11 Best Games Like Borderlands for Complete Chaos in 2026

Our Top Picks for Games Like Borderlands

Our top picks for games like Borderlands feature heart-pounding action and hilarious storytelling. You can find several games similar to Borderlands that prioritize loot and character progression above everything else.

Destiny 2

LOOTER SHOOTER

Destiny 2 stands as a premier choice among games like Borderlands because it features top-tier gunplay and a massive universe to explore. You can join your friends in challenging raids to earn legendary gear that keeps you powerful in both PvE and PvP modes.

The Outer Worlds

RPG

The Outer Worlds serves as a narrative successor for fans who appreciate the witty humor and satirical tone of the original series. You must make critical choices that affect the entire solar system while you collect unique weapons from various planetary factions.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

LOOTER SHOOTER

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 provides a grounded tactical alternative with a deep loot system and realistic urban environments. You can customize your agent with specialized gear sets and explore a devastated Washington D.C. as you fight to restore order.

This selection of games like Borderlands ensures that you always have a new world to conquer and better loot to find. You should pick the title that best fits your playstyle so that you can begin your next great adventure today.

Now let’s take a deeper look at the most thrilling games that share the Borderlands’ DNA.

11 Best Games Like Borderlands for Looter-Shooter Fans

Whether you’re after over-the-top action, hilarious dialogue, or that sweet, sweet loot grind, there are many games to scratch that itch. If you love the non-stop action and unpredictable humor of Borderlands, then this list is packed with games like Borderlands that will keep you looting, shooting, and theory-crafting your ultimate build for hours on end.

Destiny 2

Best for: Top-Tier Gunplay and Space Magic

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Destiny 2

is by far my top pick for games like Borderlands. This ongoing ten-year saga still holds its throne mainly due to best-in-class gunplay tightly knit with deep RPG mechanics that recently got an enormous rework.

Destiny’s core strength lies in its power fantasy and how it makes every encounter feel epic, but the loot system is what kept me invested even after clocking in more than 1500 hours.

If you love the nearly unlimited gun variety in Borderlands series, then

Destiny 2

offers over 1000 old and new weapons on top of randomizing them with dozens of different perks. This title takes it a step further with random-rolled armor and highly adjustable subclasses that completely change how you approach combat. So, if you like infinite loadout possibilities, then Destiny will not disappoint.

While solo play is fun,

Destiny 2

is known to be one of the greatest co-op games in the FPS genre. From the intense six-player raids and three-player dungeons that require near-perfect teamwork to the competitive Crucible matches, the game offers something for every player. Of course, the narrative is less self-aware and comical than Borderlands titles, but Destiny’s lore is the definition of how deep the rabbit hole goes.

FINAL VERDICT

If you look for a looter-shooter that provides the most polished gunplay and an endless stream of content,

Destiny 2

is one of the best games similar to Borderlands that will keep you hooked for years.

The Outer Worlds

Best for: Satirical Space Humor and Narrative Choices

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Obsidian Entertainment Private Division Metacritic Score 85 / 7.9 (Critic/User)

The Outer Worlds is a top choice among games like Borderlands because it launches satirical humor into deep space. Set in a satirical corporate-controlled universe, the game offers a refreshing take on the looter-shooter genre that introduces player choice and a branching narrative.

The game’s weapon and armor system isn’t crazy, but goes way beyond simple stat increases. Each piece of equipment tells a story, with writing that’s both hilarious and adds to the worldbuilding. Like puzzle pieces that reflect the game’s bizarre corporate satire, if you will. However, the visual gun variety can look a bit too similar to some, but every weapon I tried felt unique enough for me to experiment with modifications and different builds.

The Outer Worlds

is a truly fantastic space game – you’re not just shooting through linear levels, but exploring planets, interacting with factions, and shaping the outcome of your journey. Whether you’re making moral decisions or just picking fights,

The Outer Worlds

does a fantastic job of blending humor, action, and exploration in a way that feels fresh and engaging.

If you’re looking to dive into the full experience, the Spacer’s Choice Edition is the way to go. It comes with all the DLCs, including the Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos expansions, giving you even more content and crazy adventures to dive into. It’s definitely the complete package for anyone looking to fully immerse themselves in this hilarious and chaotic universe.

FINAL VERDICT If you love witty humor but want a deeper RPG experience where decisions actually matter,

The Outer Worlds

is one of the best games like Borderlands available today. This sci-fi adventure is a must-play for any fan of the genre.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Best for: Tactical Looting and Realistic Environments

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82 / 6.2 (Critic/User)

This captivating story game takes the beloved looter-shooter concept and grounds it in a more realistic post-apocalyptic setting. Unlike the more cartoonish Borderlands, this story game offers a serious take on cooperative shooting but doesn’t sacrifice depth or intensity. And if you love gorgeous worlds, the recreations of Washington D.C. and New York City are one of the most beautiful apocalyptic worlds on the market right now.

The elephant in the room is that The Division 2 is a cover-based shooter, where positioning plays a way bigger role than in most games similar to Borderlands. Nevertheless, the expansive RPG elements are so malleable, that you can easily turn yourself into a walking tank and ignore the cover altogether. Better yet, each gear piece, gun, and a huge pile of gun mods can roll with a whole arsenal of perks that easily challenge Borderlands or Destiny build-crafting capabilities.

After completing the main Division 2 story, you can easily sink dozens of hours into complex 8-player raids and, my favorite, the Dark Zone – a PvPvE area with integrated extraction shooter elements where every player encounter is a game of friend or foe.

FINAL VERDICT The Division 2 trades Borderlands’ chaos for grounded tactical combat, but it keeps the deep loot and build-crafting systems that make games like Borderlands so addictive.

Mycopunk

Best for: Hyper-Customizable Weapon Grids

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PC Pigeons At Play Devolver Digital Metacritic Score 88 / 8.5 (Critic/User)

Mycopunk

is a stylized indie looter-shooter where you step into the metallic shoes of robot rejects tasked with purging a planet overtaken by a fungal catastrophe. You’ll spend your time navigating through overgrown environments, blasting back mutated spores, and hunting for the next big upgrade. This title is a perfect choice for those who enjoy games like Borderlands because it emphasizes survival against the ever-spreading rot.

Instead of simply finding pre-built guns, you physically slot mods into a custom grid to mutate your tools into ridiculous instruments of destruction. This allows for an incredible level of experimentation; you might choose to mount a deflector shield onto a high-speed chainsaw or build a rifle that fires synergistic projectiles.

Multiplayer fans will find plenty to love here, as the game fully supports co-op mayhem with friends. Working together is essential for surviving the fungal menace, especially as you begin to combine your unique weapon builds for maximum impact. Whether you are a hardcore theory-crafter looking for the perfect mod synergy or a casual player who just wants to see mushrooms explode,

Mycopunk

delivers a fresh, addictive loop.

FINAL VERDICT If you spend more time in Borderlands’ inventory screens theory-crafting than actual shooting,

Mycopunk

’s hyper-customizable upgrade system will be your new obsession. It stands out as one of the best games similar to Borderlands for fans who prioritize mechanical depth.

Dead Island 2

Best For: Visceral Gore and Dark Comedy

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75 / 7.2 (Critic/User)

Dead Island 2

revives the zombie looter-shooter genre with a vibrant, gory take on the Los Angeles apocalypse. Just like the first installment, you get to choose from a roster of unique survivors, each bringing a unique personality and fight style to this remarkable zombie game. Best of all, it’s one of those games like Borderlands that don’t shy away from dark comedy even when you blast heads left and right.

FPS combat mechanics focus on detailed, physics-based zombie dismemberment and weapon customization. You can modify and upgrade an enormous arsenal of weapons and gadgets never seen before in the series. The “FLESH”

system allows for incredibly detailed damage modeling, where zombies realistically break apart based on your attacks and weapons of choice.

The game’s open-world design encourages exploration for side content, with a loot system that keeps you constantly hunting for better gear and materials. Character progression is fairly simplified with skill cards, but keeps enough space to mold your chosen character to your liking. To no surprise, co-op multiplayer is back in the sequel, so multiplayer fans can tackle the zombie apocalypse with friends throughout the whole campaign.

FINAL VERDICT

If you want the colorful visuals and over-the-top violence of Borderlands with a heavy focus on melee and physical dismemberment, Dead Island 2 is your playground.

Outriders

Best For: Aggressive Class Abilities and Gritty Action

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S People Can Fly Square Enix Metacritic Score 73 / 6.8 (Critic/User)

Outriders

is a solid choice for fans of games similar to Borderlands who want a gritty, dark take on the looter-shooter genre. Contrary to some beliefs, it’s not a live service, and just like any Borderlands title, this unique adventure game fully playable from start to finish as a complete package.

Notably, Outriders’ four unique classes are based on different elemental abilities and mostly predetermined roles. Basically, if you’re familiar with the vault hunters of Pandora, you’ll grasp the basics right away.

Just like all mainline Borderlands installments, Outriders’ combat system rewards aggressive play, encouraging you to get close and personal rather than hide behind cover. However, the big difference is the third-person camera and a lot heavier movement, which will make you think twice before going full “LEROY JENKINS”

mode. Even then, I still recommend not playing safe, because aggressive weapon and ability combos create truly satisfying cinematic moments.

Once you hit the finish line, the end-game content offers a fair share of challenging expeditions to test your limits or play with friends. Just be sure to grab the Worldslayer expansion to get the most out of your time.

FINAL VERDICT

Outriders

is one of the best games like Borderlands because it provides a complete, dark campaign that focuses on power-tripping class abilities and aggressive combat loops.

Warframe

Best For: Endless Grinding and Deep Customization

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Switch, iOS, iPadOS Digital Extremes Digital Extremes Metacritic Score 86 / 8.5 (Critic/User)

Warframe

, jokingly known as the space ninja simulator, is one of the most popular games like Borderlands because it features an immensely lively community. In this impressive MMORPG game, instead of fixed character classes seen in Borderlands, you’ll be collecting and building up multiple characters called frames, each with distinct abilities that dramatically change the gameplay at its core.

The loot and upgrade progression is one of the most complex systems in the looter-shooter scene. While a little overwhelming at first, it allows you to craft and modify both weapons and frames in virtually countless combinations. In fact, you’ll have to craft most of your arsenal using materials collected in the ever-growing list of missions.

Solo players can easily enjoy their space ninja fantasy alone, but co-op is an integral part of Warframe’s end-game, with four-player missions pushing the limits of teamwork and strategic thinking. And if you decide to stay for the long run, regular updates and major content drops always keep the game fresh with an expanding roster of loot and characters to collect.

FINAL VERDICT As a free-to-play title,

Warframe

provides an incredible amount of content and stands as one of the best mobile games similar to Borderlands for players who enjoy long-term goals.

Rage 2

Best For: Fast-paced Combat and Colorful Wastelands

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73 / 5.5 (Critic/User)

Rage 2

combines the wild open-world game mechanics of Borderlands with the intense, fast-paced combat of id Software’s iconic FPS shooters. This game throws you into a vibrant, colorful post-apocalyptic map that defies the typical brown and gray palette of other games similar to Borderlands. It stands as a top choice among games like Borderlands because it perfectly captures that same sense of wasteland chaos.

Combat mechanics focus on an array of powerful weapons and supernatural abilities called Nanotrites. To make the best of your time, you must combine gunplay with devastating melee attacks and superhuman powers, so aggressive play is the way to go. The weapon variety is solid and upgrade systems create a pretty similar growth pace to what you’d find in the Borderlands’ loot-driven gameplay.

This open world is designed to be a playground of destruction, with vehicle combat, numerous side activities, and a main storyline that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Character progression allows players to adjust their abilities and playstyle, with skill trees and upgrades to play around with for a long while.

Rage 2

’s crazy humor and over-the-top action is a blast and makes it one of the best FPS games that truly capture the spirit of the Borderlands franchise.

FINAL VERDICT

Rage 2

is the closest visual and tonal match to the series among games like Borderlands because it provides top-tier gunplay mechanics and a chaotic, colorful open world.

Bulletstorm

Best For: Creative Kills and Retro Chaos

Our Score ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ PC, PS3/4/5, Xbox 360/One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch People Can Fly, Epic Games Gearbox Publishing Metacritic Score 84 / 7.8 (Critic/User)

If you’re hunting for the crazy feel and explosiveness of games like Borderlands, then

Bulletstorm

will feel right at home. This great FPS game is a true blast from the past, with its classic “skill shot” system, rewarding you for elaborate and creative kills. Even though the game only features 8 weapons, the flexibility of what you can do with them could even put modern games to shame.

Just like Borderlands,

Bulletstorm

is all about weapons, environmental hazards, and special abilities to create a spectacular show of mayhem. A unique tool that allows players to pull enemies and objects called “The Leash”, is the central mechanic for creating complex and frankly hilarious combat scenarios.

The narrative carries a wicked tone that closely matches Borderlands’ humor, following a group of space pirates seeking revenge. Characters are memorable and manage to deliver both blunt comedy with genuine character moments. Despite being an older title,

Bulletstorm

is a true cult classic that influenced many future looter-shooter games.

FINAL VERDICT

If you want a short but incredibly sweet explosion of creativity that captures the “fun over everything” philosophy,

Bulletstorm

is one of the best games like Borderlands.