Summary
Borderlands 4is on track to arrive a little earlier this Fall. Recently, developer Gearbox Software announced that it has slightly pushed upBorderlands 4’s releasefrom the original September 23 date, with it now set to launch on Jun 21, 2025. In the lead-up to the highly awaited entry, Gearbox has been clear that it will be making some major changes in the direction of the forthcoming fourth mainline installment of its flagship looter-shooter franchise.
Studio members have previously touched on howBorderlands 4will be moving the series into a more mature narrative space, as well as featuring the largest world map and zones in the franchise to date. While many of the finer story details still remain under wraps, from what has been shown off in the official trailers and other gameplay footage so far about the latest villain, The Timekeeper, it would seem to suggest that time-travel and other related aspects will be a core part ofBL4’s plot.
It has also been confirmed thatBorderlands 4will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Borderlands 4’s Villain, The Timekeeper, Heavily Implies That Time-Travel Will Be a Big Part of the Plot
Borderlands 4’s The Timekeeper’s Abilities Are All in the Name
Based on the very moniker alone, it would seem to naturally follow thatThe Timekeeper inBorderlands 4has some form of control over the flow of time. Information gathered from various pre-release material along with what has been glimpsed in the trailers that Gearbox has released shows that The Timekeeper is heading up “The Order,” an army of synthetic entities. The Timekeeper and his minions inhabit a previously unknown planet called Kairos, where the mysterious entity has apparently been keeping Kairos and this legion hidden behind a sort of galactic veil, or possibly adrift in time, for millennia before the events ofBorderlands 4.
WithElpis, Pandora’s moon,having been teleported away from a collision course by Lilith to save the planet at the conclusion ofBorderlands 3, it seems a consequence of this action was Eplis crashing into Kairos instead. Whatever cosmic curtain The Timekeeper had in place has now been shattered, and his existence along with The Order’s has been revealed to the latest batch of Vault Hunters.
How The Timekeeper’s Powers May Affect Borderlands 4’s Story
Though Gearbox has been keepingBL4’s narrative more closely under wraps, speculation has been that young SirenAva may be set to return inBorderlands 4. Specifically, it could be the case that she has subsequently grown and aged, finding herself in a more prominent role that Ava’s mentor Sirens were preparing her for. The Timekeeper could be at least partly responsible for this shift.Borderlands 4may jump backwards and forwards in time as the tale unfolds, with players going through flashback sequences or playing through missions that frequently alternate between time periods. Depending on the range of The Timekeeper’s powers, they could perhaps extend to include dimensional or reality-warping abilities, which would allow the story to explore some interesting new territory.
Regarding the whereabouts of Lilith, she appears to have been confirmed to play a role in the next game. As seen in the most recent State of Play Deep Dive, one quest objective was “Find Lilith.” The Timekeeper could be behind her reappearance as well, potentially as an alternate version of the stalwart Siren that fans are familiar with. Whatever the case,The Timekeeper has much to live up to inBorderlands 4, given Gearbox’s claim of him being a “darker and more sinister” antagonist than even Handsome Jack. If he does possess powerful time or other related reality-bending powers, that could be the explanation for the plot focusing on time-travel, and a way for The Timekeeper to fulfill the high threat level that he’s promised to pose.
