Shadow dropped and only available for roughly a mere week before becoming unplayable entirely on 4/28/26 as part of a time-limited test, this public beta of sorts for Borderlands Mobile made a very strong impression on yours truly. To the degree that I’ve found myself seriously missing and unable to stop thinking about it in the month+ following the conclusion of its brief preview period, despite having moved on to other things. So long as the team at NaturalMotion doesn’t mess anything up in the full release, I feel confident in saying we could legitimately be looking at the next all-time great phone game here.

It also shows the potential to become the most universally liked entry in the franchise since its second main installment and the first Tales from… all the way back in 2012 and 2014-15 respectively. That’s because the property’s most divisive element aside from Randy Pitchford, its sense of humor, has been noticeably toned down. The story/writing does still feature plenty of irreverent jokes and the usual assortment of goofy characters, but the more muted presentation values make it so that none of it is as in your face as usual. Plus, a mission-based structure strips this portable spin-off of any of the open-world bloat of its bigger siblings, placing the focus solely on the looting and the shooting.

And my goodness, have both of those aspects been handled phenomenally. The immensely satisfying reward loop that sees you constantly acquiring new firearms and other gear as you complete tasks kept me hooked. While I didn’t encounter anything too wild or wacky, the guns I did get my hands on were a blast to use and bolstered by the fact that the touchscreen FPS controls are undoubtedly the best I’ve personally experienced to date. Consequently, I wasn’t bothered when I was forced to play the wave survival and arena combat challenge modes—which I would have otherwise typically ignored—to unlock further chapters of the campaign because the action is excellent.

Overall, this small taste of what may come left me with a deep hunger for more in a good way. The sole “flaw” I noticed in everything that was shown was how the single playable Vault Hunter’s special ability of summoning an AI “pet” Skrag to help fight and draw aggro was rather lacking in punch. Provided Zynga and the developer don’t go overboard with an aggressive monetization scheme (this build did reveal their plans to have a paid battlepass option) and it continues to perform well when the co-op goes live, there are plenty of reasons to keep an eye out for the final version whenever it finally arrives. This sneak peek was as close as is currently possible to having a full-fledged, uncompromised Borderlands experience in your pocket, and is designed in a manner that makes it perfect for quick sessions in a waiting room or more extended ones at home on the couch. They honestly don’t need to change anything to have a smash hit on their hands.

9/10