Borderlands 4 Promises a Wild 30 Billion Guns — And Yes, That’s Billion with a “B”

Moxxi from Borderlands 4 (Credit: Gearbox)

Borderlands 4 is officially dropping on September 12, and Gearbox Software isn’t holding back — the game will feature a jaw-dropping 30 billion possible guns. No, that’s not a typo. This number, confirmed by art director Adam May in an interview with Epic Games, is the result of procedural generation and some creative design changes that let the devs mix and match parts like never before.

In true Borderlands fashion, every tiny tweak counts as a new weapon. Swap a scope, change a firing mode, or add a new elemental effect? Boom — that’s another entry in the loot pool. When you multiply those variations across pistols, rifles, shotguns, SMGs, and snipers, plus the different manufacturers and attachments, it’s easy to see how things spiral into “billions” territory.

The lineup of in-game gun makers will include returning favorites like Daedalus, Jakobs, Torgue, Maliwan, and Tediore, along with newer names like Order, Ripper, and Vlador. Each one has its own style — sleek and angular for rapid shooters, big and chunky for weapons that make things explode in spectacular fashion. May explained that the art and design teams work hand-in-hand to make sure every weapon looks like it handles.

One of the coolest changes this time around? Cross-manufacturer parts. That means you could end up with a Maliwan shotgun rocking a Daedalus underbarrel, blending two completely different styles into one gun. To pull this off, Principal Artist Jimmy Barnett built a massive “wall of guns” in Unreal Engine — basically a giant visual library of every part from every brand — so the team can check what combinations make sense both visually and mechanically.

The narrative team is also making sure each weapon has personality, from snarky flavor text to branding that tells you what to expect before you even pull the trigger. Borderlands has always been about “more,” but with 30 billion guns, it’s safe to say Gearbox is turning that dial up to ridiculous.