Borderlands 3

Intense overall intensity
Highest flag: Violence — graphic & gore
RPGSci-fiShooter

What's in it

Violence graphic & gore
High

Constant first-person gunfire against human bandits and alien creatures in a stylized cartoon art style, with blood splatter and enemies that explode or gib on death.

Language strong
High

Strong profanity is frequent throughout dialogue, including repeated use of harsh swear words.

Substances depicted
Moderate

Alcohol is a recurring backdrop at bars run by named characters, and drinking is referenced and shown in the world.

Dark themes intense
Moderate

The plot centers on villains who massacre populations and broadcast killings for fans, with themes of mass murder, death, and grief.

Sexual content innuendo
Moderate

Adult humor and heavy innuendo, especially from the bartender character Moxxi, plus suggestive dialogue and jokes throughout.

Gambling simulated gambling
Moderate

In-world slot machines let players wager earned in-game currency for random loot; no real money is involved.

Nudity revealing/suggestive attire
Low

Some characters wear revealing, cleavage-heavy outfits; no explicit nudity.

Horror & psychological spooky
Low

A few grim, creepy locales and grotesque monster designs create mild unease but no sustained horror.

Crime & lawlessness crime depicted
Low

Bandits, raiders, and corporate thugs commit robbery and murder throughout the world, and the player kills them as targets.

Spending cosmetic purchases
Low

The store sells optional cosmetic packs of character skins, heads, weapon trinkets and vehicle paint for real money, alongside paid story expansions. There are no loot boxes and no in-game currency bought with cash.

Animal combat combat mechanic
Low

Players routinely shoot and kill Pandoran wildlife and beasts such as skags and spiderants as normal combat.

Who can reach your kid

Voice chatChat with strangersStranger friend requests

What it is

Borderlands 3 is a first-person 'looter-shooter' where you play one of four treasure-hunting Vault Hunters exploring alien worlds, blasting through bandits, robots, and wildlife while collecting a huge variety of randomized guns. Combat is fast, constant, and stylized in a cartoon/cel-shaded art style, but it includes frequent gunfire, blood, and enemies that explode on death. The writing leans on crude adult humor, strong profanity, and sexual innuendo, and the story involves villainous streamers who murder people for their followers. Alcohol appears at in-game bars, and slot machines let you gamble in-game currency for random loot. It can be played solo or online in co-op with friends or matchmade strangers, including voice and text chat.

How it's framed

The game frames its violence as over-the-top, comedic action, treating combat and loot as the reward loop rather than presenting killing as serious or consequential. Its humor is deliberately irreverent and crude, and villains are cartoonishly evil, so cruelty and mass murder in the plot are played partly for satire of influencer culture rather than realistic drama.

Details

Developer
Gearbox Software
Publisher
2K
Released
Mar 13, 2020
Metacritic 81critic score (third-party) · out of 100

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