For several months to come, gamers will be eating up all the content Borderlands 3 has to offer. The most recent entry in the zany looter shooter franchise sticks close to the chest, but fans are more than satisfied with the formula’s return. While there is nothing quite like the cel-shaded (but not really cel-shaded) coop adventure, plenty of other games in the market scratch a similar itch.
Any of the ten games below are likely to appeal to Borderlands fans in one way or another. If one gets tired of shooting up Maliwan soldiers or the Calypsos’ fanatic followers, check these out for a palette cleanser.
10 Duke Nukem Forever
In between Borderlands and its sequel, Gearbox salvaged the perpetually in-development Duke Nukem Forever from 3D Realms and brought it to the market after over a decade of development. It was met with a less than stellar reception, but most agreed it was a miracle that the game saw a release at all.
DNA from the juvenile series carried on into the cartoonish comedic franchise, and the all-time classic Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games Randy Pitchford worked on. While DukeNukem is a single-player experience, fans of Borderlands’ humor will find out where its immature stylings come from.
9 Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Wolfenstein has comeback big this and the previous generation with New Order and New Colossus. The recently released Wolfenstein: Youngblood was designed with two-player coop in mind, a far cry from the mainline titles’ focus on solo campaigns.
Players take control of BJ Blazkowicz’s daughters as they search for their father in Nazi-controlled Paris. Like Borderlands, the earlier games anyway, Youngblood takes place in a single open area and characters level up as they kill enemies and tackle side quests.
8 Destiny
Bungie’s epic multiplayer space opera is more serious than Borderlands, but their gameplay loop is similar. It’s all about getting better equipment and armor. For the more competitive minded, Destiny offers a slew of competitive modes.
The sequel garnered some controversy upon release and was not quite as celebrated as its predecessor’s final state, but the developer’s recent departure from Activision was seen as a sign of the game potentially getting back on track. Time will only tell if the series will regain its former glory. Despite the recent negativity, it is still a blast to play and the shooting is tight.
7 Rage 2
Rage’s aesthetic definitely feels akin to Borderland’s. While the former is post-apocalyptic and the latter simply takes place on different planets, the desert environments are easily comparable. The recently released Rage 2 is a must-play for Borderlands aficionados for more than just the look, however.
The haphazard shooting and large open combat arenas scratch the same itch. It also takes a tongue in cheek approach to a brutal world. It doesn’t have a cooperative component, but tackling the ruined planet alone will provide enough entertainment.
6 Bulletstorm
The original Bulletstorm was published by EA, but Gearbox Publishing got hold of the remaster. As a result of the partnership, Duke Nukem was made available as a playable character, and John St. John returned to voice the iconic character.
For fans of Duke, it’s probably the closest thing they’ll get to a sequel for a while (though he would make a perfect Borderlands character). The FPS doesn’t take itself too seriously and is simply an all-around good time.
5 Diablo III
On the surface, this may seem like a weird recommendation, but it starts to make sense upon further thought. People love Borderlands for different reasons. Some like the shooting, others like the world, and others just like collecting loot and seeing those damage numbers pop up.
For fans of the latter, Diablo III offers the same thrill. Borderlands is basically Diablo turned into an FPS with some potty humor thrown in. The gameplay is completely different, but mowing down hordes of enemies and rummaging through chests for goodies is satisfying in any genre.
4 Overwatch
Except for the ability to engage in a duel as long as parties accept, Borderlands is a purely cooperative affair. Overwatch is competitive, but it will still appeal to fans of Gearbox’s looter shooter because of its colorful art style and unique characters.
Everybody in Overwatch feels different and has their own set of abilities, like how each character in Borderlands have their own skillset. No single-player mode exists, so anyone interested in a narrative should stay away. As far as multiplayer-only games go, it doesn’t get much better than Overwatch.
3 Warframe
Digital Extreme’s third-person shooter started off small and slowly accumulated a following as it steadily improved upon its foundation. The cooperative sci-fi shooter also has role-playing elements, and more recent updates have added an open area for players to explore. The best part of it all is the price tag: Free.
Microtransactions keep the game running, but Warframe has successfully avoided making the purchases necessary for victory. While releasing a game in this manner is risky, the developer has succeeded and Warframe shows no signs of stopping, making now as good a time as ever to jump on board.
2 Fallout 4
Fallout 3 would also be a good recommendation, but its sequel pulls ahead for the changes it makes to the classic franchise. While the prior games were all choice-driven RPGs, Fallout 4 comes off as more of a dungeon crawler. Quests are also more combat-focused and rarely involve diplomatic solutions.
While some have bemoaned this loss of identity, the game is still fantastic in its own right. It’s hard to also recommend Fallout 76 to everyone in good conscience, but those who can look past its glaring flaws will find a solid multiplayer experience.
1 Dying Light
Dying Light is the spiritual successor to Dead Island. It comes from the same developer, involves zombies, and features four-player coop. It outdoes its predecessor with improved movement and gunplay. One really feels overwhelmed as hordes of undead crowd them and their buddies.
A sequel is on its way in the near future, with Chris Avellone on board as the narrative designer. While the stories probably won’t be connected, get familiarized with the gameplay before jumping into the second part, and bring a couple of friends along for the ride.
Next: 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do In Borderlands 3
