5 Best Games Like Borderlands

August 4, 2026 - 06:49

Borderlands took the action RPG out of fantasy dungeons and turned it into a chaotic, loot-soaked carnival ride. If you have exhausted the vaults of Pandora and need another fix of bullet-spongy bosses and colorful gear drops, these five games deliver that same addictive loop.

First on the list is The Division 2. It trades the cel-shaded wasteland for a post-pandemic Washington D.C., but the core hook remains: shoot enemies, watch numbers pop, and chase better gear. The cover-based combat is more tactical, but the endgame builds and weekly raids scratch the same min-max itch.

For something with a bit more melee, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is the obvious spiritual successor. It keeps the humor and dice-rolling chaos but swaps the sci-fi guns for spells and swords. It is not a full Borderlands game, but it captures the tabletop energy that made the series famous.

If you want pure, unhinged co-op mayhem, Deep Rock Galactic is a gem. You play as space dwarves mining alien caves, and the procedural missions create constant surprises. The gunplay is chunky, and the teamwork feels more organic than most looters.

Remnant 2 brings a souls-like twist. It is harder and slower, but the random world generation and weapon mods give it that "one more run" pull. You will die a lot, but every death teaches you something.

Finally, Outriders offers a darker, more serious take. It is linear, but the skill trees and mod system let you build devastating combos. The story is forgettable, but the combat is explosive, especially when you chain abilities with a friend.

Each of these games understands that the real endgame is not the story. It is the moment a legendary item drops and you immediately rebuild your entire character around it.