## Vault Hunters, Rejoice! Borderlands 4 Release Date Moves Up, But Is GTA VI the Real Reason?
Get ready to loot and shoot sooner than expected, Vault Hunters! Gearbox Interactive has announced that the release date for *Borderlands 4* has been bumped forward by two weeks, shifting from September 23rd to September 12th. The announcement came via a video posted by Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, which was ironically, and perhaps tellingly, deleted and reposted due to being released prematurely.
According to Pitchford, the game is progressing so smoothly that the decision was made to launch it earlier. However, the gaming community is abuzz with speculation that the move is less about development progress and more about avoiding the colossal shadow of *GTA VI*.
“[I] wanted to be the one to tell you the launch date is changing,” Pitchford stated in the video. He assured fans that development was on track.
> Announcement about the Borderlands 4 launch date – Please watch until the end: [pic.twitter.com/cF85jG1p09](https://t.co/cF85jG1p09)
>
> — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) [April 29, 2025](https://twitter.com/DuvalMagic/status/1917232560943345997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
The elephant in the room is, of course, *GTA VI*. While the next installment in Rockstar’s behemoth franchise only has a vague “Fall 2025” release window, September technically falls within that timeframe. Given the history of *GTA* titles dominating the gaming landscape upon release, it’s understandable that Gearbox might want to carve out a launch window for *Borderlands 4* before *GTA VI* potentially consumes the market.
Adding fuel to the fire, both *Borderlands 4* and *GTA VI* share the same publisher: Take-Two Interactive. This connection further suggests a strategic move to avoid direct competition within their own portfolio. While a two-week shift may seem minor, it could be enough to capitalize on initial sales and player engagement before *GTA VI* arrives.
Despite the surrounding speculation, Gearbox is keen to highlight the positive progress on *Borderlands 4*. Pitchford also revealed that Sony will be hosting a 20-minute State of Play presentation dedicated to *Borderlands 4* gameplay on April 30th at 2 PM PT/ 5 PM ET. So, regardless of the reasons behind the release date shift, Vault Hunters have even more to look forward to in the coming days.