Tales from the Borderlands
Tales from the Borderlands
Game
Game2022
New Tales from the Borderlands
Developer Gearbox Software
New Tales from the Borderlands is a 2022 graphic adventure game developed by Gearbox Studio Québec and published by 2K. A spin-off of the Borderlands series and a successor to Tales from the Borderlands (2014–2015), the game was released in October 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
242 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 6, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
21
Rotten
41 positive · 153 negative
95% range 16–27%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 41 | 153 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 8 | 8 | 24 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Negative
455 of 1,579 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
21% recommend · 39 yes, 146 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 185 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Negative (673 of 2,165 positive).
Many players find the writing cringey and the characters unlikable. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the game is a significant downgrade from the original Tales from the Borderlands. [4][5][6] A few players still found enjoyment despite the negative reception. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
The last time I visited this universe was with Tales from the Borderlands in 2019, and I quite liked that game. While this game is similar because it takes place in the same universe, it is also totally different, since like the title suggests, this is a new story with new characters. I was very skeptical and my expectations were really low before starting this game, with it having a mostly negative rating on the …
- [1]
I... decided to play this "miracle." Why? I was interested in the story. I'd heard a LOT of negativity surrounding this game, and yet I decided to play it (P.S. I got the game as a result of purchasing the "Pandora Box" set). And... I simply couldn't finish it; I watched the ending in video walkthroughs at 2x speed. I just don't know how to describe it. It's terrible! The main characters are dumb, uninteresting …
- [3]
A wise man once said that they focused heavily on the jokes - making the whole game a big joke. And ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, was he RIGHT right. I went into New Tales from the Borderlands having genuinely enjoyed the original Tales from the Borderlands. I expected a downgrade, given the overwhelmingly negative reception, but I figured I'd see for myself. I did. This is one of the most aggressively unfunny games I have ever …
- [16]
TLDR: Not as bad as people say, but still a solid "meh" 5.5 out of 10 if I'm feeling generous. Should you buy it? Maybe if it's on sale for the price of a sandwich. At full price? Not in this lifetime. I finished the whole story, all five chapters. The graphics are fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to cry over either. The story though.. bro, I had no idea what was going on half the time. It felt like I …
- [2]
If you loved the last one, this defecates all over it. The writing is cringe in a way that has to be trolling...of you, the player, at every turn. The characters are the three worst archetypes of the Fool, the Ignorant, and the Wrathful. They'd be more entertaining if the Three Stooges took their place. And don't get me started on the writing. Even for the nonsensical world of Pandora, the lack of common sense falls …
Summarised from 34 of the 236 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
21% of the 185 Steam reviewers we collected recommend New Tales from the Borderlands. The complaint that keeps coming up: writing is cringey and unfunny. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
New Tales from the Borderlands received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Critics criticized the dated gameplay formula and the lack of impact of choices, while reactions to the story and writing were mixed.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 242 · most liked firstPlaying this makes you feel like an Iraqi citizen being tortured by the occupying American forces
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I... decided to play this "miracle." Why? I was interested in the story. I'd heard a LOT of negativity surrounding this game, and yet I decided to play it (P.S. I got the game as a result of purchasing the "Pandora Box" set). And... I simply couldn't finish it; I watched the ending in video walkthroughs at 2x speed. I just don't know how to describe it. It's terrible! The main characters are dumb, uninteresting clowns, it's painful to watch them. The dialogues are long and uninteresting, full…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Received the game with the Borderlands Collection. Do not buy on its own. The game has horrible writing. The characters are all morons, 1 idiot in a group is fine but you can't have everyone be stupid. Anu is by far the worst out of the 3 in my opinion. The only funny parts in this was the Tediore grunts. The story seemed to drag for half the run time. No where near on par with the first Tales game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you loved the last one, this defecates all over it. The writing is cringe in a way that has to be trolling...of you, the player, at every turn. The characters are the three worst archetypes of the Fool, the Ignorant, and the Wrathful. They'd be more entertaining if the Three Stooges took their place. And don't get me started on the writing. Even for the nonsensical world of Pandora, the lack of common sense falls into forced conflict that even the suspension of disbelief can't hold up again.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I honestly liked the first tales from the borderlands. It had an interesting plot, characters with actual personalities, and you felt how the story left an impact on the borderlands world afterwards in borderlands 3. This, however, is far from being the same. I felt like it was written by 13 year olds. The jokes, the characters....man I cant reccomended you spend your money and time on it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A wise man once said that they focused heavily on the jokes - making the whole game a big joke. And ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, was he RIGHT right. I went into New Tales from the Borderlands having genuinely enjoyed the original Tales from the Borderlands. I expected a downgrade, given the overwhelmingly negative reception, but I figured I'd see for myself. I did. This is one of the most aggressively unfunny games I have ever played. The jokes aren't merely bad. They are beaten into the ground,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back when Tales from the borderlands and the other telltale games were coming out, I was waiting for the new episodes and on the forums every day because the stories were that good. This game came out over 2 years ago apparently and I've owned it for about 2 years and haven't completed the first episode yet, and don't really care to. This isn't telltale, and it's not borderlands either lmfao
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This might actually be the worst game I have ever played... Chapter 4 genuinely ruined my whole week and the ending made me kick a backpack across my room
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Never go full re(g)ard." - RDJ - Tropic Thunder The main characters are just too dumb for this game to be good. They are literally whatever is the opposite of a Mary Sue - 99% flaws. Out of the 3 main characters: 1: Anu the scientist is just annoying, unfunny, and was completely out of touch with the world. 2: Fran was cringe, but at least she was different than anything I've ever seen in a game before. 3. Octavio, now this guy ruined the game for me. He is the character that went full…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →story 0/10, "gameplay" 3/10, characters 0/10, borderlands? 0/10, woke? totally (and i'm lgbt my self), this is definetely not a borderlands game! just buy and play this game if u hate yourself.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Worst Game Since E.T. What else can be said what has already been said of this game? I thought it would be gamer outrage due to the hideous characters, but that was just a small facet. I simply had this game from the 'Pandora's Box' Bundle. What, you think I'd go out of my way to buy it standalone? This truly is the worst game ever made. E.T. for the Atari is to be dethroned. This is pure and simple, psychological torture that tricks the brain into feeling actual physical pain. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The characters are lame and insufferable. Super preachy game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: Not as bad as people say, but still a solid "meh" 5.5 out of 10 if I'm feeling generous. Should you buy it? Maybe if it's on sale for the price of a sandwich. At full price? Not in this lifetime. I finished the whole story, all five chapters. The graphics are fine. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to cry over either. The story though.. bro, I had no idea what was going on half the time. It felt like I was tripping through chaos and confusion, especially near the end. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Rare taste inclined for undercooked development; has the structure to be anything but writers chose to be nothing. A direct insult for original tales and franchise. Do not buy, do not waste your time. thegood: +neat user interface, +authentic lip sync, +cool graphics & animation, +Vaultlander minigame (most fun I had) +autoplays itself. (almost) thebad: dull characters, no finesse, strange body movements, vividly dull voice acting, no exploration, limited world scan descriptions, boredom…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went into New Tales from the Borderlands expecting a fun, story-driven Borderlands experience, but what I got instead felt like a long, awkward cutscene that occasionally asks you to press a button so you don’t fall asleep. The humor rarely lands, the dialogue often feels forced, and the characters never really become interesting enough to care about what happens to them. Instead of the chaotic, clever tone the series is known for, much of the writing comes across as cringey and overly drawn…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The last time I visited this universe was with Tales from the Borderlands in 2019, and I quite liked that game. While this game is similar because it takes place in the same universe, it is also totally different, since like the title suggests, this is a new story with new characters. I was very skeptical and my expectations were really low before starting this game, with it having a mostly negative rating on the store page and everyone talking about how awful the writing is in this game, but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolute trash game. waste of 60+ hours. There's no fast foward fuction on multiple playthoughs. The dialog is not funny, interesting or original. You can barely distinguish between multiple playthoughs to get the alternate endings. If you think it'd be an easy 100%. You're mistaken. Take a hard pass on this garbage.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gearbox Software wanted to prioritize jokes, and they definitely did—the entire game feels like one. They should have focused on story and character development rather than relentless, rapid-fire humor. Although I enjoyed parts of the narrative, the constant gag attempts mostly killed my immersion. Comedy is fine, but when everything is treated as a joke, it ruins the experience. I would love to see more interactive-movie style games set in the Borderlands universe like Telltale used to make,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played all (really all) telltale games. This one is by far the worst. Annoying characters, very bad story.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This feels less like borderlands and more like a writers room desperately trying to make sure you know what the correct opinion is at all times, especially that fat ginger porky. The characters constantly come across as overly preachy and self righteous, with the dialogue pushing modern social commentary so hard that it's ridiculous
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Creating a porn game where Handsome Jack and Rhys Strongfork f\/ck each other in every pose imaginable would've been more entertaining than this. No, seriously, I would gladly play that. The Greatest Hero on Pandora and his Special Boy have to have fun with each other for a change, right? (I got this as a part of Pandora's box for, like, 2$. It's bad. Telltale did such a wonderful job for the game/universe they didn't know, while Gearbox made a game for their own characters where all the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is pure cringe, probably the one and only game that i regret spending my time on. Do NOT BUY this game. Its an insult to Borderlands series.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a big Borderlands fan I have tried to play this several times, but I just can't. It's truly one of the worst games I've ever played.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was absolutely abysmal, I never played a story so awful, so idiotic, so nonsensical. It should be illegal to call it "Tales from the Borderlands". The storywriters and character designers should be ashamed forever, branded and mocked publicly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right from the start, it's hard to say whether I recommend it or not. It's obvious that the game isn't made by Telltale, but it tries to look like it is. The game looks nice and runs well, but on the other hand, I didn't like the story at all, which is a shame as I'm a big fan of the Borderlands universe. Still, I have to give it a thumbs up because, in the end, it's not a bad game,Its just bad borderlands game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR would I pay 5$ for this game? No. || Would I play it if it were free? No. - It feels like the choices you make don't really matter in the story. It seems like you can only have an actual impact in terms of how much the characters will bond. - The story is promising but doesn't deliver. - 2 of the main characters are annoying with some cool moments. Overall, I'd say they are all very forgettable. Some of the side characters seemed pretty cool, but this is a big downgrade from the first…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, this game does not get enough hate. Whoever did the writing must've been at most 4 years old and the jokes are worse than the worst dad jokes you have ever heard in your life. You barely play the game I can put down my controller for 15 minutes before I'm able to press 1 button then we're back to being afk again. Everything in this story is sooooooooooooooo dragged out that I'm convinced this game would fit in 1 episode instead of 5. I've never seen or played something so bad.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game sucks I wouldn't recommend it even if it was free
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is one of the worst written "things" ever to exist. a failed attempt at capturing the narrative magic telltale was doing with their IP in the first game. knowing that going in, and for some reason spending nearly 9 hours experiencing it, i hated it every minute, but loved rooting for its downfall at every minute. this game genuinely think's you're stupid. the plot isn't even good catharsis for the plot points and "arcs" it tries to make. it's protags are on another planet so far…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Annoying. Stupid. Idiotic. Languid. Embarrassing. Cringeworthy. Insufferable. One hour into my playthrough of New Tales From The Borderlands, and I had already uttered the eight deadly words no writer wants to hear: "I don't care what happens to these people." The main trio (Fran, Anu, and Octavio) are incredibly obnoxious and unlikable, and get little to no character development until the last episode. Up to that point, there's nothing but wheel spinning, with the trio having the same…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I made it to the point where they all meet up at the frogurt shop. There was some icecream music video montage with the characters and it just felt so out of place and cringe i gave up on the game. The game before that was okish but there was some major cringe moments like the female psycho and more. I just don't want to keep playing because the characters are so unlikeable and i don't care what happens to them anymore
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game features - a returning character from Borderlands 3 who has undergone a transition and is voiced by a trans voice actor - a horny, fat, pansexual disabled playable character in a wheelchair Do with this information what you will.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Borderlands 3 writing. Telltale carried the first game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll start off with saying that no, I do not recommend this game if you want to play a "good" game. It is by far the weakest addition to the Borderlands franchise, however, that doesn't mean it's as terrible as some other people might say. It's just not good, but not terrible. It is an insult to the first Telltale game, it takes the mechanics from that and somehow messes it up (I think I spent more time watching the game than I did playing it). The characters are annoying (even more annoying…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the worst games I've played. Humor of a 5 year old child, there's no dynamic, extremly slow, no connection with the characters what so ever. It's more like a boring, not funny movie, because theres not much gameplay either. Not even close to any other Bortherlands game story/quality wise. Idk who wrote, produced and released such game and thought this is a great product. I wouldnt recommend wasting your time even if it was for free. If you want to know the story, just go to yt and skip…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →From what I read post-credits from the devs, I feel bad for the people who had to work on this game. At best this could have been an 8/10 game, but jesus ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ christ, who thought that basically cutting a storyline would be a good idea? I've never had to take a 3-hour break to process the stupidity of the main cast and how dumb they all are. Making 4 separate endings that you need to see to get all the achievments is certainly a choice made by a human being with compassion. Making the ending…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Tales from the Borderlands had the opportunity to build on what made the original Tales from the Borderlands so special. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver the same narrative impact, character depth, or emotional weight. The biggest issue is continuity. While the first Tales felt like a meaningful expansion of the Borderlands universe, this sequel barely advances it. Important characters such as Fiona and Sasha are absent, and certain returning characters appear without proper development…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just put your ♥♥♥♥ into a blender. It's more fun and less painful then playing this "Game".
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Managed to get me to not care about the game withing the first 5 minutes. Nice
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can not recommend this game. Unlikeable main characters, comedic timing is off, bad action scene momentum. Frans constant sexual harassment. Logic holes. Characters suddenly go from dumb to downright idiotic for no reason. The mocap for one character is just awful. Forcing a boring mini-game on you over and over. Bad music selections. "Sounds like a personnel management problem". LOU13 was good, Stapleface was good, Rhys was ruined. Foopy is the star.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bivington Bradwick, Fran Mech, Keeper of the Dead and L0U13 from New Tales from the Borderlands. More art from the game: www.creativeuncut.com/art_new-tale...
neutral · AI labelView post →This is the type of game that SynthPotato would give a good review. (I will try to finish this. Go buy old Tales instead)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After completing all episodes I have to say, I don't quite agree with all the criticism, but the game does get overstay its welcome by episode five - which in itself is way too long. I quite enjoyed it and, whilst not as strong as Tales from the Borderlands or even anything else Telltale produced (understanding this is an entirely different developer), I really don't believe this is as bad as it is made out to be by all the reviews on Steam. Having said that, the dialogue can be obnoxious at…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'VE BEEN YAWNING FOR 30 MINUTES Boring story, annoying characters, forced humor, and choices that barely matter.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shameful sequel to Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands lol
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is categorized under horror games in my library.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went in with low expectations after seeing the reviews, and somehow this game still managed to disappoint me. The writing is the main offender — it's like someone was paid per cringe joke, because there isn't a single moment that goes by without an attempt at humor that lands with a thud. L0U13 was genuinely the only character I cared about, but even he couldn't carry five episodes of Anu and Octavio bickering through what feels like an endless ice cream shop cutscene. If you loved the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Being tortured by the CIA would be preferable to spending another second playing this game. Avoid at all costs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An awful "sequel" that fails to live up to the high standard set by the first game. The game does a good job masking itself as decent in the first episode, but by the last episode it's incredibly clear that the writing is incredibly bad, and toilet humor is inserted into areas that didn't need a joke cracked at all. This one isn't really worth much of your money. The achievements are also incredibly tedious for no reason, especially so if you went in blind.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is not Borderlands and it didn’t have anything to do with Tales From The Borderlands! This piece of garbage should not be called New Tales from the Borderlands it should be called A Boring Game because it’s not fun and the characters are low effort and trash! At least I unlocked Lilith at the end of the game and I would definitely kiss Lilith’s feet! New Tales From The Borderlands is garbage and a terrible disgrace to the Borderlands franchise! Don’t buy this garbage unless you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unlike the previous game (Tales From The Borderlands), this game was not developed by Telltale and instead in-house at Gearbox. Unfortunately, many characters and voice actors did not return, and if they did, it was for a very small part of the story. Would have been really cool to see how choices in the previous game would affect this one. Similar to the previous game, this game plays more like a long movie or TV show where the player's dialogue choices and actions affects what happens in…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Working on the 3rd ending of 5 for New Tales from the Borderlands tonight and reading my new Star Wars book during the numerous unskippable cutscenes I already saw on my first playthrough 😅 Glad to be back reading some more High Republic Era content, and excited to 100% this game! 😁
positive · AI labelView post →It had some funny moments and "lessons" but the lessons weren't written very well. The ending alone makes the entire game not worth playing. I mean all of the endings too.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Tales from the Borderlands is a game I simply cannot recommend. I've rarely been this bored playing a game. In fact, the only experience I can think of that comes close was spending dozens of hours playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla. From start to finish, I found myself struggling to stay interested. As for the story, which should be the main attraction in a narrative-driven game, I honestly don't have much positive to say. The characters failed to grab my attention, the writing didn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →They did TellTale dirty.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Over 10 hours of my life completely wasted on this heap of thrash. Insufferable writing, dialogue, characters, plot ridden with holes and flagrantly selected soundtrack. Essentially an antithesis of everything that made Tales From the Borderlands so ridiculously good. Each Borderlands game has its flaws, but also many redeeming qualities. That notion however, is not applicable here.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Episode 2 of New Tales from the Borderlands done! Very shocked at how fast this game is moving, but each episode intrigues me to keep going to see what happens next! Can't really go into much detail without spoiling but some very interesting BL universe lore being written in this game 👀👀👀
positive · AI labelView post →Makes you wish you were born on Pandora, because Promethea is f****d up.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finally got myself to play this. I was afraid to because of all the Negative the reviews. I can now say with confidence that I did not hate it. In fact I feel like I owe this game a boost with a Positive review. The characters in this game are just soooo stupid... but that's ok because from a comedy perspective it makes you smile and also gives characters charm. Lots of people say the humor is cringe, and I will admit that early on I felt a little bit of that but no where near the impression…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My mind keeps drifting back to New Tales from the Borderlands. I think I’ve played worse but I’ve never had such a viscerally negative reaction to a game before
negative · AI labelView post →
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