In the years since its first entry graced players’ consoles, the Borderlands series has seen a decent spread of titles. Not all were created equal though, and that’s why we’re here to rank every Borderlands game from fine to phenomenal.
5. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
Let it be said first and foremost that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is far from a bad game.
Set before the events of the second game, it sees players take the role of vault hunters who helped Handsome Jack rise to power.
This includes Wilhelm pre-his modification into a robot; Jack’s future girlfriend and “Law Bringer” Nisha; the shield-wielding Athena; and, in his first and only playable appearance in the series to date, Claptrap.
Each has an interesting array of abilities that spice up the gameplay, and when paired with the story’s more engaging set pieces, they make for an experience that can thrill die-hard Borderlands fans from start to finish.
Unfortunately, it’s also the most forgettable and inconsequential entry in the series.
Being a prequel to the second game, all of its events and twists have a foregone conclusion.
Yes, Handsome Jack’s rise to power is interesting, and it’s neat to see what his minions were like in the past, but they’re all dead by the end of the second game and have little that makes their impending deaths meaningful or tragic.
Even the characters who do survive longer into the series like Athena and Claptrap make little to no mention of their adventures in subsequent games, making the adventure seem like that much more of a distraction from the series’ overarching stories as a whole.
4. Borderlands
Even so many years after its release, the original Borderlands still holds up as something special.
Brimming with flair thanks to its art style and aesthetic, the game stands out from the pack of shooters it hit the scene with.
Its characters sling one-liners and jokes as fast as the game’s many weapons sling bullets, and its introduction of key aspects of the series like the vaults, sirens, and Pandora itself all carry a freshness other entries can’t match.
The same can be said of its vault hunter classes which, while simple, still feel like they were given the fresh innovation of a new IP in their abilities and how they translate to the gameplay.
And yet, despite its best efforts, the game does feel dated compared to its more recent entries.
The gameplay isn’t as frantic and energized as other entries have successfully made the series, and the writing feels like its experiencing growing pains as it tries to establish what it wants the series to be.
All the same though, it’s still a title worth going back to, so long as one isn’t expecting to see the series at its absolute best.
3. Borderlands 3
The latest entry in the series, Borderlands 3 falls firmly in the middle of the spectrum of the series’ quality, and that’s a good thing.
Host to some of the grandest stakes the games have ever seen, it tasks players with stopping the rise of two cult leaders and their army of bandits, thwarting their ambitions of finding every Vault in the galaxy and harvesting their unbridled power.
This sees the game world expanded past the dusty towns of Pandora, taking to the stars and exploring new planets that house set pieces and events ranging from a cataclysmic corporate buyout war to a monastery of pacifist monks besieged by raiders.
It likewise gives players some of the best variety between its Vault Hunters to date.
From a tank-y Siren and a tech-wielding rogue to a mech-piloting soldier and a beast-commanding droid, each of its characters gives their own twist to the gameplay and lead to a wider array of play styles.
Its only downside is that it feels late to the party.
While the game is polished to a fine sheen and feels like it was intended for current-gen consoles, its writing and general design make it feel like a sequel that should have come out closer to the second game’s release, if not during the last generation of hardware.
This by no means ruins the experience, but it does hold it back from achieving the heights of other entries on this list.
2. Tales From the Borderlands
Though the idea of a story-driven Borderlands game may have seemed preposterous at one point, Tales From the Borderlands proved that the concept was one of the best ever applied to the series.
Designed by Telltale Games, Tales sees players make their way through the misadventures of two prospective Vault Hunters: Rhys, a Hyperion employee out to gain enough notoriety to be promoted through the company’s ranks; and Fiona, a con artist out to make her fortune by any means necessary.
Held captive by a mysterious traveler, each provides their own account of how they pursued rumblings of a potential Vault location and met an eclectic cast of characters, all leading up to their eventual attempt to unlock the Vault and view its riches.
The game’s writing was some of – if not the – best the series had ever seen.
It felt more in line with modern games in terms of its character development, and its protagonists proved such a good fit for the series proper that they were made integral to the plot of the most recent entry in the series.
About the only thing holding it back is that at its heart, Tales From the Borderlands is a Telltale game.
It’s a purely story-driven adventure experience, and for those who prefer the mainline series’ gunplay and non-stop action, it can take time to settle into and enjoy.
1. Borderlands 2
For the Borderlands series, the second time was most definitely the charm.
Set a few years after the events of the first game, Borderlands 2 put players in the role of four Vault Hunters out to track down a new Vault while stopping the tyrannical reign of Hyperion CEO and sociopath Handsome Jack.
This is far from an easy task though, as Handsome Jack has used his power, influence, and ruthlessness to take over Pandora, forcing its inhabitants to the fringes while executing anyone who dares stand against him.
The story is one of the best in the series, introducing what has remained its – and arguably one of gaming’s – best villain to date.
This was matched by its gameplay, which saw some of the best variety between its Vault Hunters’ abilities and play-styles.
Building upon the groundwork established by the first game, it fleshed out each class in a way that felt natural, giving players more free-reign in how they could best utilize the strengths of each class to their advantage.
It also had the good fortune of landing at just the right time for its writing, humor, and gameplay to go over well, sitting comfortably on the cusp of the more mature direction games would take during the current generation.
It’s the pinnacle of what the Borderlands series can and should be, and though its age may be starting to show in recent years, it’s still the high-point other entries in the series are striving to meet.
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