Choose Borderlands 2
Choose Borderlands 2 if it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 90.4% positive across 122,109 reviews.
Borderlands 2 vs Borderlands 3
Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 both land in Action, RPG on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, RPG on Steam. Borderlands 2 (2012) is 8 years older than Borderlands 3 (2020). Borderlands 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (90.4% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Borderlands 3
Choose Borderlands 3 if you want the Online Co-op and LAN Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2020) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 59,663 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 sit in Action and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Borderlands 2 |  Borderlands 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 19.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.4% positive (122,109 reviews) | 81.3% positive (59,663 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Gearbox Software, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux) | Gearbox Software |
Side by side
- Both share Action, RPG on Steam.
- Borderlands 2 (2012) is 8 years older than Borderlands 3 (2020).
- Borderlands 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (90.4% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% positive).
- Borderlands 2 is currently ~67% cheaper on Steam than Borderlands 3 (19.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Borderlands 2 vs Borderlands 3 — FAQ
- Which is better, Borderlands 2 or Borderlands 3?
- On Steam reviews Borderlands 2 scores higher (90.4% positive) than Borderlands 3 (81.3% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Borderlands 2 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Borderlands 2 or Borderlands 3 first?
- If you want chronology, Borderlands 2 (2012) came out before Borderlands 3 (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 similar?
- They overlap on Action, RPG on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Borderlands 2 ships Co-op; Borderlands 3 ships Online Co-op, LAN Co-op.