Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 357 sampled Steam reviews (303 positive / 54 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing17% mention it
- Progression & loot9% mention it
- Combat5% mention it
- Visuals & art5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Multiplayer & servers26% mention it
- Bugs & crashes19% mention it
- Story & writing11% mention it
- Progression & loot11% mention it
- Controls & UI11% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
78%
54 reviews
5-15h
94%
66 reviews
15-40h
81%
74 reviews
40-100h
92%
72 reviews
100h+
80%
91 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 86 | 7 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 92 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 83 | 1494 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 85 | 38 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 85% | 78 | 145 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 415 total reviews in window · weighted 164.6 up / 29.2 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (74)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 85
“Borderlands 2 represents an evolution of the first game. If you love this series, get ready for refined gameplay, improved graphics, and twice the playtime, including twice as many DLCs. The nonstop shooting is amplified in the excellent co-op multiplayer mode, which is probably how the game is meant to be played. Fans of the series got exactly what they wanted: a crazy and brutal comic-book world full of dark humor. If the simple plot doesn’t grab you, there’s still the thrill of slicing up robots that announce their damage, and that’s damn good, if somewhat lowbrow, fun. Plus, the sound design is perfect.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Borderlands 2 is full of memorable moments and silly, crass folks, and if those silly, crass folks happen to be your friends, it's easily one of the best co-op experiences out there, and one of the best games I've played all year.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If we were to level any specific criticisms about Borderlands 2 it would be the whole guns thing. Yeah, we get it, the game has all the guns ever, but to be honest a lot of them are pretty samey, with maybe a new adjective or stat change here and there.”
read full review ↗ - 88
“Nothing about it screams revolution of the series, but at the same time, it remains a fairly fantastic experience. If looting and shooting for 30 hours sounds great to you, and you enjoy the shooting mechanics, it is a no-brainer. Playing with friends is a blast, and the humor is outstanding. This is a finely crafted sequel that will likely impress all fans of the original. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Borderlands 2 goes further than its predecessor in fun, humor, and scope, and if you value exploration and leveling up as much as shooting people, this is the perfect game for you.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Borderlands 2 is a role playing game combined with a shooter, including a Bazillionen weapons and enemies, with an extremely brilliant cel-shaded look. This and tons of loot are guaranteed to captivate the player to the screen.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Borderlands 2 features an insane amount of content. Expect to spend at least 40 hours finishing the main story campaign, and much more than that to complete all the optional missions. Once you beat the campaign, you can replay the game in harder Vault Hunter mode with your veteran character for even better loot and rewards.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Borderlands 2 is a denser, richer version of it's predecessor, never compromising on the gunplay that made the series worthy of a sequel.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Compared to the dull, empty-eyed stoicism of so many triple-A games, it's still a welcome blast of idiot humour, too.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Borderlands 2 doesn't reach far beyond its predecessor's scope, but it does do almost everything better. Additions, refinements, and fixes all combine to create an appreciably improved experience, one that fully delivers on the promise of the first game. While Borderlands felt empty at times, this sequel is bursting with content and brimming with life, making it an absolutely delightful way to spend hours and hours and hours of your free time. ”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Borderlands 2 is one of the unmissable videogame experiences of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 92
“I can't recall a more convincing successor than Borderlands 2, which has undoubtedly and so convincingly crushed the original to smithereens.”
read full review ↗
Gaming Professors
GameWatcher
ZTGD
PCMag
The Escapist
Eurogamer
GameSpot
TheSixthAxis…and 62 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Borderlands 2 March 10 Patch NotesMar 10, 2020
- Borderlands 2 February 27 Patch NotesFeb 27, 2020
- Borderlands 2 UpdateOct 29, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Borderlands 2 UpdateOct 29, 2015significant · resets scoring window
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedJul 15, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedJul 15, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedApr 7, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedApr 7, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedMar 10, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedMar 10, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedFeb 11, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedFeb 11, 2014
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedNov 26, 2013
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedNov 26, 2013
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedOct 22, 2013
- Borderlands 2 Update ReleasedOct 22, 2013