New Borderlands Game Shadow Dropped

A new Borderlands game just shadow dropped, but it’s only available on iOS. The last mainline title in the iconic looter shooter series hasn’t been out for a full year yet, but fans have been treated to a surprise new entry nonetheless, albeit on a smaller scale than previous games. Without so much as a teaser, Borderlands now has its first mobile game.

Things have been up and down for the Borderlands franchise lately. After some pre-release controversy but a largely successful launch, Borderlands 4 lost 93% of its Steam player count in just two months. Since then, Gearbox has rolled out multiple patches, a new vault hunter, and a promise to keep adding to and optimizing the game to bring it to a higher standard as time goes on. It turns out that the series is getting something more than just additional Borderlands 4 content this year, too, although the latest release is likely not what anyone had expected.

A Lot of Borderlands 4 Players Aren’t Happy About the New Expansion

Borderlands 4’s Story Pack 1 DLC isn’t winning many fans over, with the majority criticizing the expansion’s lack of content for the price.

Borderlands Mobile is Available Now on iOS

On April 9, fans noticed that Borderlands Mobile had popped up on the Apple App Store, with no announcement from Gearbox or Take-Two. According to the store page, the app was developed by Zynga, the mobile gaming company Take-Two acquired for $12.7 billion back in 2022, and brings Borderlands‘ “signature chaos, art style, and gun-slinging” to players’ phones. The gameplay largely follows the classic Borderlands formula, just with shorter missions and smaller-scale battles, though there are still plenty of enemies to shoot and loot to collect. It’s only available on iOS for now, and it’s unclear if it will come to Android, and it’s also free, which is worth noting after Borderlands 4‘s price controversy.

While the game may not match the scale of its predecessors, some have pointed out that Borderlands Mobile feels more content complete than the last mainline game, with seven game modes already available and plenty of additional content coming soon. Only one class of vault hunter, the Summoner, is available for now, but three more, labeled the Exo-Tank, Outrider, and Assassin, will be added down the line. As one would expect from a free-to-play mobile game, there will also be a battle pass, though it’s unclear how much this will cost and what all it might entail.

Despite the lack of fanfare around its launch, Borderlands Mobile feels like it’s trying hard to appeal to longtime fans. It’s full of classic enemies like skags and bandits and even bosses. It also pays homage to one of Borderlands 3‘s best side quests by bringing back the Circles of Slaughter. Only time will tell how successful it proves, as the app is still so new that it doesn’t have enough reviews to provide an average rating, but there seems to be a lot there for players to enjoy, especially for a free experience.

Drag weapons to fill the grid

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A mobile spin-off may not be exactly what Borderlands fans would’ve expected, but it could turn out to be a nice surprise. Other video game franchises like Pokemon and Call of Duty have successfully broken into the mobile space, so there’s a chance Take-Two’s looter shooter could do the same. Of course, it’s impossible to say for sure until more people dive into the game and Zynga adds more of its promised content. If nothing else, the app could provide something to tide fans over until Borderlands 4 gets more DLC and optimizations.