TheBorderlandsseries has been ongoing for over 15 years, and the upcoming release ofBorderlands 4shows that the franchise still has many fresh ideas to offer. Its somewhat humble beginnings have expanded into an interplanetary journey with a diverse array of characters, andBorderlands 4seems to take features of the series’ past to the next level.
Borderlands 4is set to release on Jul 10, 2025, giving players plenty of time to catch up on the series, whether they’ve played some of the games before or are complete newcomers. How long it would take to beat each game can also depend on whether one playsBorderlandsin co-op, on their personal experience, and their playstyle. Some may only want to play through the main story, whereas others may want to experience all the content each game offers.
How Long It Takes To Beat Every Borderlands Game
Borderlands
As the first in the series,Borderlandsdoes a great job of setting up the franchise and preparing players for the bizarre adventures ahead of them. Many of the series’ recurring characters first appear here, so players wanting to make the most of the series’ story shouldn’t skip this game. Compared to later games, it is much more toned down, telling a more serious story. SinceBorderlands 4is adjusting the series’ humor, it’s possible that it may have more in common with the originalBorderlandsgame than its eccentric sequels.
The game’s main story should take around 20 hours to beat, allowing players to experience the major plot elements to prepare them for the later games in the series, but playing through all the game’s content – including each ofBorderlands’ DLCs – could take over 75 hours.
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2is where theBorderlandsseries truly found its voice, establishing a tone that later games would follow. Its modernized gameplay still holds up over a decade later, making it one of the best in the franchise. This game took thelooter shooter genreto new heights and helped to establish a fanbase that would follow the franchise through.
The main story ofBorderlands 2is longer than its predecessor, taking around 30 hours to see from beginning to end. However, it features much more side content for players to enjoy in the base game. Some ofBorderlands 2’s DLC expansionscan take less than an hour, even for completionists, but others offer hours of additional content. Players wanting the wholeBorderlands 2experience should expect the game to take them upwards of 130 hours to finish.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
As the name implies,Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelis mostly set before the events ofBorderlands 2,despite being released after.Players can choose to play this game beforeBorderlands 2, but this would spoil some of the plot elements of the second game and could risk players missing out on some references and context.
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequelis the shortest of the mainlineBorderlandsgames, taking only 18 hours to finish. Players hoping to complete all the game’s content 100% should expect to exceed 59 hours of total playtime, especially considering that theClaptastic Voyage DLCalone offers 10 hours of additional content.
Tales from the Borderlands
Tales from the Borderlandsis a spin-off of the series. Developed by Telltale Games, it is a story-driven episodic game where choices matter, as opposed to the fast-paced gunfights of the mainline games. Despite this, it still shouldn’t be skipped, as thenew charactersTales from the Borderlandsintroduces reappear in later titles.
Its shorter runtime makesTales from the Borderlandsa nice change of pace that can be experienced in a few sittings. Each of the game’s episodes takes around 2 hours to beat, with a few optional character interactions for players to find if they want to experience all the game’s content.
Borderlands 3
Returning to the looter shooter genre,Borderlands 3makes some changes to the series’ formula. The gameplay is a huge improvement over past games, with faster movement and alternative fire modes on weapons to keep interactions feeling fresh. This title sets the bar for what players should be able to expect fromBorderlands 4.
Borderlands 3’s main story is the lengthiest in the series, taking around 23.5 hours to beat at minimum. However, there is still plenty to explore throughout the open world and side missions to complete, adding to the overall playtime. Additionally, each ofBorderlands 3’s DLCscan take up to 11 hours to see all the way through. Players wanting to see all thatBorderlands 3has to offer should expect the game to take around 107 hours or more.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsis another spin-off game, but it maintains the looter shooter formula. Framed as a tabletop RPG, the player must loot and shoot through a fantastical world. Fans who played theBorderlands 2DLC ofTiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep or its standalone equivalentwill find this game’s setting very familiar.
Despite its spin-off status, it still offers a fullBorderlandsexperience, taking 16 hours to beat the game’s main story. It also has four additional DLC stories, which each add around 20 minutes of playtime for those wanting to experience the story, but can take 3 hours for completionists. Experiencing everythingTiny Tina’s Wonderlandshas to offer could take players just over 50 hours.
New Tales from the Borderlands
The latest game in the series beforeBorderlands 4isNew Tales from the Borderlands. Like its predecessor,New Tales from the Borderlandsis a story-focused experiencesplit into five distinct chapters. The game features three new playable characters, but also includes NPCs that players will be familiar with after playing each previous game.
New Tales from the Borderlandsis the shortest game in the series. The main plot takes 9.5 hours to see through. However, the game does have some extra content players may want to find, including five unique endings, meaning 100% completion could take 13.5 hours.
