Choose Borderlands Game of the Year
Choose Borderlands Game of the Year if it's the newer release (2023) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 12,562 Steam reviews back the pick.
Borderlands Game of the Year vs Borderlands 2
Borderlands Game of the Year and Borderlands 2 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 11 years older than Borderlands Game of the Year (2023). Borderlands 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (90.4% positive) than Borderlands Game of the Year (88.7% 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 2
Choose Borderlands 2 if it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 122,109 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Borderlands Game of the Year and Borderlands 2 sit in Action and RPG on Steam and both list Multi-player and Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (88.7% vs 90.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Borderlands Game of the Year |  Borderlands 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023 | 2012 |
| Genres | Action, RPG | Action, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 29.99 USD | 19.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 88.7% positive (12,562 reviews) | 90.4% positive (122,109 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Co-op | Multi-player, Co-op |
| Developers | Gearbox Software | Gearbox Software, Aspyr (Mac), Aspyr (Linux) |
Side by side
- Both share Action, RPG on Steam.
- Borderlands 2 (2012) is 11 years older than Borderlands Game of the Year (2023).
- Borderlands 2 scores higher on Steam reviews (90.4% positive) than Borderlands Game of the Year (88.7% positive).
- Borderlands 2 is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Borderlands Game of the Year (19.99 USD vs. 29.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Borderlands Game of the Year vs Borderlands 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Borderlands Game of the Year or Borderlands 2?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Borderlands Game of the Year sits at 88.7% positive (12,562 reviews), Borderlands 2 at 90.4% (122,109). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Borderlands Game of the Year or Borderlands 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Borderlands 2 (2012) came out before Borderlands Game of the Year (2023). 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 Game of the Year and Borderlands 2 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 Game of the Year and Borderlands 2 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Borderlands Game of the Year ships Co-op; Borderlands 2 ships Co-op.