with even more upcoming games and therefore more opportunities for the industry to impress. Looking ahead into September, specifically, two highly anticipated shooters are awaiting their chance to shine. Both Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast are preparing to enter the arena in an epic showdown, but only one of them will emerge victorious over the other — even if both of them achieve success.
The main thing Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast have in common is that they are both shooters, as they are starkly different in almost every other way. However, that's ultimately what makes this particular showdown so riveting, as each title will have a chance to show how its unique strengths overpower the other's weaknesses. Both may end up being great in their own right, but which one will come out on top?
Borderlands 4 Has Great News for Co-Op Gamers
Gearbox Software has good news for co-op gamers who are looking forward to 2025's Borderlands 4.
Borderlands 4 and Dying Light: The Beast Are On a Collision Course in September
Borderlands 4's Early Release and Expansive Co-Op May Give It the Edge
It's no secret that Borderlands 4 is not only one of the most anticipated shooters of 2025 but also one of the most exciting upcoming game releases in general this year. After a nearly six-year wait since the launch of Borderlands 3, fans of the franchise are finally going to be treated to the next mainline installment in the series in September. To make it all even better, Borderlands 4 is set to innovate the franchise with plenty of noteworthy additions, broken traditions, and explosive ammunition to boot. As such, it's primed and ready to be a big moment for the long-standing series, for better or worse.
While these things might be good for Borderlands 4 itself, however, they alone may not be enough to give it an edge over Dying Light: The Beast. That may depend more on the timing of its release, as well as one feature that its competitor won't have: co-op. Initially, Dying Light: The Beast was scheduled to launch in August, but has since moved its release date to September 19, giving Borderlands 4 a week to rein in players before Dying Light: The Beast arrives. That might be enough time to get players too invested to want to swap to something else, especially if they want to play with their friends. Interestingly enough, Borderlands 4 was initially scheduled for a September 23 release before Gearbox decided to move it up, which would have seen it launching later than Dying Light: The Beast.
Dying Light: The Beast Leans Into Power Fantasy and Tactical Parkour
Even with Borderlands 4's earlier release date and co-op functionality, though, Dying Light: The Beast might still have what it takes to dominate players' attention once it arrives. Specifically, it offers a focus on survival horror and parkour, giving it a niche edge over Borderlands 4. Additionally, the Dying Light series has proven to be a considerable success since the first game launched in 2015, and with Kyle Crane returning, along with some brand-new, powerful abilities, it already looks like it will strongly encourage fans of the franchise and even newcomers to carve out some time in their schedule to play it.
Prediction: Borderlands 4 Will Come Out on Top
All of that said, while Dying Light: The Beast might have something unique to offer gamers, Borderlands 4 seems like the one more likely to come out on top in this head-to-head battle. If it isn't the game's earlier release date and co-op functionality, it may just come down to the fact that Borderlands is a more established IP than Dying Light: The Beast, in spite of the hurdles it has had to overcome in recent memory. If nothing else, fans have been waiting nearly six years for the next mainline Borderlands game, and considering all it's bringing to the table in an effort to take the franchise to the next level, it seems like Dying Light: The Beast may have a tough time keeping up — though it may very well be a close race.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
WHERE TO PLAY
