Borderlands 4 global release times and preload details

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Still no sign of preloading on Steam.

Harlowe from Borderlands 4 facing something off-screen and using her flamethrower.
(Image credit: Gearbox)
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Good news for day one vault hunters on PC: Borderlands 4 will get the global release date treatment. That means no watching friends from the future play a game still locked away in your library until midnight local time—when Borderlands 4 launches on Friday, September 12, for New Zealand, it will be live for players worldwide.

That's September 11 for some of you, with Borderlands 4 launching as early as 9 am PT on Thursday. The global PC launch covers both Steam and Epic Games Store users, and you should be able to pre-load the new looter shooter before launch.

When is the Borderlands 4 unlock time?

(Image credit: Gearbox Software)

Borderlands 4 launches at 9 am PT on September 11. Remember, the Borderlands 4 PC global release means it's out for everyone at the same time regardless of timezone. Console times are different, so players on PC eager to join friends through cross-platform multiplayer will have to wait for PlayStation and Xbox store updates.

Here are the Borderlands 4 global release times, sorted by timezone:

  • Los Angeles: 9 am PT on Thursday, September 11
  • Chicago: 11 am CT on Thursday, September 11
  • New York: 12 pm ET on Thursday, September 11
  • London: 5 pm BST on Thursday, September 11
  • Berlin: 6 pm CEST on Thursday, September 11
  • Singapore: 12 am SGT on Friday, September 12
  • Tokyo: 1 am JST on Friday, September 12
  • Sydney: 2 am AEST on Friday, September 12
  • Wellington: 4 am NZST on Friday, September 12

What are the Borderlands 4 launch times on consoles?

Users on PlayStation 5 and Xbox unlock Borderlands 4 at 12 am on Friday, September 12, local time. That rule applies everywhere except for folks sharing a timezone with Los Angeles—then Borderlands 4 unlocks on your respective console at 9 pm on Thursday, September 11.

The wait for Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 is even longer with a release date set for Friday, October 3, 2025.

Borderlands 4 global release countdown timer

Is there preloading for Borderlands 4?

As of the time of writing, there is no option to pre-load Borderlands 4 on Steam. We've checked on our end (Wednesday, September 10), and still nothing. Maybe that's unsurprising since the global timing already pushes its release timing earlier than expected for some, but a bummer for anyone with a slower connection trying to hop in ASAP.

Hopefully that changes before launch, but with less than 24 hours until Borderlands 4 is available on PC, it's looking more like we won't have the option. If we do, it'll be a short window.

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Andrea Shearon
Andrea Shearon
Evergreen Writer

Andrea has been covering games for nearly a decade, picking up bylines at IGN, USA Today, Fanbyte, and Destructoid before joining the PC Gamer team in 2025. She's got a soft spot for older RPGs and is willing to try just about anything with a lovey-dovey "I can fix them" romance element. Her weekly to-do always includes a bit of MMO time, endlessly achievement hunting and raiding in Final Fantasy 14. Outside of those staples, she's often got a few survival-crafting games on rotation and loves a good scare in co-op horror games.

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