If you love Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for ridiculous guns, couch-friendly co-op, sharp character builds, and endless loot explosions, start with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. It is the closest overall match in 2026, while Destiny 2 is the better choice for precision shooting, Remnant II for challenging boss fights, Deep Rock Galactic for four-player teamwork, and Warframe for an enormous free-to-play grind.
That distinction matters. Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are not simply first-person shooters with colorful art; they are stat-driven RPGs where weapon manufacturers, elemental effects, class skills, enemy levels, and loot rarity all collide. The games below preserve different pieces of that identity. None is a perfect replacement for Handsome Jack’s writing or Salvador’s absurd Gunzerking, but each scratches a specific Borderlands itch better than a random looter shooter.
🎮 Get Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Ready to dive in? Grab your copy today for just $14.94.
Check OfferS-Tier picks capture the Borderlands magic
The S-Tier choices are the games you should install first. They understand that shooting is only half the appeal. The real hook is building a character, finding a weapon that changes your rhythm, and watching a co-op run spiral into glorious nonsense.
1. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Why it ranks first: Wonderlands is effectively Borderlands 3’s gunplay dropped into a tabletop fantasy campaign. You still swap weapons constantly, but now your loadout can include guns, melee weapons, ward shields, rings, amulets, and spells. The result is familiar without being a simple reskin.
The Spellshot is the obvious starting class for Handsome Collection veterans. Its Magic Bullets skill converts 15% of your total spell-damage bonus into gun damage, creating a clean gun-spell feedback loop. Take High Thread Count later for extra spellweaving stacks, then pair Spellshot with Graveborn if you want to lean into dark magic and the Demi-Lich companion. The Spellshot’s Ambi-Hextrous action skill lets you equip a second spell instead of a traditional action skill, and it is one of the most entertaining high-investment builds in the game.
Wonderlands also fixes one of Borderlands 2’s rougher co-op issues with level scaling and instanced loot options. You can play in Cooperation mode so each player receives personal drops, rather than fighting over the one orange item that appears in a chest. Its Chaos Chamber endgame adds randomized rooms, optional difficulty modifiers, and Chaos Levels that make optimized builds worthwhile after the campaign.
2. Destiny 2
Why it ranks first: Destiny 2 does not have Borderlands’ joke density, but its weapons feel dramatically better. Hand cannons have deliberate recoil, pulse rifles reward burst control, and rocket launchers turn boss damage into a team-wide timing exercise. The game is also the strongest option here if you want a shooter you can keep learning for hundreds of hours.
Its buildcraft is more structured than Borderlands’. You choose a subclass such as Solar, Void, Arc, Stasis, or Strand, then combine aspects, fragments, armor mods, and exotic gear. A Solar Titan can use Sol Invictus to create Sunspots and pair them with healing effects; a Strand Hunter can suspend groups before swapping to a precision weapon. Weapons such as Funnelweb, Forbearance, and Witherhoard demonstrate how perks shape an entire loadout rather than simply adding a larger damage number.
The warning is time investment. Destiny 2’s seasonal systems, power requirements, vault management, and quest chains are much less welcoming than loading into Sanctuary. Start with the free content, use the in-game New Light objectives, and do not dismantle gear until you understand weapon frames and perk rolls. The official Destiny 2 site is the best place to check current expansions and live-service changes.
| Game | Best Borderlands replacement | Build depth | Co-op size | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands | Chaotic guns, skills, and loot | High | Up to 4 | Endgame repetition |
| Destiny 2 | Weapon feel and long-term progression | Very high | Up to 6 in activities | Complex onboarding |
| Remnant II | Build experimentation and boss combat | High | Up to 3 | Less loot volume |
| Deep Rock Galactic | Four-player chaos and mission replayability | Medium | Up to 4 | Mining replaces traditional loot |
| Warframe | Fast combat and endless collecting | Very high | Up to 4 | Steep learning curve |
🎮 Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Looking to experience this game? Grab your digital key directly on our store for $14.94.
View on Steammoz Store →A-Tier games for players who want a different edge
3. Remnant II
Remnant II is the best recommendation if your favorite Borderlands moments are boss arenas, unusual builds, and the panic of reviving a teammate under fire. It is a third-person action RPG rather than a first-person looter shooter, and its weapons are less numerous, but every encounter demands more attention.
The game revolves around Archetypes. The Handler brings a dog that can attack, revive its owner, and provide useful team support. The Challenger is built for close-range aggression with damage reduction and a second-chance effect, while the Gunslinger is the obvious choice for players who want fast reloads and ammunition efficiency. Once you unlock dual-Archetype loadouts, you can combine a primary and secondary class to create practical hybrids instead of chasing a single damage stat.
Its procedural worlds are the hidden reason it lasts. Losomn, Yaesha, N’Erud, and the Labyrinth can produce different quests, dungeons, bosses, and rewards between campaigns. The Nightweaver, for example, telegraphs her first-phase lunges with a distinct airborne pause and punishes players who tunnel vision on damage. In the second phase she can crawl across walls and attack through windows, so stamina management and positioning matter more than simply stacking the biggest rifle.
Before buying, check the official Remnant II Steam page for current PC requirements. It is noticeably more demanding than Borderlands 2, especially in dense areas. If your system stutters in newer games, our guide to turning stutter into smooth FPS covers the same basic troubleshooting principles.
4. Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic replaces Borderlands’ loot showers with a brilliantly readable four-class team puzzle. You play a dwarf mining procedurally generated caves on Hoxxes IV, completing objectives while Glyphid swarms climb over walls and ceilings. The shooting is satisfying, but the real progression comes from overclocks, class roles, and learning how to solve terrain problems quickly.
The Gunner controls space with a Lead Storm minigun and deployable shield. The Driller makes shortcuts, carves escape tunnels, and turns crowds into a flamethrower problem. The Engineer places sentry turrets and platforms, while the Scout uses the grappling hook and flare gun to reach minerals nobody else can safely touch. A Scout and Engineer who understand each other can clear vertical rooms far faster than a team of four damage-focused players.
Assignments unlock weapons and upgrades, and weapon overclocks change how a gun behaves rather than merely increasing its level. The Scout’s M1000 Classic can be tuned toward charged precision shots, while the Engineer’s Warthog Auto 210 can become a close-range swarm shredder. There is no traditional Borderlands-style rarity chase, which makes Deep Rock less exciting for loot hoarders but much healthier for friends who want reliable cooperative missions.
B-Tier picks that still deserve your hard drive
5. Warframe
Warframe is the most mechanically explosive game here and the least interested in explaining itself. You begin as a space ninja, choose between frames such as Excalibur, Mag, or Volt, and then slowly discover a galaxy of mods, weapons, companions, factions, and open-world systems. The free-to-play structure is generous with playable content, but the game can feel like opening a filing cabinet during a firefight.
Its movement is the major difference. Bullet jumps, wall runs, slides, air attacks, and aim glides let experienced players cross rooms before a Borderlands character has finished reloading. Rhino is a safe early frame because Iron Skin grants temporary armor, while Volt’s Speed accelerates both movement and melee tempo. Later, mod combinations matter more than base frame level: ability strength, duration, efficiency, range, armor, shields, and weapon-specific damage types all compete for limited capacity.
Do not approach Warframe expecting a clean campaign funnel. Follow the Star Chart, complete quests such as Second Dream when they unlock, and join a clan so you can access research blueprints. The official Warframe website has current Prime Access and update information, while the Steam listing explains the free-to-play model.
6. Borderlands 3
If you somehow skipped it, Borderlands 3 is the obvious honorable mention. Its writing is weaker than Borderlands 2, but the moment-to-moment combat is faster, the four Vault Hunters are more distinct, and the weapon system is spectacularly flexible. Moze can deploy Iron Bear, Amara can phasegrasp targets, Zane can combine a Digi-Clone with a barrier, and FL4K brings an animal companion plus strong critical-hit options.
The gun manufacturers also feel more mechanically differentiated. Maliwan weapons charge before firing but deliver elemental effects, Jakobs guns reward critical hits with ricocheting bullets, and Tediore reloads turn discarded weapons into temporary explosives or companions. If your favorite Handsome Collection activity is testing a new gun against a crowded arena, Borderlands 3 remains the purest answer.
Performance settings that preserve the shooting feel
Borderlands alternatives vary wildly in performance. Borderlands 2 is light enough for older hardware, while Remnant II and Destiny 2 benefit from a modern six-core CPU and a graphics card with at least 8GB of VRAM. The aim is not to max every slider; it is to protect frame pacing, input response, and visibility during heavy particle effects.
| Game | Practical target | Most expensive setting | Recommended adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wonderlands | 1080p, 60-120 FPS | Volumetric fog | Use medium fog and keep textures high |
| Destiny 2 | 1080p or 1440p, 90+ FPS | Depth of field and shadow quality | Lower shadows before texture quality |
| Remnant II | 1080p, 60 FPS | Global illumination | Use upscaling and cap at a stable 60 |
| Deep Rock Galactic | 1080p or 1440p, 120 FPS | Shadow quality during swarms | Reduce shadows if Glyphid waves hitch |
| Warframe | 1080p or 1440p, 120 FPS | Particle systems | Limit particles without lowering texture quality |
On PC, cap the frame rate just below your display’s refresh rate if you use variable refresh technology. A stable 90 FPS feels better than a graphically maxed 120 that collapses to 45 during a boss attack. Disable motion blur, keep texture filtering high, and test one demanding mission rather than judging performance in an empty hub. Steamoz’s guides to high-FPS settings and low-FPS troubleshooting are useful starting points.
Which Borderlands alternative should you choose?
Pick Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands if you want the closest blend of first-person gunplay, class builds, elemental damage, jokes, and cooperative loot. Pick Destiny 2 if weapon feel and long-term mastery matter more than a self-contained campaign. Choose Remnant II when you want every boss to demand a real strategy, and choose Deep Rock Galactic when your group prefers teamwork over individual damage meters.
Warframe is the value pick for patient players who enjoy learning an intimidating system, while Borderlands 3 is still the safest choice if you specifically want another Vault Hunter campaign. None fully replaces Borderlands 2’s combination of comedy, build variety, and loot-driven momentum. Together, though, these games cover nearly every reason the Handsome Collection remains so easy to recommend in 2026.
For the cleanest buying order, start with Wonderlands, move to Remnant II when you want tougher combat, and keep Deep Rock Galactic installed for group nights. That trio gives you fantasy loot chaos, deliberate boss encounters, and endlessly replayable co-op missions without asking you to replay the same Pandora campaign for the tenth time.