The Borderlands game franchise has unexpectedly landed on a platform few people thought of.

If you're browsing the App Store looking for new games, iPhone users can download Borderlands Mobile – a brand new title from Gearbox that has just made a surprise appearance.

Borderlands Mobile unexpectedly launched on the App Store.

Recently, the franchise has been facing quite a few issues. After some controversy leading up to its launch, but still experiencing explosive success,  Borderlands 4  saw a significant drop in players, losing 93% of its Steam users within the first two months.  Gearbox  subsequently released several patches, added a  new Vault Hunter  , and promised to continue adding content and optimizing the game to help it reach higher standards.

While things aren't looking very bright for  Borderlands 4,  with only around 5-7 thousand daily players, a new title has unexpectedly appeared on the App Store and seems quite promising. Specifically, iPhone users have just discovered the game launched quietly on April 9th, without any announcement from Gearbox or Take-Two. According to the description, the game is being developed by  Zynga,  a mobile game company acquired by Take-Two in a $12.7 billion deal in 2022.

It's released for free but still has quite a lot of content.

Borderlands Mobile  's gameplay  essentially follows the traditional formula, with shorter missions and smaller-scale battles. Currently released on iOS, with no specific release date for Android yet, it's noteworthy that it's completely free. Many even find it more complete than the latest installment, with 7 available modes and more content coming soon. Currently,  The Summoner  is  the only Vault Hunter  , but other hunters including  Exo-Tank, Outrider  , and  Assassin  are promised to arrive soon.

Despite not being heavily promoted, Borderlands Mobile  demonstrates an effort to attract long-time fans of the franchise. The game features a full roster of classic enemies, from  Skags  to regular bandits, and even bosses. It also brings back one of the best side quests from the  Circles of Slaughter game. 

Currently, because the game is still so new, there aren't many specific reviews yet, but at least it's doing quite well from the perspective of a free game. Many other well-known game brands have achieved success in the mobile gaming space, so it's highly likely that this new project from Take-Two will also "make a splash".