In 2015, it was announced that Borderlands Online had been canceled, leading many to wonder: what was Borderlands Online really?

Originally designed as a China-exclusive MMO set within the Borderlands universe, it was poised to utilize a free-to-play model that was once believed to be the key to successfully entering the Asian gaming market—a strategy that Western developers were hesitant to explore. Times have certainly shifted since then.

Fortunately, a dedicated modder and data miner by the name of EpicNNG has uncovered a playable build of Borderlands Online, reviving its character creator for the first time since its shutdown. This allows a new audience to experience and question, “What was Borderlands Online anyway?”

Here is gameplay of the Character Creator in Borderlands ONLINE, running for the first time since it got shutdown. Customization for each character is rather limited, but cool regardless. So surreal to have access to this in 2025.

Image credit: 2K

The intended gameplay would have positioned players as Vault Hunters crash-landing on Pandora, with options for four character classes: Siren, Soldier, Berserker, and Hunter. It was supposed to feature recurring Borderlands characters such as Claptrap and Dr. Zod, alongside popular locations like Skag Gully and Tombstone, and include various PvP modes—last man standing, team vs team, and capture the flag, alongside a gun-crafting system and guild features.

EpicNNG has discovered additional content within the game files, including the presence of the Counter-Strike map Dust 2, presumably included for testing purposes. Their goal is to enhance the game until it’s fully playable, though it’s currently facing issues such as crashing upon exiting the character customization.

Meanwhile, fans of the franchise are eagerly anticipating Borderlands 4, set for a September 12 release, which has been moved forward from its initially scheduled date of September 23.