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Borderlands 2 cover

Borderlands 2 2012

Shooter by Gearbox Software, published by 2K Games.

PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Linux Android PC (Microsoft Windows) Mac Shooter Role-playing (RPG) ESRB: M Steam Deck Playable
81
Critics
aggregate score
82
Players
IGDB rating
89%
Very Positive
215,889 Steam reviews
2,130 playing now
on Steam, 2,601 peak today
0 awards won
2 nominations

About

On Steam, 89% of 215,889 player reviews are positive (Very Positive). 2,130 people are playing it on Steam right now, with a peak of 3,560 in the last 30 days. It is Playable on Steam Deck. It was nominated for 2 awards.

A new era of shoot and loot is about to begin. Play as one of four new vault hunters facing off against a massive new world of creatures, psychos and the evil mastermind, Handsome Jack. Make new friends, arm them with a bazillion weapons and fight alongside them in 4 player co-op on a relentless quest for revenge and redemption across the undiscovered and unpredictable living planet.

Story

Five years after the events of Borderlands, a valuable mineral called "Eridium" starts flourishing through Pandora's crust. Handsome Jack, the leader of the Hyperion Corporation, secures this new resource and uses it to rule over Pandora with an iron fist. Meanwhile, rumors of an even larger Vault hidden on Pandora spread across the galaxy, drawing a new group of Vault Hunters to the planet in search of it.

What is happening now

Borderlands 2 is a looter-shooter RPG that blends frenetic gunplay with character progression and absurdist humor. Over a decade after its 2012 debut, the game continues to receive attention, with a new release expanding its playable Vault Hunter roster. Meanwhile, the franchise has moved forward with Borderlands 4, which introduces Loveless the Hacker as its newest playable character - a design that intentionally channels one of Borderlands 2's most beloved hunters. The enduring appeal of the series' cast and gameplay loop remains evident in how recent entries continue to reference and build upon the foundation established by this 2012 standout.

More in the Borderlands series

All 3 games in order
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Borderlands 4
2025 · 48 stories
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Borderlands 3: Deluxe Edition
2019

From the people behind Borderlands 2

shared cast and crew
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2016 · Cris Velasco and Kevin Riepl
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2009 · Jesper Kyd
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Cast and crew

4 credits

Crew

CV
Cris Velasco
Composer
Jesper Kyd
Composer
Kevin Riepl
Composer
SM
Sonic Mayhem
Composer

Awards

0 won, 2 more nominations
British Academy Games Awards 2013
Nominated: Artistic Achievement Nominated: Multiplayer

Media

Borderlands 2 screenshot
Watch trailer 1 Watch trailer 2 Watch trailer 3 Watch trailer 4

Releases

Platform
Date
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012
September 18, 2012

First release date; per-platform dates are not in the database for this game yet.

PC and Steam Deck

Steam store page

Steam Deck: Playable runs, but may need some tweaks

Minimum
Recommended
OS *
Windows XP SP3
Windows XP SP3/Vista/Win 7
Processor
2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor
2.3 GHz Quad Core processor
Memory
2 GB(XP)/ 2 GB(Vista)
2 GB
Hard Disk Space
13 GB free
20 GB free
Video Memory
256 MB
512MB
Video Card
NVIDIA GeForce 8500 /ATI Radeon HD 2600
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 / ATI Radeon HD 5850
Sound
DirectX 9.0c Compatible
DirectX 9.0c Compatible
Other Requirements
Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, DirectX 9, Microsoft .NET 4 Framework, Visual C++ Redistributable 2005, Visual C++ Redistributable 2008, Visual C++ Redistributable 2010
Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, DirectX 9, Microsoft .NET 4 Framework, Visual C++ Redistributable 2005, Visual C++ Redistributable 2008, Visual C++ Redistributable 2010

Will it run on my PC?

Your numbers stay in this browser.

Requirements and Deck status as listed on Steam, checked Oct 28, 2026.

Borderlands 2 player count

concurrent players on Steam
2,130playing now24m ago
2,601peak today
3,56030-day peak
3,560highest we have seenOct 25, 2026
Oct 23: 2,783 Oct 24: 3,380 Oct 25: 3,560 Oct 26: 2,780 Oct 27: 2,676 Oct 28: 2,592 Oct 29: 2,435 Oct 30: 2,558 Oct 31: 2,872 Nov 1: 3,311 Nov 2: 2,601
Oct 23daily peak, last 11 daystoday

Players counted on Steam every one to six hours; the daily peak is the highest count of the day.

Borderlands 2 achievements

75 achievements on Steam

Rarest

Painbow Connection
1.2%
Challenge Accepted Completed level 1 of all non-level-specific challenges with a single character.
1.9%
Done That Completed all Hammerlock's Hunt side missions.
2.1%
Motorhead Completed all Campaign of Carnage side missions.
2.2%
Gadabout Discovered all named locations in Oasis and the surrounding Pirate's Booty zones.
2.3%
Spicy Boy Defeat Haderax the Invincible.
2.3%
All 75 achievements by how many players unlocked them
Been There Discovered all named locations in Hammerlock's Hunt.
2.4%
Completionist Completed all Pirate's Booty side missions.
2.6%
Did It All Completed all side missions.
2.8%
Dang Girl You Ace At This Game Won the most challenging round in Murderlin's Temple.
3.4%
Decrypted! Defeat the Dark Web.
3.7%
World Traveler Discovered all named locations.
3.8%
Hmmmmm Wielded the Mysterious Amulet.
3.9%
Blight Explorer Discovered all named locations in Eridium Blight, Arid Nexus, and Sawtooth Cauldron.
4.8%
Chocolate Chip Confirmed Allow Tiny Tina to arm the moonshot cannon.
4.8%
So Much Blood! Gunzerked continuously for 90 seconds.
5%
Obsessed Collected 10 pictures of Moxxi in Campaign of Carnage.
5%
Make it Raaaaaid Vanquished the Ancient Dragons of Destruction.
5.2%
Arctic Explorer Discovered all named locations in Three Horns, Tundra Express, and Frostburn Canyon.
5.4%
3 or Bust Complete the mission "Paradise Found".
5.7%
Unseen Predator Remained in Zero's Decepti0n mode for ten seconds straight.
6.3%
It's Like That One Video Showed thine worst enemy, the abomination known as "The Darkness", who is the nerdiest of them all.
7.2%
Anyway, Here's "Firewall" Activate the Backburner's firewall.
7.4%
Girl's Gotta Eat Fed thy noble queen 3 times during one visit to her quarters.
7.6%
Highlands Explorer Discovered all named locations in The Highlands, Thousand Cuts, and Wildlife Exploitation Preserve.
8%
Face Off Completed the mission "The Fall of Nakayama".
8.7%
Definitely An Italian Plumber Killed Donkey Mong.
8.8%
Thresher Thrashed
9.8%
What does it mean?
10%
Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Demonstrated your skill, or lack thereof, at rolling the magical treasure orb of many sides.
10.5%
Decked Out Had Purple-rated gear or better equipped in every slot.
12%
Tribute To A Vault Hunter Got an item from Michael Mamaril.
12%
Explosive Completed the mission "Long Way To The Top".
12.9%
Treasure Hunter Completed the mission "X Marks the Spot".
13.1%
Goliath, Meet David Allowed a goliath to level up four times before killing him.
13.2%
Shorty, You So Best Completed thy quest by rescuing yonder queen.
13.5%
They Was All "Hey That's Mine" Unsheathed 5 swords from Immortal Skeletaurs without leaving the area.
15%
Capped Out... For Now Reached level 50.
15.7%
Phased and Confused Phaselocked 100 enemies.
16%
Yaaaaaay Introduced thyself to the White Knight.
16%
Sabre Rattler Killed 100 enemies with the Sabre turret.
16.1%
Went Five Rounds Completed Round 5 of any Circle of Slaughter.
16.5%
High-Flying Hurler Killed a flying enemy with a thrown Tediore weapon.
16.8%
Feels Like The First Time
17.6%
I Totes Planned That Boss Slew Mister Boney Pants Guy.
18.1%
Urban Explorer Discovered all named locations in Sanctuary, Opportunity, and Lynchwood.
21.1%
Up High, Down Low Gave Claptrap a high five.
21.5%
Sugar Daddy Tipped Moxxi $10,000.
26%
Cute Loot Killed a Chubby.
26%
Cool Story, Bro
30.2%
Knowing Is Half The Battle
30.4%
Bombs Away
31.6%
Well, That Was Easy
31.7%
An Angel's Wish
34.1%
Identity Theft
35.8%
Always Improving Reached level 25.
37.2%
Got The Band Back Together
37.6%
Farewell, Old Girl
39.2%
Bounty Hunter Completed 20 side missions.
43.8%
Can See My House From Here
44%
Sky's The Limit
46%
Token Gesture Redeemed 25 tokens.
46.4%
Wilhelm Screamed
46.7%
Build Buster Killed a Constructor without it ever building another bot.
46.8%
Friendship Rules Revived someone from "Fight for Your Life!" that is on your friends list.
47%
Better Than Money Purchased 5 items from the black market.
49.5%
How Do I Look? Unlocked 10 customization items.
49.7%
No Man Left Behind
52.1%
An Old Flame
58.8%
Better Than You Were Reached level 10.
62.8%
New In Town
63.5%
A Road Less Traveled
66%
Dragon Slayer
71.5%
Not Quite Dead Reached level 5.
79.3%
First One's Free
89.5%

Share of Steam players who unlocked each achievement.

In the news

2 stories
Borderlands 4’s New Vault Hunter Is a Throwback to Borderlands 2’s Best Character
2 outlets · Sep 4, 2026
New Borderlands 2 Release Officially Adds More Playable Vault Hunters
1 outlet · Aug 18, 2026