Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2
Cover art featuring a Psycho Bandit
Developer(s)Gearbox Software[a]
Publisher(s)2K
Director(s)Paul Hellquist
Producer(s)
  • Sean Reardon
  • Matt Charles
Designer(s)John Hemingway
Programmer(s)Steven Jones
Artist(s)Jeramy Cooke
Writer(s)Anthony Burch
Composer(s)
SeriesBorderlands
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)
Release
September 18, 2012
  • Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
    • NA: September 18, 2012
    • AU: September 20, 2012
    • EU: September 21, 2012
    OS X
    • WW: November 21, 2012
    PlayStation Vita
    • NA: May 13, 2014
    • AU: May 28, 2014
    • EU: May 30, 2014
    Linux
    • WW: September 30, 2014
    PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • NA: March 24, 2015
    • WW: March 27, 2015
    Android
    • WW: July 20, 2016
    Nintendo Switch
    • WW: May 29, 2020
Genre(s)Action role-playing, first-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Borderlands 2 is a 2012 action role-playing first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K. Taking place five years following the events of Borderlands (2009), the game is again set on the planet of Pandora. The story follows a new group of Vault Hunters who must ally with the Crimson Raiders, a resistance group made up of civilian survivors and guerrilla fighters, to defeat the tyrannical Handsome Jack before he can unlock the power of a new Vault. The game features the ability to explore the in-game world and complete main missions and optional side quests, either in offline splitscreen, single-player or online cooperative gameplay. Like its predecessor, the game features a procedurally generated loot system which is capable of generating numerous combinations of weapons and other gear.

With the unexpected success of the first game, Gearbox was able to secure a budget of $30–35 million to develop the sequel. Like its predecessor, the game adopted the "concept art style", which features graphics inspired by both photorealistic imagery and comic-book-inspired visuals. The team attempted to address players' feedback from the first game, and recruited Anthony Burch who wrote the game's script which is seven times longer than that of the original game. Among the game's diverse cast of characters, Handsome Jack, the central antagonist, was created to be a charismatic "douche" that mirrors Burch's own personality.

Borderlands 2 was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2012, and an updated port was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of Borderlands: The Handsome Collection in March 2015. A virtual reality version titled Borderlands 2 VR was released for PlayStation VR in December 2018 and Windows in October 2020.

The game received universal acclaim upon release. Critics generally praised the game's visuals, writing, gameplay, and online multiplayer, as well as its variety of guns, while criticizing its mission design and content fillers. The handheld and the virtual reality versions of the game were regarded to be inferior to the console and PC versions. More than 20 million units were shipped upon release and the game became 2K's most successful release. It was nominated for multiple year-end awards by several gaming publications. Gearbox supported the game with four add-on campaigns, new characters and five content packs. The game was followed by Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in October 2014, and Borderlands 3 in September 2019. Since its release, it has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).