'Borderlands 3' will get 4K and 4-player split-screen on PS5 and Xbox Series X

Gearbox is determined to keep Borderlands 3 relevant as next-generation consoles arrive, and it’s not just focusing on visual touch-ups. The developer used its PAX Online presentation to reveal (via Windows Central) that Borderlands 3 will come to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X with both 4K, 60 frames per second visuals as well as support for up to four players in a local split-screen mode. That’s not the most useful feature in a socially distant 2020, but it’ll be helpful if there’s more than one Borderlands fan in your household.

Current-generation players will get two-player vertical split-screen, Gearbox said. The company also teased cross-platform play coming in 2021, although it didn’t say which systems would be included.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X updates will be free to existing players and will carry over your add-ons as well as saved games. Gearbox didn’t say just when support for the new hardware would arrive.

The gameplay itself is getting a tune-up. More paid content is coming later in 2020, but the focus will be on adding skill trees for each Vault Hunter character, such as a Trapper path for Fl4k the Beastmaster. That’s not as substantive as new storylines, but it could keep the shooter reasonably fresh even after the novelty of 4K Borderlands wears off.