It's 2026, and the undeniable truth persists: the wait for a new Borderlands game feels longer than a Hyperion corporate apology tour. While Gearbox teases future projects, that unique blend of anarchic co-op, loot explosions, and laugh-out-loud humor leaves a Pandora-shaped hole in many a gamer's heart. Fear not, fellow Vault Hunters! The gaming landscape is rich with titles that capture the spirit of the series in thrilling new ways. From dwarf-fueled mining expeditions to time-looping assassinations, here's a rundown of the best games to play while you wait for the next chapter from Pandora and beyond.

10. Destiny 2: The Ever-Evolving Looter-Shooter

What if Borderlands was a sprawling, persistent online universe? Enter Destiny 2. While it trades Handsome Jack's brand of humor for a more epic, space-opera tone, the core DNA is unmistakably that of a looter-shooter pioneer. Players dive into a world of loot-based weaponry, deep subclass customization with intricate skill trees, and tense, strategic co-op gameplay against alien forces. The best part? Years of expansions and seasonal content have built a galaxy of activities. As of 2026, it remains a free-to-play titan, letting you test the waters without spending a single credit.

9. Deep Rock Galactic: For Rock and Stone!

Looking for a co-op experience that's pure, unadulterated fun? Grab your friends, order a round of Glyphid Slammers at the Abyss Bar, and descend into the procedurally generated caves of Deep Rock Galactic. This dwarf-centric, class-based co-op FPS swaps Pandora's arid wastes for glittering, fully-destructible caverns. With four distinct classes (Scout, Gunner, Driller, Engineer), fresh missions, and a staggering variety of colorful biomes and enemy bugs, the game offers endless replayability. The daily grind has never been this chaotic or satisfying, especially when you're using a satchel charge to mine ore while simultaneously blasting a swarm of giant spiders. It's the perfect recipe for friendship and friendly fire.

8. The Warhammer Universe: Vermintide 2 & Darktide

For those who love Borderlands' co-op combat but crave a darker, grittier aesthetic, the Warhammer universe delivers two fantastic options. Think Left 4 Dead, but with more rats, chainsaw swords, and gothic despair.

• Warhammer: Vermintide 2 throws you and three allies into a grimdark fantasy world overrun by Skaven (giant rat-men). The melee-focused combat is brutally satisfying.

• Warhammer 40,000: Darktide transplants the formula into a far-future sci-fi setting, trading swords for bolters and fighting hordes of heretics and mutants in hive cities.

Both games feature:

• Class-based heroes with unique skill trees and talents.

• A satisfying loot and progression system for weapon customization.

• Intense, wave-based co-op gameplay that demands teamwork.

7. Dust & Neon: A Roguelite Twist on the Formula

This title takes the RPG elements fans love—skill trees, build customization, randomized guns—and brilliantly mixes them with a roguelite structure. Dust & Neon is a challenging twin-stick shooter where you play as a resurrected gunslinger in a sci-fi wild west. Each run is a fresh attempt to take down robotic overlords, with permanent upgrades and new weapons unlocking between attempts. The Borderlands parallels are strong: vendors with unique unlocks, guns with varying rarities and stats, and lootable containers scattered everywhere. It's a compact, replayable package that distills the loot-chase into a compelling loop.

6. Rage Series: Pandora's Angrier Cousin

If the specific vibe you're missing is the lawless, vehicular mayhem of a wasteland, the Rage series is your next stop. These games deliver Mad Max-inspired desert landscapes teeming with ravenous bandits and mutants. While lacking co-op, they offer vast open worlds full of chaotic FPS action, monster truck-style vehicle combat, and an arsenal of wonderfully weird weapons. Rage 2, in particular, amplified the chaos with over-the-top abilities and vibrant, post-apocalyptic vistas. It's a pure, single-player power fantasy set in a world that feels like a slightly more serious cousin to Pandora.

5. Dying Light 1 & 2: Parkour, Zombies, and Loot

Take the competitive co-op loot rush of Borderlands, swap psychos for zombies, and replace vehicles with fluid, first-person parkour. The result? The brilliantly fun Dying Light series. These games masterfully combine brutal melee and ranged combat with a day/night cycle that turns the open world into a terrifying playground. The RPG elements are robust, with branching skill trees for both combat and agility. Co-op is where it truly shines, allowing you and friends to drop-kick zombies off rooftops, loot quarantine zones, and craft increasingly absurd weapons. It captures the same spirit of chaotic, collaborative fun.

4. Cyberpunk 2077: The Single-Player Looter-Shooter

Yes, really. The game that had a famously rocky start has, by 2026, been transformed through extensive updates and the acclaimed Phantom Liberty expansion. Beneath its dense narrative and immersive sim elements beats the heart of a true looter-shooter. Night City is packed with rarity-based loot (iconic weapons, cyberware, clothing), deep RPG systems for character builds, and combat that encourages experimenting with a vast arsenal. While it lacks co-op, the core loop of tackling missions, hacking enemies, and hunting for legendary gear will feel intimately familiar to any Borderlands veteran who enjoys theory-crafting the perfect build.

3. Helldivers 2: Managed Democracy and Chaos

FOR SUPER EARTH! If the primary draw of Borderlands for you is the sheer, hilarious chaos of co-op play where friendly fire is a feature, not a bug, then Helldivers 2 is your game. This third-person shooter throws you and up to three teammates into massive battles against alien bugs and killer robots. The comedy comes from the sheer unpredictability: stratagems (off-map support) can accidentally crush your squad, and every mission is a barely-controlled explosion of lasers, artillery, and bug guts. The build customization through stratagems and ship modules offers deep progression, and the communal galactic war effort creates a unique, shared experience. It's pure, unadulterated co-op mayhem.

2. Risk of Rain 2: A Roguelike Gem from Gearbox

Published by Gearbox themselves, Risk of Rain 2 is a masterclass in co-op roguelike design. This third-person shooter tasks you and your team with surviving on a hostile alien planet, where the difficulty scales over time. The loot system is the star here, with dozens upon dozens of unique items that stack and synergize in wild, game-breaking ways. One run you might be a lightning-fast commando, the next an artillery-toting engineer surrounded by drones. The class-based co-op, frantic boss fights, and the endless hunt for better loot make it a must-play for any fan of Borderlands' core "more loot, more power" philosophy.

1. Deathloop: The Puzzling, Loot-Filled Time Loop

Don't let the confusing marketing of yesteryear fool you; Deathloop is a fantastic, goofy, and deeply satisfying single-player FPS with a loot system that would make Marcus Kincaid proud. The premise is ingenious: you're an assassin trapped on an island, reliving the same day. Your goal is to learn the routines of eight key targets and eliminate them all in one perfect loop. The "loot" comes in the form of a fantastic arsenal of weapons with unique traits (like a pistol that links enemies) and character-enhancing Slabs that grant supernatural powers. Figuring out the puzzle of the island while experimenting with different loadouts creates a uniquely rewarding gameplay loop that any Borderlands fan seeking a clever, solo adventure will adore.

Honorable Mentions & The Wait Continues...

The beauty of the looter-shooter and chaotic co-op genres is their diversity. While the list above highlights the top contenders, the vault of fun doesn't end there. Games like Outriders offered a solid campaign with strong class fantasy, and Remnant II combined souls-like challenge with gunplay and procedural generation. As 2026 rolls on, the community's hope for a new Borderlands remains as strong as a Maliwan charge shot. But until that glorious day arrives, there's a whole universe of games ready to deliver that perfect blend of loot, laughs, and legendary explosions. Now get out there and start farming!