Tales from the Borderlands

Tales from the Borderlands is a story-driven adventure set in the world of Borderlands. Instead of loot and shooter combat, the focus is on dialogue, choices and the encounters of two unusual main characters. The story takes place between Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3.

The aspiring Hyperion employee Rhys and the con artist Fiona pursue a supposedly lucrative deal involving a Vault Key. Their perspectives alternate and lead through a story that thrives on absurd twists as much as personal relationships. The completed narrative comprises five episodes.

The five-part adventure was released between 2014 and 2015. 2K re-released the complete season for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2021. A native Nintendo Switch version followed on March 24, 2021.

The game was released natively for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android. The old mobile and console versions are partly no longer regularly available.

On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the respective older console version can be played via backward compatibility. 2K explicitly does not name new native PS5 or Series versions. The platforms of the original release are therefore not replaced by new devices.

Players make choices in conversations, explore small locations and react to time-sensitive inputs. The perspective switches between Rhys and Fiona. Relationships and the course of the story respond to certain choices.

The five-part story focuses on characters and narrative rather than the gear hunt of a classic Borderlands shooter.

Steam lists the original minimum requirements as 3 GB RAM, a graphics card with 512 MB video memory, DirectX 9.0c and 3 GB free storage. According to the store, a Core 2 Duo with 2 GHz or an equivalent model is enough for the processor.

The historical Windows 7 SP1 requirement on the product page should not be confused with the current requirements of the Steam client, which has required Windows 10 or newer since 2024.

Rhys is an ambitious Hyperion employee, Fiona an experienced con artist. Her attempt to profit from a deal involving a supposed Vault Key pulls both into a shared story. Their viewpoints differ and can be played alternately.

Vaughn and Sasha, as well as well-known Borderlands characters such as Moxxi and Zer0, also appear. The main characters offer a different view of Pandora than the armed heroes of the shooters.

The complete season includes the chapters Zer0 Sum, Atlas Mugged, Catch a Ride, Escape Plan Bravo and The Vault of the Traveler. They tell a connected story and have been available as a bundle in stores since the re-release.

For the regular purchase, you therefore don't need to buy five individual episodes. New Tales from the Borderlands is a later standalone sequel, not a sixth episode.

The story takes place between Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3. Instead of seeing events through the eyes of a Vault Hunter, players experience them from two other perspectives. The plot follows the interests of Hyperion, the people of Pandora and those involved in a failed deal.

The story is complete within the five episodes and contributes to the overarching world of Borderlands.

The PC version is a single-player adventure. Steam lists full controller support as well as achievements. The English voice acting comes with German subtitles and on-screen text, among others. French, Italian and Spanish are also listed as text languages.

For the historical console and mobile versions, the specific language packs may differ.

2K has offered the complete season with five episodes as a single product since the 2021 relaunch. Existing save games could be used on the same platform. Existing versions can be used on compatible new PlayStation or Xbox consoles.

The historical mobile and older console editions should not be equated with current availability in stores.