5 Gearbox Software Games You Forgot Were Awesome

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Gearbox Software is famous for the hugely popular Borderlands games, but they’ve been making games for a long time! Borderlands isn’t their only achievement. In 2016, they also started publishing games themselves, allowing them to support even more great titles. Because they have such a long history, many of their games haven’t gotten the attention they deserve. Here are a few lesser-known titles, focusing on one game per series – otherwise, the list would be dominated by Borderlands games!

Here are five Gearbox games you forgot were awesome.

5) Borderlands Legends

I could be exaggerating how good Borderlands Legends was. This game, available only on mobile devices, came out at the same time as Borderlands 2 and used a turn-based combat system. You controlled the original four Vault Hunters, and their unique abilities helped you develop strategies and defeat enemies.

Let’s be honest, Borderlands Legends wasn’t a polished game. While the combat itself was enjoyable and felt like classic Borderlands, the AI was often glitchy and made things frustrating. Despite its flaws, I still have a soft spot for it because of what it could have been. If Gearbox had continued to support the game with new characters and weapons, and improved the combat, it could have been a fantastic handheld Borderlands experience.

4) Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Released in 2003, Homeworld 2 was a popular and well-received game from Relic, the studio behind beloved titles like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Relic wasn’t able to create a third Homeworld game, largely because publisher THQ went bankrupt in 2012. However, the series was rescued thanks to Gearbox stepping in.

Blackbird Interactive, the team behind games like Hardspace: Shipbreaker and Minecraft Legends, created Deserts of Kharak. Fans of the original Homeworld series will be pleased – this prequel is a well-made, focused strategy game that delivers on what players expect. It paved the way for Homeworld 3, which hasn’t been as popular with fans, but remains a decent strategy title.

3) Battleborn

If you were playing games when it first came out, Battleborn is hard to forget. Gearbox heavily promoted it as the very first “hero shooter,” combining fast-paced shooting with strategy elements from MOBAs. While it was a good game once you learned the ropes, it never became hugely popular.

The main reason Battleborn didn’t succeed is that it launched around the same time as Overwatch. Overwatch quickly became incredibly popular, dominating the hero shooter genre for years and making it difficult for any other game to compete. Despite this, Battleborn was a solid game that unfortunately suffered from bad timing and some questionable decisions regarding in-game purchases.

2) Half-Life: Opposing Force

Gearbox Software began by creating expansion packs for the game Half-Life and bringing titles like Halo: Combat Evolved to computers. One of their most successful games from that time was Opposing Force. Randy Pitchford and his team built upon the story of Half-Life, allowing players to experience it from a new character’s perspective.

In Opposing Force, players took on the role of Adrian Shephard, a U.S. Marine sent to eliminate the alien threat following the incident at Black Mesa. It was a clever idea to let players experience the events from the perspective of the enemy from the original Half-Life, and critics generally hailed it as one of the best game expansions available. Gearbox Software created a few more expansions for Half-Life using similar concepts, but none were as successful as Opposing Force.

1) Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood

I thought about including all three Brothers in Arms games, but I wanted to offer more variety. So, feel free to choose whichever Brothers game you like best for this spot. Road to Hill 30 and Hell’s Highway are both fantastic options that could easily be number one.

Overall, I slightly prefer Earned in Blood to the other games. Hell’s Highway feels a little too short and simple, and while Road to Hill 30’s gameplay is good, Earned in Blood improves upon it, placing it just below the sequel. It’s worth mentioning that playing Road to Hill 30 first will make you appreciate Earned in Blood even more, as it expands on the original. Regardless, the Brother in Arms series is fantastic, and hopefully Gearbox will eventually release the long-awaited fourth installment.

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2026-03-16 23:40