You Won't Have To Wait To Play Borderlands 3 On Xbox Series X And PS5
Many developers and publishers are offering free next-generation upgrades for their current-gen games, and it'll be no different for Gearbox and Borderlands 3. While we previously knew that Borderlands 3 would be coming to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, we didn't know when the next-gen version will be available. That all changed today, with Gearbox announcing release dates for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of Borderlands 3.
As it turns out, Borderlands fans won't have to wait long at all to play the game on next-gen hardware, as Borderlands 3 will be launching alongside the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. That means the Xbox Series X version will be launching on November 10th globally, while the PlayStation 5 version will be launching on November 12th in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. The PS5 version will then launch in rest of the world on November 19th.
We'll also be getting some improvements in the next-gen versions of Borderlands 3. As previously announced, Borderlands 3 will run at 60 frames per second in 4K resolution in single player and online co-op mode. The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of the game will also support three and four player splitscreen local multiplayer, which is indeed a rarity among many games these days.
It seems that three and four player splitscreen mode will lag behind the next-gen release somewhat, but Gearbox says it'll have a two player vertical splitscreen mode ready to go on day one. Not only will Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 be getting this vertical splitscreen mode, but Xbox One and PS4 will as well through a free update.
Gearbox also explained the upgrade process for Borderlands 3 today, saying that players will be able to upgrade to next-gen versions within the same console family (so those who own the game on Xbox One will be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X/S version, etc). Those who have a disc-based version of the game can still upgrade to a next-gen version, but it'll require a next-gen console with a disc drive – meaning the Xbox Series X or standard PlayStation 5, which will each run $499.99.
At this point, we're not sure how disc-based upgrades work, but it sounds like you might use your current-gen disc for verification and then you'll be able to download a digital next-gen copy. Gearbox says we'll learn more during a livestream on the Borderlands Twitch channel on October 29th and 9AM PDT, so we'll look for more details then.