Borderlands 4 pre-orders open at $70, avoiding feared $80 price tag

[midian182]

What just happened? The situation around Borderlands 4's potential $80 price has seen outcry, outrage, and a very poorly-worded X post from CEO Randy Pitchford. But fear not: the game is now available for pre-order at $70 for the standard version.

With more new games costing $80, there were fears that Borderlands 4 would follow this trend. But the game has landed on Steam ahead of its September 12 launch with a $70/£60/€70 price tag.

That's for the standard edition. There's also a $100/£90/€100 Deluxe Edition that comes with the Bounty Pack Bundle – post-launch DLC consisting of new areas, gear, weapons, etc. – and a weapon skin.

Those who were likely never concerned about the game's price might opt for the $130/£120/€130 Super Deluxe Edition, which adds the Vault Hunter Pack (new Vault Hunters, missions, regions, etc.) and cosmetics-filled Ornate Order Pack.

Details about when these post-release DLC packs launch will be revealed at a later date.

In May, Pitchford responded to an X post from a fan concerned about Borderlands 4 having an $80 price tag. The CEO said it was not his call, and that "If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen." This obviously didn't go down well, especially with the commenter, who noted that they had purchased every Borderlands-related release since 2009.

Pitchford previously revealed that Borderlands 4's production costs were twice as high as Borderlands 3, "and there's tariffs for the retail packaging" to consider. He added that it would ultimately be down to the publishing house to decide the price.

A) Not my call. B) If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.

– Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 14, 2025

"On one level, we've got a competitive marketplace where the people that make those choices want to sell as many units as possible, and they want to be careful about people that are price-sensitive," Pitchford told a PAX East audience. "There are some folks who don't want to see prices go up, even the ones deciding what the prices are... There's other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing, and there's tariffs for the retail packaging. It's getting gnarly out there, you guys."

Pitchford celebrated Borderlands 4 sticking to its $70 price in a recent X post. "They're showing you, so please show them," he wrote – he appears to be asking people to say thanks for not having to pay more by pre-ordering the game.

The big news: No price increase for Borderlands 4! Standard Edition launches not at $80, but at $69.99! They're showing you, so please show them. You can find links to pre-order Borderlands 4 PC and console versions on the store pages here:https://t.co/Pdpa8hoL9m

– Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) June 16, 2025

Whether this was all a PR move designed to increase presales, as some have speculated, is unclear, though it wouldn't be totally surprising.

One of the companies that has no qualms about introducing an $80 price tag is Microsoft. It recently announced that the first game to cost this much will be The Outer Worlds 2, which will also be on Game Pass from day one.

Permalink to story:

Borderlands 4 pre-orders open at $70, avoiding feared $80 price tag

 

[candle86]

$70 is to much, I'll wait for it to go on sale, I refuse to pay more than $39 for a game.

 

[yRaz]

Well, a night at the pub can easily cost more than $80 these days. Im not so much against prices going up, I'm against games be released in buggy states and being incomplete. Also, you aren't getting the whole game for $70. The DLCs will come out and suddenly you'll be strong armed into buying them $30 each if you dont get the deluxe edition. Typically there are 4 major DLCs so if you don't get the deluxe edition for $130, you're going to end up paying ~$200 for the full game.

So, no the game isn't $70, its $130.

 

[dangh]

$70 is to much, I'll wait for it to go on sale, I refuse to pay more than $39 for a game.

It is not too much. It is a price which you are not willing to pay. They could sell it for $200 and that is still their call. It is entertainment, and a free market. They do what they think is ok, and that price seems to be a new standard on the market anyway. I'm not going to buy it, but price is just a label here.

But what is weird is people buying preorders. Do buyers afraid that seller will run off the generated keys?

 

[return]

"If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen." Yes, key shop, the one you hate!

 

[winjer]

$70 is to much, I'll wait for it to go on sale, I refuse to pay more than $39 for a game.

And it's not that it's just a lot of money.
We don't even get the game, just a digital license that they can alter or revoke at anytime.

 

[magoid]

It is very brave for them to ask those prices for a franchise whose last games were received with lukewarm enthusiasm by the fans.

I have the feeling AAA peaked about 15 years ago. Since then the studios became more and more afraid to try something new, and rely too much on old formulas, so new games feel just like the old ones with higher resolution textures.

Since the pandemic I started to focus more on indie games, and it still possible to find something fresh there, although there is a sea of "more of the same" among indies.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

And it's not that it's just a lot of money.
We don't even get the game, just a digital license that they can alter or revoke at anytime.

And their new EULA gives them the power to do so if, say, you mod the game, or complain about bugs or performance issues or the lack of content.

Well, a night at the pub can easily cost more than $80 these days. Im not so much against prices going up, I'm against games be released in buggy states and being incomplete. Also, you aren't getting the whole game for $70. The DLCs will come out and suddenly you'll be strong armed into buying them $30 each if you dont get the deluxe edition. Typically there are 4 major DLCs so if you don't get the deluxe edition for $130, you're going to end up paying ~$200 for the full game.

So, no the game isn't $70, its $130.

I'm totally against prices going up. Just because others are greedy and price gouge does not make it OK.

Remember, these companies are continually setting record revenue, but it's never enough. These are not starving artists, they are getting fat off their underserved success and are letting the greed cloud their vision.

$130 is the true full price, and everyone should wait until it's $10 for the full edition, if they buy it at all.

It is not too much. It is a price which you are not willing to pay. They could sell it for $200 and that is still their call. It is entertainment, and a free market. They do what they think is ok, and that price seems to be a new standard on the market anyway. I'm not going to buy it, but price is just a label here.

But what is weird is people buying preorders. Do buyers afraid that seller will run off the generated keys?

So TLDR the price is too much.

 

[yRaz]

I'm totally against prices going up. Just because others are greedy and price gouge does not make it OK.

Remember, these companies are continually setting record revenue, but it's never enough. These are not starving artists, they are getting fat off their underserved success and are letting the greed cloud their vision.

$130 is the true full price, and everyone should wait until it's $10 for the full edition, if they buy it at all.
So TLDR the price is too much.

Revenue =/= profit. And margins are more accurate than just a number. People say inflation is only up 20% over the last 5 years, I say its closer to 100% and my wages have only gone up ~15% over the last 5 years.

That's why I say people are full of it when they talk about how the stock market is at an all time high. Sure it is, if you only look market cap. You have to consider that our money has never been worth less than it is now.

This is why I always look at margin to gauge profits. The computers they have, the software they use and the developers they pay have all gone up in price. I'm not against companies making money, profits are the motivator for making new products and competition. Im against being sold incomplete or defective products.

It would literally cost me just under 4 hours of my time to buy the deluxe edition. What I ask is that I get about 50 cents an hour of entertainment out of my money. So im willing to pay $130 for B4 as long as I get a minimum of ~260 hours of entertainment out of it.

Im very picky about what games im willing to pay full price for. I really only buy 1, maybe 2 a year at full price. Aside from that I have a backlog of steam games ive gotten on sale that I can play when I get board of the games I pay full price.

Im probably going to pay full price for B4, im going to have to see how Linux support is. I'm already sold on it, the deciding factor will be does it run in Linux because I'm not even bothering with Windows VMs anymore.