Gearbox didn't set out to create an open-world game with Borderlands 4, but the FPS does have "open-world-like features, such as seamless travel between zones"

Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters.

There was some confusion around whether Borderlands 4 was an open-world game or not after Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford called it the studio's most "open and free" game so far, but a senior developer on the upcoming looter-shooter has clarified what that means exactly.

In an interview with GamesRadar+ as part of our Big in 2025 preview, senior project producer Anthony Nicholson said the shooter isn't exactly an open-world game in the traditional sense - it's just continuing the series' long tradition of giving players freedom of movement.