Borderlands is loud, but the useful part is more precise: co-op shooting, strange guns, character kits, and loot that changes how a fight feels. The best follow-ups keep at least two of those pieces alive.
Start with Gunfire Reborn if you want a different series with first-person co-op, weapon rolls and character builds. Choose Risk of Rain 2 for escalating item combinations, or Roboquest for faster movement. Borderlands 2 is worth revisiting if you have not played it, but it is part of the same series.
The shared itch
Pick by whether the missing piece is loot, co-op campaign pace, roguelite runs, or ability-driven gunplay.
| If you want... | Start with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Classic co-op loot campaign | Borderlands 2 | You need the newest movement and endgame feel |
| Loot stacking into absurd builds | Risk of Rain 2 | You want a voiced campaign and characters |
| Co-op roguelite shooting experiments | Gunfire Reborn | You need open zones and long story arcs |
| Fast FPS movement and repeatable runs | Roboquest | You want Borderlands-style quest hubs |
| Free-to-play looter-shooter grind | The First Descendant | You dislike live-service farming |
More campaign loot-shooting
Closest matches that are looter shooters
Match strength key:80+65+50+<5028 of the 100 closest matches to Borderlands 3 are looter shooters.
Borderlands 2Shares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Funny90% · 313k positive reviews79%Strong match—
Borderlands Game of the Year EnhancedShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Dark Humor81% · 17k positive reviews78%Strong match—
Borderlands GOTYShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Sci-fi90% · 32k positive reviews76%Strong match—
Borderlands: The Pre-SequelShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Funny79% · 31k positive reviews74%Strong match—
Borderlands 4Shares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds PvE57% · 87k positive reviews72%Strong match—
PAYDAY 2Shares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Heist89% · 675k positive reviews60%Good match—
Tiny Tina's WonderlandsShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Fantasy71% · 17k positive reviews59%Good match—
Risk of Rain 2Shares Looter Shooter · Community tag: Online Co-Op · Native online co-op , adds Third-Person Shooter94% · 356k positive reviews56%Good match—
Median match strength inside this slice is 55%, against 54% across all 100 matches. The strongest overall matches all are looter shooters, so the filter costs nothing here.
If you want a different series
The subset below removes six named Borderlands and related Tiny Tina titles: Borderlands 2, both Game of the Year releases, The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 4 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. It keeps the same ranking among the remaining matches. This finite list does not classify every other game by franchise; the full list above remains available.
Looter shooters after removing six named Borderlands and Tiny Tina titles
Match strength key:80+65+50+<5022 of the 100 closest matches to Borderlands 3 are looter shooters. This subset excludes 6 named identities, removing 6 matches from this facet. Unlisted identities have not been classified by series.
- PAYDAY 2Shares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Heist89% · 675k positive reviews60%Good match—
- Risk of Rain 2Shares Looter Shooter · Community tag: Online Co-Op · Native online co-op , adds Third-Person Shooter94% · 356k positive reviews56%Good match—
Ozersk Protocol PVE: Founders EditionShares Looter Shooter · FPS · First-Person , adds Sandbox56% · 394 positive reviews56%Good match—
Deep Rock GalacticShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Co-op , adds PvE97% · 381k positive reviews56%Good match—
AstrolootShares Looter Shooter · Community tag: Online Co-Op · Co-op Campaign , adds Action RPG90% · 231 positive reviews55%Good match—
Deadzone: RogueShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds PvE82% · 17k positive reviews55%Good match—
Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot AdventureShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Fantasy68% · 425 positive reviews55%Good match—
WildgateShares Looter Shooter · FPS · Community tag: Online Co-Op , adds Community tag: PvP81% · 5k positive reviews55%Good match—
Median match strength inside this slice is 54%, against 54% across all 100 matches. Filtering to loot drops Borderlands 2, Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced, Borderlands GOTY from the top of the list.
Borderlands 2
Recommendation
- Best for
- Classic co-op loot campaign.
- Why it fits
- It remains the cleanest answer if you want missions, jokes, vault hunters, four-player roles, and a campaign people still talk about.
- Skip if
- You need the newest movement and endgame feel.
Build chaos over quest structure
Risk of Rain 2
Recommendation
- Best for
- Loot stacking into absurd builds.
- Why it fits
- It drops quest hubs and turns the build escalation into the whole game, which is ideal if loot synergy was the hook.
- Skip if
- You want a voiced campaign and characters.
Gunfire Reborn
Recommendation
- Best for
- Co-op roguelite shooting experiments.
- Why it fits
- It gives classes, scrolls, weapon rolls, and fast resets without asking you to clear a giant campaign.
- Skip if
- You need open zones and long story arcs.
Fast runs or live-service grind
Roboquest
Recommendation
- Best for
- Fast FPS movement and repeatable runs.
- Why it fits
- It is the action-first branch for players who want sharp shooting and quick build tests more than loot comedy.
- Skip if
- You want Borderlands-style quest hubs.
The First Descendant
Recommendation
- Best for
- Free-to-play looter-shooter grind.
- Why it fits
- It fits if the appeal is characters, farming, and live-service progression rather than authored campaign chaos.
- Skip if
- You dislike live-service farming.
Campaign or repeatable runs?
Gunfire Reborn, Risk of Rain 2 and Roboquest rebuild your run around new drops. Choose Borderlands 2 when you want a continuing quest campaign, or The First Descendant when long-term online farming is the appeal.
If your group is split between campaign loot and short runs, find a co-op game for your group using each player's favorites.
Co-op roguelite shooting experiments.
Classic co-op loot campaign.
Loot stacking into absurd builds.
Fast FPS movement and repeatable runs.
Free-to-play looter-shooter grind.
For more campaign and co-op shooters, compare our Call of Duty alternatives. To browse a wider selection, open games similar to Borderlands 3.
Sources and last check
Last checked: September 5, 2026. Game features and play modes were checked against the official Steam listings: Gunfire Reborn, Risk of Rain 2, Roboquest, Borderlands 2, The First Descendant. Recommendations reflect the play styles described above. Check the store for current requirements before buying.
Play queue
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About the author
Alex Burlis
Founder of GamesLike
Alex Burlis founded GamesLike, a game discovery website that uses Steam game information and player feedback to find games with similar gameplay. Alex is editorially responsible for the GamesLike guides, which explain who each pick suits and the tradeoffs to expect.