Borderlands 4 Launch Moved Up 11 Days: Impact on GTA 6 Release?

Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, *Borderlands 4*, is set to launch 11 days earlier than originally planned, as announced by development chief Randy Pitchford in a video that was accidentally released early. Initially 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 shared his enthusiasm, 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 excitement, "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 set to air soon, giving fans a closer look at the game.

The decision to advance the release date has sparked speculation about its relation to the impending release of *Grand Theft Auto 6* (GTA 6), which is currently slated for a fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The vague release window for GTA 6 could potentially overshadow other game releases, including *Borderlands 4*. It's worth noting 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 strategic planning to ensure all games have the best chance of success. The move to bring *Borderlands 4* forward might be an effort to avoid direct competition with GTA 6.

With *Borderlands 4* set for September 12, it seems less likely that GTA 6 will launch in the same month or in August. Potential release dates for GTA 6 could now be October, November, or December 2025. However, releasing Take-Two's big titles too close together poses the risk of cannibalizing their own sales. This concern is heightened with another 2K title, *Mafia: The Old Country*, scheduled for a summer 2025 release.

In a February interview, IGN asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about the potential for their major releases to harm each other. Zelnick responded confidently, "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. In other words, I've said this many times, even when the hits aren't ours, they're a good thing for the industry. In this case, we hope that the hits will largely be ours. 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 the speculation surrounding GTA 6, there is also the possibility of a delay into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. When asked about his confidence in Rockstar hitting the fall 2025 target for GTA 6, Zelnick cautiously remarked, "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."