Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 8 playedRelease order. Main games in sequence with the Tales adventures and Wonderlands placed between them.
Main series
- 1 Borderlands
- 2 Borderlands 2 Recommended starting point.
- 3 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Set between 1 and 2. Play after Borderlands 2 to avoid spoilers.
- 5 Borderlands 3
- 8 Borderlands 4 Latest release. Set on Kairos.
Story spinoffs
- 4 Tales from the Borderlands Episodic adventure. Play before Borderlands 3.
- 6 Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Fantasy spinoff of the Borderlands 2 DLC Assault on Dragon Keep. Optional.
- 7 New Tales from the Borderlands Standalone cast. Optional.
About Borderlands
Gearbox's Borderlands is a co-op looter shooter set on Pandora and beyond, built around Vault Hunters, psychos and Handsome Jack. Four main games run from 2009 to 2025, with the Pre-Sequel set between the first two games and two Tales spinoffs carrying the story between sequels. Release order is recommended because the Pre-Sequel spoils Borderlands 2.
Start with Borderlands 2, the entry that defines the series humor and loop. Play the Pre-Sequel after it, watch or play Tales from the Borderlands before Borderlands 3, and treat both Wonderlands games as optional detours.
Good to know
Borderlands 4 launched Sept 12, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a Switch 2 version on Oct 3, 2025. Tales from the Borderlands was delisted for a period and returned in 2021; either the original Telltale version or the re-release works. The Handsome Collection (2 plus Pre-Sequel) and Pandora's Box bundles are the cheapest way to catch up.
