Fans of the Borderlands series can rest easy, as developer Gearbox announced Borderlands 3 during its PAX East panel last week. Also during the panel, Gearbox confirmed the remaster of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition. The release date for the remastered Borderlands: GotY is nearly here--here's exactly when it unlocks and how to get it for free on PC.
[Update: Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition is out now on PS4 and Xbox One. You can pick it up from the PS4 and Xbox One digital stores right now; if you're waiting for the PC version (free upgrade or otherwise), it'll be live later this afternoon, as noted below. Additionally, Gearbox has shared a bunch of new information about Borderlands 3, including confirmation of its release date: September 13. We also got the first details on its playable characters.]
The official Twitter account confirmed that Borderlands: GotY drops tomorrow, April 3. It'll be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. Steam customers who own the existing Game of the Year Edition can download an update for free at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It's possible to obtain physical copies of the game on consoles, but they're limited to US and Canada stores only.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition drops TOMORROW with new weapons, visual upgrades, character heads, gold chests and keys, all 4 add-on packs, and more!
— Borderlands 3 (@Borderlands) April 2, 2019
➜ https://t.co/ud6BPxbt1u pic.twitter.com/QnuNPlb2Zq
When the Borderlands: GotY launched in October 2010, it gathered the original Borderlands with all four of its DLC packs--The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution--into one package. This remastered version will do the exact same, but will also bring about some new additions like gameplay tweaks (such as a new minimap, for example), a series of new guns, new character customization options, and more. Gearbox is also altering the campaign's final boss, making it "more engaging, challenging, and rewarding."
Further, an Ultra HD texture pack for Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will be available the same day as the Borderlands: GotY drops. According to the official Borderlands website, the UHD texture pack will affect "characters, vehicles, weapons and environments." Gearbox didn't specify how the UHD texture pack will affect the game, so it's unclear if it's receiving more frames per second, higher graphical fidelity, or both.
Borderlands: GotY is currently not live on neither the PlayStation 4 nor Xbox Store. However, it's currently available for pre-order through GameStop for $30 on both platforms.