‘Borderlands Mobile’ Is Here, It’s Free – And Nobody Saw It Coming

'Borderlands 4' (Image: Gearbox)

With no marketing, announcement, or trailer, Borderlands Mobile has just appeared on the App Store. Yes, this was completely planned.

Borderlands mobile arrived on the App Store on April 9, 2026, and it is completely free-to-play. Fans went back and forth on gaming forums and Reddit, questioning whether this was an accident. 2K has confirmed that the game doesn’t even have an official name yet and that it’s still in a testing phase.

2K has confirmed that the leak was intentional, describing it as a “limited-time test for an untitled Borderlands mobile project.” Gearbox has provided creative guidance regarding the franchise’s design, history and lore. The game was developed by NaturalMotion under Zynga, which could explain why it feels both familiar and distinct.

More than you would think from a stealth test launch. The game is currently set in the same time period as Borderlands 3 and features an initial playable character type (Summoner), with additional classes and content planned for future updates, including mission types such as campaign missions, Tower of Terror and Circle of Slaughter. Instead of being a port, this is a new title built from scratch for smartphones, featuring the franchise’s cel-shaded visual style and auto-fire touch controls designed for quick bursts of gaming.

The game is currently only available on iOS in the U.S., with no Android or global version available just yet. A battle pass is available for players, but it is not fully monetized yet. This is very likely to change when the game launches fully.

There is probably a reason for the sudden news about Borderlands Mobile. Borderlands Mobile comes just after Borderlands 4 lost 93% of its Steam player base, only two months after launching. It feels like the push for this new mobile game is a strategic play to re-engage fans while also reaching new audiences on another platform.

If you are located in the U.S. and have an iPhone, why not? It’s free, and early impressions look good for Borderlands. Just don’t get too attached; things could change, or the game could never actually be fully launched around the globe.