Best Of
10 Best Borderlands Games and Standalone Spin-offs
Explore ten Borderlands games, standalone spin-offs and a VR adaptation, with clear buying guidance, spoiler-free premises and trailers.
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Borderlands is not your ordinary uniform run through a wasteland. The main games emphasize loot and cooperative shooting, Tales takes a more story-led route, and Wonderlands uses fantasy to reshape the familiar formula. To make ten recommendations without pretending the series has ten distinct mainline shooters, this list explicitly includes standalone spin-offs and one VR adaptation. The standalone Dragon Keep release and Borderlands 2 have overlapping material, so their relationship is explained before you buy both. Rankings focus on the kind of experience each option offers; no story twist or late-game character outcome is needed to choose your next trip.
For a broader comparison, see our PC dungeon crawlers guide.
10. New Tales from the Borderlands
New Tales follows Anu, Octavio, and Fran through a story driven more by decisions and comic situations than by collecting another rifle. It is the pick for someone who wants the wider Borderlands setting without committing to another long shooting campaign. The tone and cast give it a different identity from the earlier Tales game, so liking one does not guarantee the same response to the other. Choose it as an interactive narrative spin-off, not as a replacement for Borderlands 4’s combat. The opening struggle to get ahead in a chaotic world is enough context without explaining which schemes work.
Official game trailer — Borderlands. New Tales from the Borderlands – Official Launch Trailer.
9. Borderlands 2 VR
Borderlands 2 VR adapts the second game’s adventure for virtual reality, changing the way you aim, look around, and inhabit its spaces. That shift is the reason it earns a separate, clearly labeled place here; it is not another story or a conventional sequel. Choose it only if VR is part of the attraction and you have checked the exact headset and platform requirements. It is a single-player adaptation, so do not buy it expecting the standard game’s cooperative campaign. Current compatibility and the specific store package matter more than assuming that any PC headset will work because the title includes VR.
Official game trailer — Borderlands. Borderlands 2 VR: Announcement Trailer.
8. Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure
The Wonderlands One-shot Adventure is a standalone release of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, originally an expansion for Borderlands 2. It turns the group’s adventure into a tabletop-style fantasy campaign full of familiar shooting beneath a different presentation. Pick it for a shorter, self-contained purchase when you do not want the larger Borderlands 2 package. If you already own that game’s expansion, compare what you have before paying for overlapping material. It is also distinct from Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, which is a separate full game. The fantasy framing is the useful premise; the emotional context is best discovered while playing.
Official game trailer — Borderlands. Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure – Launch Trailer.
7. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
The Pre-Sequel sends its characters to Elpis, where lower gravity and oxygen systems change the movement and combat around familiar loot hunting. It is a useful choice if you like the second game’s basic rhythm but want a different set of characters and tools. Pick it after Borderlands 2 if the series’ relationships and perspective changes are part of your interest. Despite its name placing events between games, release order is a sensible way to avoid learning character information too early. Its altered movement will not suit every player equally, so treat that as a meaningful difference rather than a simple upgrade.
Official game trailer — PlayStation. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Launch Trailer | PS3.
6. Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced
The first Borderlands gives the loot-and-shoot idea a more stripped-back setting, following Vault Hunters across a hostile Pandora in search of a rumored prize. Game of the Year Enhanced is the edition selected here for the original adventure, with its own technical and package details to check. Choose it if you want to understand the series’ foundations or prefer a less crowded collection of systems. It will feel older than the later games in movement and mission structure. The humor and landscape establish the mood, but the recommendation does not depend on knowing what the Vault actually contains.
Official 2019 Game of the Year trailer for the enhanced original adventure. Borderlands: Game of the Year Official Trailer.
5. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Wonderlands keeps the attraction of building a character around interesting gear while shifting the adventure into a fantasy world shaped by Tiny Tina’s game. Spells and class combinations help it feel different from merely putting medieval costumes on a regular Borderlands campaign. Choose it if experimentation and a lighter fantasy frame sound appealing, particularly with friends. The base adventure and additional content should be compared carefully across editions. This is a full standalone game, not the separately sold Dragon Keep adventure. The opening tabletop premise explains the tone without giving away the places the campaign eventually takes its party.
Official game trailer — 2K. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands | Official Launch Trailer | 2K.
4. Tales from the Borderlands
Tales from the Borderlands lets conversations, decisions, and the relationship between its leads carry the experience. Following Rhys and Fiona gives Pandora a different perspective from the usual cycle of combat and equipment. Pick it if you like the universe but want a story-focused evening where character interactions are the central attraction. It is not a conventional looter shooter, and that difference is exactly why it belongs in a broader franchise guide. Check that the package includes the full episodic story. Its competing accounts and unfamiliar alliances are more entertaining when a recommendation has not already explained where they lead.
Official game trailer — Borderlands. Tales from the Borderlands: Official Re-Launch Trailer.
3. Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 offers an expansive collection of weapons and character builds, with movement and combat providing a strong reason to keep tinkering. The campaign takes its Vault Hunters beyond a single familiar corner of Pandora, giving the shooting different backdrops. Choose it if the practical appeal is finding a combination of skills and gear that feels good in action. Its particular style of humor is prominent, so that preference matters as much as the quantity of loot. Compare the included story expansions and upgrades across editions. Cooperative options should also be checked for the platform combination your group actually uses.
Official developer trailer for the base game. Borderlands 3 – Official Developer Trailer.
2. Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 takes the search for useful gear to Kairos, with new Vault Hunters and a world built to encourage movement between its conflicts. Pick it if you want to join the current mainline game and build around its own characters and combat systems. Newer does not automatically make every older campaign redundant; its place here reflects a different destination and set of tools rather than a promise that it replaces the whole series. Check current PC requirements, platform information, and included content before choosing an edition. The opening conflict supplies the stakes without requiring a summary of later bosses or revelations.
Official game trailer — Borderlands. Borderlands 4 – Official Cinematic Launch Trailer.
1. Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 remains the strongest general starting recommendation for the series’ combination of character classes, cooperative shooting, and a campaign with a clear personality. Its Vault Hunters arrive on Pandora and quickly find themselves in a conflict bigger than their first job. Choose it if you want a substantial adventure with reasons to try a different class afterward. It is older in its movement and interface than the newest games, which is worth weighing against the appeal of the campaign. Collection and edition contents vary, especially around expansions. Check for Dragon Keep before buying its standalone version separately.
Official game trailer — 2K. Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer.
Which Should You Play First?
Start with Borderlands 2 for the broad franchise introduction, Borderlands 4 for the current mainline systems, or Tales for a story-first change of pace. Wonderlands is the fantasy alternative. The VR adaptation and standalone Dragon Keep are specific purchases with clear limitations, so compare them with the editions you already own.
If you want to explore another direction, our PvE co-op games on PC guide offers a useful next step.
