There is no denying it, The Borderlands franchise is one of the all-time greats. The stylish art design, humorous storytelling, and frantic fast-paced gunplay are just a few reasons we have all spent countless hours exploring Pandora for what appears to be an endless amount of loot. Another reason fans stay engaged is due to Gearbox’s never-ending support for these titles.
Just when I thought I was done playing Borderlands 2, new content would drop, and over a year later I was STILL playing, finding new weapons and discovering new story-based missions. So should we be surprised Gearbox has continued this pattern with Borderlands 3? Of course not, however this go around Gearbox not only patched your current version of Borderlands 3 but also created a completely new build specifically for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
So here is some info about my setup. I’m using a 4K OLED HDR 10 TV along with an Astro A40 headset. After booting up from my existing PS4 save file in Borderlands 3 Next-Level Edition and dropping into Pandora, I noticed an instant difference in the draw distance. I felt like I could look for miles with the utmost clarity. Load times are nonexistent thanks to the SSD. I zipped around in my buggy and overall performance felt smooth and crisp.
Everything in the world from loot crates to enemy facial animations looks sharp. The HDR lighting fills the screen with a warm glow that contrasts well with Borderlands 3 art design. As I explored dark canyons, I could see small beams of light pierce through and as I walked past, the light would reflect off my weapon in hand.
Speaking of hands, let’s talk about the PS5 DualSense haptic feedback controller. This controller is an absolute game-changer for FPS titles. Every weapon actually feels different. Picking up an assault rifle and feeling that resistance on the left trigger as I try to aim down its sights was mind-blowing. What wizardry did Sony do to pull this off? Add the additional tension on the right trigger as I fire and this title screamed NEXT-GEN! I then stopped, returned to the main menu, and created a new game from the beginning. I am 100% ready to re-experience Borderlands 3 all over again.
On that note, I need to point out that you can import your existing save file but Borderlands 3 Next-Level Edition for PS5 has its own set of trophies. So none of your trophies from the PS4 save will appear or re-pop. If you are a trophy hunter and wish to keep your trophies in order, then you may want to finish the campaign on PS4 or just start a new game on the PS5 version. I noticed this same issue with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla so it’s clearly something related to the console, not the games.
Also, make sure that you are playing the correct version on your PlayStation 5. Go to the “PS5 games” section in the PSN store and download the game from there. If you go to your library and just re-download your previous version, you will be downloading the PS4 version. Lastly, click the options button on the Borderlands 3 game icon and scroll down to “game version”. You will see both the PS5 and PS4 versions listed. Just make sure that PS5 is checked. I encountered an issue where the PS4 version was checked even though the game was not installed.
As I mentioned in the opening, Gearbox is well known for supporting Borderlands titles with fresh content, and here we are. Over a year later and alongside this PS5 version we are also treated with Season Pass 2 which includes the following
- Designer’s Cut content add-on, featuring brand new mode ‘Arms Race’ and an additional skill tree for each Vault Hunter
- Director’s Cut content add-on (releasing spring of 2021)
- All four Multiverse Final Form Cosmetic Packs
Overall playing Borderlands 3 Next-Level Edition running at 4K 60fps with the haptic controller (the hype is real) is one hell of an enjoyable experience. Remember if you already own the PS4 version the PS5 version is FREE! And with this new season pass, there is still plenty of reasons to dive back in.
This preview was written based on a digital copy of Borderlands 3 Next-Level Edition for PlayStation 5 provided by Gearbox Software and 2K Games.
