Borderlands 4 Free Until Sept 14: 6 Free Weekends, 50 Percent Off [2026]
Saturday, September 12, 2026Updated September 13, 2026: Borderlands 4 is free to play through September 14 at 10 AM on Steam, with the full base game including Circle of Slaughter and the new Story Pack 2 content playable at no cost. The 50%-off anniversary sale runs through September 24 with Standard at $34.99. Progress and loot carry over on purchase. Five more Steam free weekends run alongside it, led by Mordhau and F1 25. Here is every deadline, every price, and the full free-weekend lineup.
Table of Contents
- The Free Weekend: Dates and Platforms
- What's New: Story Pack 2 and Patch 1.10
- The 50% Anniversary Sale
- Progress Carries Over
- The 5 Other Free Weekends
- Player Counts Double
- Free Weekends at a Glance
- Buy Prices After Trial
- The Play-Then-Buy Strategy
- Bottom Line
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. The Free Weekend: Dates and Platforms
Borderlands 4 plays free on Steam through September 14 at 10:00 AM, per the official store page, with the complete base-game experience including all post-launch additions. PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass run parallel trials, with the Xbox window ending hours earlier on September 13 per TechTimes' September 11 breakdown. RPG Site confirmed September 11 that all three platforms opened simultaneously.
The trial covers the full base game, not a demo slice. Circle of Slaughter mode and every addition since launch are included, per the Steam page and TechTimes. Players experience the actual current game, including this week's new content, before any purchase decision.
Metacritic scores the game 81 per GameDrop's listing, and the title carries Steam Deck Verified status. Handheld players join without compromise, a meaningful detail for a weekend trial audience playing across devices.
2. What's New: Story Pack 2 and Patch 1.10
Version 1.10 launched September 11 alongside Story Pack 2: FL4K and the Last Resort, the new Vault Hunter Loveless the Hacker, and Bounty Pack 5: Amara and the Vile Shadows, per RPG Site. The level cap rises 10 for all players with Vault Hunter balance adjustments. Story Pack 1 and Bounty Pack 2 pieces also sell separately starting now.
The free weekend doubles as a launch event for the paid content. Trial players meet Loveless, run FL4K's Tediore takedown, and sample Amara's Phase-dimension mysteries, then buy the packs they liked. Releasing DLC into a free trial window converts samplers at peak interest instead of months later.
EZA's September 12 coverage prices the DLC spread: Story Pack 2 at $19.99, Loveless at $9.99, Bounty Pack 5 at $5.99 plus a $5.99 Vault Card. Full DLC adoption costs roughly $42 against the $34.99 sale base game. Budget accordingly.
3. The 50% Anniversary Sale
Steam prices Standard at $34.99, Deluxe at $49.99, and Super Deluxe at $64.99 through September 24, all half off. Gocdkeys' September 11 analysis finds key-shop Standard keys near 24.53 euros with fees, about ten euros under Steam, though above the 20.84 median and 18.32 historic low. Steam charges no fees and guarantees save continuity, which the key-shop discount must be weighed against.
Edition math favors commitment honesty. Standard suffices for campaign-only players. Deluxe at $35.19 equivalent fits Bounty Pack fans skipping extra Vault Hunters. Super Deluxe at $47.99 equivalent wins for months-long players since the Vault Hunter Pack alone exceeds the upgrade cost. Gocdkeys' rule is absolute: buy on the trial platform so saves transfer.
The September 24 deadline outlasts the trial by ten days. Finish the weekend, think for a week, buy before the 24th. No urgency theater, just a window.
4. Progress Carries Over
All progress and loot earned during the trial transfers on same-platform purchase, confirmed across Steam's page, TechTimes, and Gocdkeys. Characters, gear, and story position persist. The trial is genuine progression with a paywall at the end rather than a sandbox that wipes.
Cross-platform buyers beware the boundary. Saves transfer within platforms, not between them. A Steam trial weekend followed by a PlayStation purchase restarts everything. Pick the trial platform as the buying platform.
5. The 5 Other Free Weekends
GG.deals' September 12 roundup lists the full free-weekend slate. Mordhau brings multiplayer medieval slashing to Steam. F1 25 offers racing trial laps. Crime Boss: Rockay City deals heists with action-movie casting. Surviving Mars: Relaunched covers strategy. Borderlands 4 headlines. Xbox Free Play Days mirrors with its own lineup through September 13 per Beebom, requiring Game Pass on some titles.
Two more are free-for-all without trial mechanics: EA Sports Madden NFL 27 and Dustborn, though Dustborn limits to a two-hour trial. Six games, mixed models, one weekend. Racing, sports, strategy, heists, slashers, and looter-shooters cover every taste simultaneously.
Prioritization advice: Borderlands 4 first for scale, Mordhau second for multiplayer session value, F1 25 for racing fans, Crime Boss for co-op crews. Madden and Dustborn fill gaps. A full weekend clears three at most. Choose by crew, not by list.
6. Player Counts Double
Gocdkeys measured Borderlands 4 daily Steam peaks of 4,000 to 6,400 through late August, jumping to 14,497 on September 11, more than double. Free weekends move population visibly and immediately. Server load, matchmaking pools, and co-op availability all peak with the trial crowd.
Doubled population improves the trial itself. Looter-shooters thrive on full servers, active trading, and populated matchmaking. Playing during the surge means the best version of the multiplayer experience, another reason trials beat delayed purchases for this genre specifically.
Watch whether the peak sustains past Sunday. Trial spikes that convert leave elevated baselines. Spikes that evaporate signal sampling without sticking. Monday's numbers tell the retention story.
7. Free Weekends at a Glance
| Game | Platform | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Borderlands 4 | Steam, PS Plus, Game Pass | Sept 14 10 AM, Xbox Sept 13 |
| Mordhau | Steam | Weekend per GG.deals |
| F1 25 | Steam | Weekend per GG.deals |
| Crime Boss: Rockay City | Steam | Weekend per GG.deals |
| Surviving Mars: Relaunched | Steam | Weekend per GG.deals |
| Madden NFL 27, Dustborn | Free-for-all, Dustborn 2h trial | Weekend per GG.deals |
8. Buy Prices After Trial
| Edition | Steam Sale | Key Shops |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $34.99 to Sept 24 | About 24.53 euros with fees |
| Deluxe | $49.99 to Sept 24 | About 35.19 euros equivalent |
| Super Deluxe | $64.99 to Sept 24 | About 47.99 euros equivalent |
| Full DLC set | About $42 piecemeal | Super Deluxe bundles cheapest |
9. The Play-Then-Buy Strategy
Weekend players should mainline campaign and Circle of Slaughter, sample Loveless and the new packs, and decide by Sunday night. Ten trial days of sale window after allow deliberation, but motivation peaks Sunday. Decide while the loot glows.
Edition choice follows hours honestly. Under twenty projected hours takes Standard. Bounty Pack interest takes Deluxe. Vault Hunter curiosity or months of play takes Super Deluxe. The upgrade math punishes mid-tier commitment harder than either extreme.
Platform loyalty decides store. Steam guarantees save continuity with the trial. Key shops save roughly ten euros against continuity risk and fee friction. Same-platform purchase is the only hard rule. Everything else is arithmetic.
10. Bottom Line
Borderlands 4 free through Sunday morning with progress kept, 50% off through September 24, new DLC live, player counts doubled, and five more free weekends running alongside. Play the trial on the platform you would buy, sample the new Vault Hunter, decide Sunday, buy before the 24th. The weekend is free. The strategy costs attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Borderlands 4 free right now?
A: Yes, full base game free on Steam through September 14 at 10 AM, plus PS Plus and Game Pass trials with Xbox ending September 13. Progress and loot carry to same-platform purchases.
Q: What is new in Borderlands 4 this week?
A: Patch 1.10 with Story Pack 2, playable Loveless the Hacker, Bounty Pack 5, plus 10 level-cap increase and balance changes, all launched September 11.
Q: How much does Borderlands 4 cost after the trial?
A: $34.99 Standard, $49.99 Deluxe, $64.99 Super Deluxe on Steam through September 24. Key shops run roughly ten euros cheaper with fees and continuity caveats.
Q: What other games are free this weekend?
A: Mordhau, F1 25, Crime Boss: Rockay City, and Surviving Mars: Relaunched on Steam per GG.deals, plus Madden NFL 27 and a two-hour Dustborn trial free-for-all.
Q: Does progress transfer if I buy later?
A: Yes within the same platform. Cross-platform purchases restart. Buy where you trialed.
Q: Is the Steam Deck version playable?
A: Yes, Steam Deck Verified status confirmed. Handheld trial players join without compromise.
Byline: Indie Kings | September 13, 2026
Labels: PC Gaming
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