The Borderlands franchise has always balanced chaos and comedy with addictive gameplay loops. The newest entry, Borderlands 4, takes that foundation and expands it into something even bigger. Set on Kairos, a planet brimming with Eridian secrets, gang warfare, and corporate conflict, this game introduces a truly open world for the first time in the series.
Players now have multiple regions to explore, hundreds of side missions to complete, and four new Vault Hunters to master. But with all that content comes one big question: how long does it actually take to beat Borderlands 4?
Whether you are rushing through the main story or taking your time exploring every inch of Kairos, here is a breakdown of what to expect for different playstyles.
Main Story Only: Around 25-35 Hours
If you just want to experience the story, Borderlands 4 will take you roughly 25 to 35 hours to complete.
The main campaign focuses on a new galactic threat tied to ancient Eridian artifacts and a rising power within the Dominion of Kairos. You will take on major missions across four massive regions: the rural Fadefields, the frozen Terminus Range, the molten Carcadia Burn, and Dominion’s neon-drenched capital city.
The story is filled with all the series’ hallmarks: bombastic villains, ridiculous humor, explosive gunfights, and endless loot. The new antagonist feels more grounded than the Calypso Twins from Borderlands 3, bringing higher stakes and a darker tone to the chaos.
If you play solo and focus only on the primary objectives, the story can be wrapped up in about 25 hours. Adding a few optional detours or co-op sessions typically pushes that closer to 35.
This route gives you a complete experience without drowning in side content, perfect for players who want a contained but satisfying campaign.
Main Story + Side Content: 50-70 Hours
For most players, this will be the ideal way to play. Borderlands 4 has some of the best side content in the entire series, and it is woven naturally into the world of Kairos.
You will find bounties from gang leaders, lost Eridian temples filled with puzzles, and contracts that dive deeper into the personal stories of your fellow Vault Hunters. Many of these missions introduce new mechanics, unique boss fights, or gear sets you will not find anywhere else.
Some of the most memorable moments come from smaller, character-driven quests that explore life on Kairos beyond the firefights. From helping a rogue scientist escape Dominion patrols to tracking an AI-run arms factory that gained sentience, the side stories add depth and humor in equal measure.
Players who mix the main storyline with a fair amount of side missions should expect to spend 50 to 70 hours finishing the game. This pacing provides the right blend of story, freedom, and progression. It also gives you enough time to experiment with builds, explore regions fully, and collect a few dozen Legendary weapons along the way.
Completionist Run: 100+ Hours
If you are the type of player who refuses to leave a single quest undone, Borderlands 4 will easily keep you busy for over 100 hours.
A completionist run involves:
- Finishing every main and side mission across Kairos
- Clearing all Eridian challenges, caches, and hidden temples
- Completing faction contracts for all syndicates and corporations
- Maxing out multiple Vault Hunter builds and unlocking every skill
- Collecting every Legendary weapon variant and cosmetic item
The open-world structure of Kairos naturally adds time to the experience. Some areas require certain gadgets or progression milestones to access, meaning you will loop back to older zones to uncover secrets you missed the first time.
Even after you hit level cap, the game keeps giving reasons to stay. Legendary drop farming, Eridian relic hunts, and environmental secrets make completionism feel more rewarding than repetitive.
How Long It Takes Per Vault Hunter
Each of the four new Vault Hunters offers a different combat rhythm, which directly impacts how long a playthrough might take.
- Vex: Her shattered Siren powers focus on elemental shards and crowd control. She is powerful once mastered but requires careful timing early on. Expect a longer playtime as you learn her combos.
- Rafa: A former soldier equipped with a customizable Exo-Suit. His playstyle is fast and direct, often making missions shorter thanks to his mobility and heavy weapon synergy.
- Harlowe: A gravity-tech engineer who manipulates the battlefield with environmental hazards. Her abilities excel in larger skirmishes, which can extend encounters slightly.
- Amon: A melee-oriented warrior who blends close combat and ranged tactics. His learning curve is steep but rewarding, adding variety and replay value.
On average, switching between Vault Hunters or experimenting with builds can add 5 to 10 hours per character. Dedicated fans who replay the campaign with all four can easily pass the 200-hour mark.
Endgame and Replay Value
Once the credits roll, Borderlands 4 opens up a rich endgame that extends the experience for dozens of additional hours.
Mayhem Mode
This returning system lets you crank up enemy difficulty for better loot and XP. Higher Mayhem tiers introduce modifiers that drastically change encounters. A single full run of high-tier Mayhem content can add 20-30 hours to your playtime.
Raid Bosses
Raid bosses return in full force, offering some of the most complex fights in the franchise. These massive encounters reward coordination, strategy, and the strongest builds. Taking down all available raid bosses can easily take another 10-15 hours depending on your group’s efficiency.
Seasonal and Limited-Time Events
Timed events add new gear sets, cosmetics, and mini-stories that keep the game fresh between content drops. While not essential, they contribute another 10 hours or more if you participate regularly.
New Game Plus
Restarting the campaign with your current build allows you to carry forward your progress while facing stronger enemies. For players who love to experiment with weapons or respec builds, New Game Plus can stretch the total experience well beyond 120 hours.
Solo vs Co-op Playtime
Like every Borderlands game, 4 thrives in both solo and cooperative modes, but they affect pacing differently.
- Solo Play: Missions take longer due to tougher encounters and less crowd control support. Expect a slower, more tactical approach with around 10 extra hours added to total playtime.
- Co-op Play: Battles move faster when combining Vault Hunter abilities, especially in Mayhem Mode. However, co-op sessions often lead to detours, farming runs, and general chaos, which can still push the total time up slightly.
Regardless of how you play, Borderlands 4 scales difficulty dynamically, so the experience feels balanced in both modes.
How Difficulty Impacts Playtime
Borderlands 4 features multiple difficulty settings that change how long a typical run will take.
- Normal: The standard balance for most players. Roughly 35-70 hours for a full run.
- Hard: Enemies have more health and damage output, extending fights and encouraging more farming. Adds 10-15 hours to most playthroughs.
- Mayhem Tiers: The post-game challenge mode can double your total playtime if you chase max-tier loot.
Higher difficulties significantly increase the need for strategic builds and efficient weapon use, which in turn lengthens progression time.
Average Time Breakdown
| Main Story Only | 25-35 Hours | Focus just on primary missions across Kairos |
| Main + Side Content | 50-70 Hours | Balanced run with exploration and character arcs |
| Completionist | 100+ Hours | Every mission, collectible, and challenge |
| Endgame & Mayhem | +40-60 Hours | Post-game content, events, and high-level farming |
What Can Add Even More Hours
Some habits and distractions can easily stretch your total time with Borderlands 4 far beyond your expectations:
- Constantly swapping and testing new Legendary weapons.
- Chasing perfect anointments or manufacturer variants.
- Helping friends with co-op missions or raids.
- Spending time building and customizing your vehicles.
- Exploring hidden regions or replaying old missions for fun.
The game encourages experimentation, and most players find themselves revisiting earlier areas on Kairos just to see how new builds perform.
Final Thoughts
So, how long does it take to beat Borderlands 4?
That depends entirely on how deep you want to go:
- Main story: 25-35 hours
- Main + side content: 50-70 hours
- Completionist: 100+ hours
- Endgame content: potentially endless
Every Vault Hunter offers a new perspective, every gun changes the way you fight, and every zone on Kairos hides something waiting to be discovered. Whether you just want to finish the story or lose yourself in the hunt for Legendary loot, Borderlands 4 delivers one of the most replayable open-world shooters in years.
For most players, you can expect to spend several solid weekends completing the story – or several months if you plan to explore everything the planet of Kairos has to offer. Either way, Borderlands 4 is a time investment that pays off with style, humor, and an endless supply of loot-driven chaos.
About the Author
Robert Davis may be middle-aged now, but he has always enjoyed playing video games. Just like others may like to curl up with a good book, he just prefers a different medium for story-telling. Now that life is much busier, he has to be choosy about which games he spends time on. And that's why Delayed Respawnse exists, because he's not the only one.
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Quick Points
Borderlands 4 takes about 25-35 hours to beat if you stick to the main story, or 50-70 hours if you mix in side content. Completionists can easily pass 100 hours, especially with endgame Mayhem modes and raid bosses. The open world of Kairos is packed with missions, loot, and exploration that make every hour count.