Borderlands Mobile is a free-to-play mobile spin-off of the Borderlands series where players take on being a Vault Hunter in Pandora. Read our review of its early-access build to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Everything We Know About Borderlands Mobile
Borderlands Mobile Plot
While the game’s storyline being canon has yet to be confirmed, Borderlands Mobile takes place sometime after the timeline of the third game.
The Calypso Twins, Borderlands 3’s main antagonists, are dead, and the mysterious Firehawk is nowhere to be found. Corporate tyranny has taken over the planet of Pandora, and chaos runs amok. Vault Hunters are considered outlaws and face instant death—but the player characters couldn't care less.
Power, glory, and treasure await them in Pandora, and that is where our unlikely protagonists start their loot-filling, corporation-smashing tale.
Borderlands Mobile Gameplay
The signature Borderlands looter-shooter gameplay is featured in this spin-off, made slightly easier and optimized for mobile. It retains the action-packed, run-and-gun first-person shooter gameplay style, taking down waves of enemies while looting gold, ammo, and guns to play with.
Players undertake story missions in the Campaign to move the story forward or take part in other game modes like the Tower of Terror, Circle of Slaughter, and more. After receiving rewards in these game modes, players can then upgrade their character and their skills and customize their own build with the variety of weapons.
Borderlands Mobile Release Date
Released in a "limited-time playtest" mode on April 10, 2026, Borderlands Mobile is available to play on iOS devices for free for interested players in the US region. It is currently unknown when the playtest will end, when it will be released for Android devices, or when more regions will be allowed to test the game as well.
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 App Store |
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Borderlands Mobile Review [Playtest]
A
I’m a pretty casual fan of the Borderlands series—although I’ve only really delved into Borderlands 3 and a little bit of 2 (a mental note to continue that playthrough), its signature chaotic mess of action-packed, looting-shooting goodness has made its mark on me. I’ve always loved hoarding and looting in games, and Borderlands provided one of the best ways to scratch that itch.
Life has been pretty busy lately, and I haven’t had the chance to fuel that chaos-loving (in video games) side of me for a long time, but now with the sudden drop of Borderlands Mobile, that experience can now be experienced on the go, all for free, and with easy access at your fingertips.
Borderlands Mobile is now available for a limited-time open playtest on iOS, and it’s looking pretty good so far. Guess I have a new shooting game to play in the palm of my hand.
Feeling Like A Million Bucks in Pandora
Borderlands Mobile is set in Pandora, the planet where the majority of Borderlands titles, both mainline and spin-offs, take place. It’s currently unknown if this is canon to the main storyline or an alternate universe. The timeline is somewhere between Borderlands 3 and 4, after the Calypso Twins are eradicated and the Firehawk is missing in action. Thrown into chaos, the land of Pandora and the rest of the universe (according to the prologue) have fallen to corporate greed and capitalism.
And this is where you, the main character, jump into the fray. As a courageous Vault Hunter with an ambition of warring against the corporations—and the intoxicating allure of loot, loot, and more loot (and maybe some power and glory)—you step into the harsh wastelands of Pandora, looking to make your mark upon the world and get your hands on that secret alien treasure rumored to be lying about.
Based on what I see from the Campaign screen, there are only about four total chapters (technically two and a half, including the prologue, but for simplicity’s sake) to play through at this point in time, so there’s not much concrete in the way of story. So far, it’s a good introduction to the whacked-up world that you’ll be spending the rest of your looting journey in.
Looter-Shooter At Your Fingertips
As true to its namesake, it retains all the action-packed looter-shooter gameplay of its predecessors. You play in first person, shooting down hordes of enemies with your arsenal of guns and grenade of choice as well as making use of your innate powers depending on your class. In this early access state, you can only play the Summoner, with the three other classes, the Exo-Tank, the Outrider, and the Assassin, unlockable either through story or after the playtest phase; it’s not specified.
The shooting gameplay is on autofire by default—any enemy that runs into your crosshair, whether close up or from far away, will get pelted to death by your bullet shower. However, there is also the option to fire manually by tapping the ADS button for a bit more control (I’ve accidentally made too many barrels explode just because of my crosshair).
There are several game modes for players to delve into, but early on, you’ll only be able to take on the story through the Campaign, or fight your way through the Tower of Terror for some good rewards. At this point in time, the rest of the game modes will be available on a later date (for example, Circle of Slaughter for tomorrow) or will not be playable during the duration of the public test.
As you play, you fulfill daily and weekly challenges that net you a certain amount of rewards, such as dollars, experience points, and upgrade currency like parts, powder, and cells. Upgrading appears to take up quite a bit of resources, so completing these challenges and other achievements are important to clearing content that progressively gets harder and harder, requiring more overall power.
It feels, looks, and plays exactly like Borderlands but on mobile—only (supposedly) easier with autofire and fewer things to worry about. And I say "supposedly" because…well, the controls are what makes it harder.
The side buttons are too off to the side, almost hugging the frame of the phone. It’s not comfortably where your thumbs would rest (but if you play with the 4-finger claw position, then maybe). It gets worse when you’re not playing with the autofire and need to use the ADS to shoot—the ADS button is way too high for a thumb, making for awkward maneuvering when aiming. There’s no inherent gyroscope function either, which could help the weird control placement too. A bit of remapping, whether by the developers or having the option to do UI customization similar to features in mobile PUBG or Call of Duty, would do wonders—hopefully in a future update or in the full release.
Smooth as Butter on Mobile
For a mobile game, it runs buttery smooth (aside from the funky control positions, but that’s beside the point). It performs really well with little to no stuttering on what appears to be 60 FPS, even as bandits and skags flank you on all sides. It’s already neat to have the Borderlands experience at the palm of your hand, and it’s extremely satisfying that it plays well too.
It’s only available for iPhone devices as of now, so there’s no comparison with Android devices, but with the way it’s playing, there’s no cause for concern if they manage to keep it up.
Visuals Are Not Lacking
Along with the smooth experience that the game brings with its optimization, players can also take note of its stunning visuals. In the classic Borderlands art style, Pandora and its inhabitants come to life, almost mirroring the look and feel of playing it on its other platforms, albeit on a smaller screen. Granted, it’s downscaled to accommodate handheld devices, but it’s still pleasurable to look at—in all its Pandora griminess and rust.
Familiar faces like fan-favorite-not-favorite Claptrap, Tiny Tina, Vaughn, Tannis, and even Shiv (yes, that Shiv—though he’s Shiv the Second) also make their appearance in the game, looking pretty much the same as they always have. A bit of nostalgia for fans, and a wonderful sight for newbies who have yet to get to know them.
Animations during cutscenes could use a bit more work—they’ve obviously shaved off a few things like mouth animations for the sake of running better on a smaller device, but it’s not a glaring issue.
Free-to-Play, With Extra Microtransactions
It’s not unusual for a mobile game to have in-app purchases, especially if it’s a free-to-play one. Due to its public playtest phase, microtransactions are not available, and thus the prices are not publicly out yet, but players can already see a bit of what’s to come.
For starters, there’s the Battle Pass—a staple in many shooter games, if you will. You have the readily available Free Pass that seems to have a decent amount of rewards already and the option to upgrade to the Ultimate Pass for even more of those resources. There are also costumes coming soon, allowing for more customization with your character should you be into adding some flair here and there.
The "gacha" mechanic appears to be in the form of pulling from weapon crates, categorized by rarity. This particular segregation, as of writing, is a pretty good way to have higher chances of getting what you want. Crates will only select from a pool of that rarity, meaning you won’t have a chance to get a Rare item in a Legendary crate—it’s pretty minor, but with most gacha games, both RPG ones and similar FPS ones, put everything together in one banner or crate, leaving you to hope and pray to the gods that you don’t end up paying more than you initially planned to. Thus, knowing what you’re getting is a godsend in itself. It’s harder to get Epic and Legendary keys, but at least you’re not crying over a failed pull.
Overall Conclusion
Borderlands Mobile came out of nowhere, and it’s a pretty satisfying surprise that ticks all the basic boxes of what a decent Borderlands game should feel like. Signature art style, action-packed looting-shooting gameplay, and an interesting world to explore, all in one free-to-play package.
It’s only a small sneak peek of what’s to come, but it’s turning out to be something to look forward to in the future.
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Borderlands Mobile Product Information
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| Title | Borderlands Mobile |
|---|---|
| Release Date | April 10, 2026 (Playtest) |
| Developer | Zynga Inc. |
| Publisher | Zynga Inc. |
| Supported Platforms | iOS |
| Genre | Action, Shooting |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Borderlands Mobile Official Website |
