By Are you tired of putting up with all the bad dialogue and bad jokes in the new Borderlands games? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Here, you’ll find some of the best games like Borderlands that offer tons of loot and build variety, without all the crappy voice acting and politics.
Borderlands used to be such an iconic franchise. One of the first articles I published here on this site was a guide for Borderlands 2. That’s how much I loved those games.
Unfortunately, the quality of Borderlands games went downhill after Borderlands 2. With the new games pushing all kinds of agendas and politics, the games have gotten bloated and pretty much unfun.
I started looking for games similar to Borderlands a long time ago. And came across a whole bunch of amazing games that are sometimes even better.
Most of these games are quite different from Borderlands and its art style. But they do have loot drops that will quench your thirst for those shiny loot drops.
1. Destiny 2
Even though the development of Destiny 2 has ended, it is still one of the best looter-shooters available right now. And it’s one of the few in the genre that features a first-person perspective.
The loot drops in Destiny 2 come very close to what Borderlands offers. When you defeat a boss or an event boss in D2, you get a whole lot of rewards, including weapons and armor, much like in Borderlands. And that satisfying chest-opening sound and loot drop sounds feel even better than Borderlands.
Destiny 2 actually has a better campaign and story than Borderlands. With so many expansions, you can enjoy hundreds of hours’ worth of content in D2 right now. You can also grind for better loot and work on your build as well.
2. Warframe
Warframe should go on top of this list but it’s only placed second because the game plays in third-person view, which makes it a bit different than what Borderlands offers.
Other than that, Warframe is the ideal looter-shooter for Borderlands fans because it’s a game that continues to get bigger with new expansions and content every year.
Warframe, however, does not have loot drops like in Destiny 2 and Borderlands. Instead, it drops blueprints and resources that you can use to build weapons.
And I know this kind of diminishes that feeling of getting a new gun to drop from a boss battle. But, in my experience, this feels better than getting a billion guns to drop from enemies. Mainly because building a weapon using a blueprint is much more rewarding and it actually makes it worth all the effort.
In most looter-shooters, you usually grind a boss for hours to get a legendary drop, only to replace it a few hours later after grinding a different boss. In Warframe, every weapon has a specific function, and it makes it worth grinding for all the resources and blueprints.
3. The Division 2
The Division 2 made a comeback in 2026 with a fresh revamp of some of the game’s major systems and even announced a new expansion along with a bunch of regular events. It’s the perfect time to dive into this game.
The Division 2 is another third-person looter-shooter with tons of loot. Unlike in Warframe, you get weapons and various other loot drops when fighting mobs and bosses in The Division 2. And the grind for loot is it’s just as satisfying as Borderlands.
In The Division 2, you get a more realistic vibe than the sci-fi vibe of games like Borderlands and Destiny 2. While there are no magical spells in this game, you do get to work with weapons that deal a special type of damage, so there is plenty of build variety in TD2.
The Division 2 has an excellent campaign and features plenty of different content you can dive into and spend hundreds of hours grinding for. It’s still one of my all-time favorite games.
4. Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 has third-person shooter vibes like The Division 2 but with a loot system similar to Warframe. And the gameplay has one of the most satisfying gunplay systems ever made.
You don’t get weapon drops or gear drops for defeating enemies in Helldivers 2. Instead, you do missions and beat enemy mobs to farm in-game currency and resources that you can use to unlock new upgrades and get to better gear.
Much like in Warframe, the gameplay loop in Helldivers 2 is quite satisfying. Your time is rewarded well in the game. However, missions can be a bit difficult in this game as it’s designed for co-op play. But for solo players, there are multiple difficulty options to adjust your game to your preference.
5. Far Far West
When I first saw Far Far West, it immediately reminded me of Borderlands. This is basically Borderlands set in the Wild West, which unironically was the premise of a Borderlands 3 DLC.
Far Far West is a co-op shooter that you can also play with strangers as a solo player. It features loot chests, upgrades, and rewards similar to Borderlands. But the core gameplay loop is all about teaming together to beat giant enemy bosses.
There are a variety of weapons, abilities, and skills for you to experiment with in the game. And it has big world with spooky and sci-fi vibes, much like in Borderlands games.
6. Mycopunk
Mycopunk has heavy Borderlands vibes with abilities that look exactly like the abilities in Borderlands games. Even the characters and art style looks a lot like Borderlands.
This is a brand new looter-shooter that’s been designed for co-op gameplay. But you can play solo as well.
The game has mission-based runs where you get to farm bosses for loot and resources. Then you can upgrade your gear and work on builds to get more powerful.
7. Gunfire Reborn
Gunfire Reborn is basically Borderlands with roguelike gameplay mechanics. It’s an FPS with level-based runs where enemies get progressively harder.
The game combines FPS gunplay with roguelite mechanics and RPG elements to offer a very addictive and satisfying gameplay loop you can play over and over again.
It has more than 100 different items and cool abilities you can use to come up with different builds. And has several great DLCs to expand content as well.
8. Outriders
Outriders had so much potential as a solid third-person looter-shooter. It had superpower-based abilities like in Borderlands with impressive gunplay and build variety.
Even though the developers stopped supporting the game, Outriders is still a very fun looter-shooter for running through its campaign and trying out different builds. It has great missions with cover-based mechanics and lots of loot to farm.
If you can grab this game on sale, it will easily give you at least 60 hours’ worth of gameplay value.
9. Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is not a looter-shooter, but it has one of the most addictive and fun gameplay loops in this type of game.
In Deep Rock Galactic, you play as a space dwarf who’s on a mission to mine valuable resources from deep underground. You go on extraction-style missions to gather resources and get out in time. And then use those resources to expand your base, unlock gear, and upgrade abilities.
This game is super fun to play with friends. But you can also play it solo or with random strangers as well. One of the best games ever made.
10. The First Descendant
I was reluctant to include this game on the list because of its monetization tactics but since it’s a looter-shooter, I thought it deserved a spot.
The First Descendant is a free-to-play, looter-shooter with a third-person view and questionably attractive character models that scream for attention. This game blends mechanics from Warframe and The Division with heavy monetization.
You will have to grind a lot harder in this game to acquire new characters and gear upgrades, unless you’re willing to open your wallet. However, the game is worth checking out. I played it for around 40 hours before getting frustrated with pay-to-win.
11. Path of Exile 2
Even though Path of Exile is a completely different genre of games, it also has that same dopamine-hitting loot drops like Borderlands. If you can play games with top-down view and ARPG style gameplay, Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 are solid games you can start playing for free.
Both PoE games have fantastic campaigns and the games are filled with loot. You can experiment with unlimited number of builds thanks to its massive passive skill tree and build variety.
Path of Exile 2 is coming out of early access in December, making it free-to-play. You can also dive into the first game to get a feel of the core gameplay loop.
12. Diablo 4
I recommend Path of Exile over Diablo, but I also know how difficult it is to get into PoE. It’s not only difficult in gameplay but also confusing to beginners. For ARPG newbies, Diablo 4 is the perfect starting point.
I loved the main campaign in Diablo 4. It has amazing Hollywood-level cutscenes with impressive acting. And also has great graphics and gameplay mechanics.
Diablo 4 also has seasonal content, events, and DLCs. Keep in mind that Diablo 5 is also on the horizon. Make sure to wait for a sale to grab it on a discount.
