Borderlands The Handsome Collection Remastered

Borderlands The Handsome Collection Remastered is not the official current PC storefront name. The bundle is listed as Borderlands: The Handsome Collection and combines Borderlands 2 with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. This is a first-person looter shooter and action RPG package built around weapon collection, character builds, quest-driven exploration, and cooperative combat.

The word “Remastered” is useful for search intent, but it should not be confused with Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced, which is the separate enhanced edition of the original Borderlands. The Handsome Collection does not include the first game, and its PC version is presented as a bundle of the two Handsome Jack-era titles rather than a newly renamed standalone remaster.

Two looter shooters, one connected campaign arc

The collection begins with Borderlands 2, where Vault Hunters oppose Handsome Jack and Hyperion across Pandora. Its structure mixes story missions, side quests, open combat zones, vehicle travel, loot collection, and class-based progression. You constantly replace weapons, compare elemental effects, complete objectives, and return to the battlefield with a stronger build.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel shifts the setting to the moon of Elpis and follows the rise of Handsome Jack from a different angle. Its combat adds low-gravity movement, oxygen management, laser weapons, and cryogenic effects. The result is not simply another Pandora campaign, because vertical traversal and air control change how firefights, platforming, and enemy encounters are approached.

Both games use a first-person camera and combine direct shooting with RPG systems. Enemies have levels, health types, resistances, and loot tables, while playable characters gain skill points and equipment that push them toward different combat roles.

The basic loop is deliberately repeatable: accept a mission, fight through enemies, open containers, inspect weapon drops, improve your loadout, and test the new setup against tougher targets. Players who enjoy first-person action RPGs with chaotic loot and cooperative builds like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands will recognize the same focus on gear experimentation, though The Handsome Collection leans harder into firearms than spells or melee weapons.

Classes, skill trees, and weapon-driven builds

Borderlands 2 offers distinct Vault Hunter classes with different combat identities. Axton supports turret-focused play, Maya specializes in crowd control and elemental effects, Salvador dual-wields weapons through Gunzerking, Zer0 rewards precision and deception, Gaige builds around an aggressive robot companion, and Krieg turns close-range violence into a high-risk playstyle.

These characters are not cosmetic choices. Their skill trees determine how abilities interact with shields, elemental damage, critical hits, health recovery, action skills, and team support. Respeccing allows players to revise a build, but equipment quality and playstyle still matter more than simply choosing a class and following one fixed path.

The Pre-Sequel has its own playable cast and class mechanics, including characters whose abilities change how the battlefield is controlled. Athena can build defensive momentum with her shield, Wilhelm deploys cybernetic companions, Nisha turns gunplay into precision-focused aggression, and Claptrap uses unpredictable action-skill effects. The game also adds oxygen-powered mobility and slam attacks for navigating low-gravity areas.

Weapon variety is the collection's defining system. Guns differ by manufacturer, damage type, firing behavior, accuracy, magazine design, and special effects. Elemental weapons can burn flesh, corrode armor, shock shields, or freeze targets, while class mods and relics further shape a character's strengths.

Endgame progression extends beyond the first campaign completion through higher difficulty playthroughs, level-cap upgrades, challenge arenas, rare loot hunting, and dedicated boss farming. There is no single competitive ladder to master. The long-term appeal comes from refining a build and chasing equipment that changes how it performs.

What the PC collection includes

The Steam bundle contains both complete games and a substantial catalog of add-on content. For Borderlands 2, the package includes major campaign expansions such as Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep.

It also includes additional playable characters, level-cap upgrades, challenge content, cosmetic packs, and the Headhunter missions. These additions expand the campaign structure rather than functioning only as cosmetic extras, especially for players interested in higher-level builds and repeated playthroughs.

The Pre-Sequel content includes the Handsome Jack Doppelganger Pack, Lady Hammerlock the Baroness Pack, the Holodome Onslaught challenge content, and Claptastic Voyage with its associated upgrade content. Claptastic Voyage is a full story-focused expansion set inside Claptrap's mind and provides a different visual and mechanical setting from the main campaign.

The collection should not be treated as an all-inclusive Borderlands franchise bundle. It excludes the original Borderlands, Borderlands 3, Borderlands 4, Tales from the Borderlands, and later standalone franchise packages. The later Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary expansion is also separate from the standard Handsome Collection bundle listing, so players should verify the individual product entries before assuming every Borderlands 2 add-on is included.

That distinction is one of the most important purchasing details. The Handsome Collection is a large two-game package, not the complete Borderlands catalog and not the same product as Borderlands Collection: Pandora's Box.

Co-op reality on PC

Online cooperation supports up to four players, with each player bringing a Vault Hunter, personal equipment, and skill build into the session. The games are well suited to groups because different classes can combine crowd control, healing, tanking, elemental damage, and burst damage during difficult encounters.

Quest progress and loot are central to multiplayer. Players can fight through story missions together, complete side objectives, revive one another, trade equipment, and compare drops. The chaos increases with more players, but so does the value of coordinated builds and elemental weapon coverage.

PC buyers should not assume that the famous console feature of four-player split-screen is included on Windows. The official PC versions are designed primarily for online multiplayer and do not provide native local couch co-op in the same way as the console collection.

Steam also lists Remote Play features and Steam Workshop support at the bundle level, although support can vary between the two included games and their individual components. These platform features should be viewed as ecosystem conveniences rather than replacements for native split-screen functionality.

PC features, accounts, and localization

The PC versions support keyboard-and-mouse controls as well as gamepads, making the collection comfortable for both traditional desktop play and controller-based setups. Menus, inventory management, weapon comparison, and skill allocation are important parts of the experience, so mouse input remains useful even when combat is played with a controller.

The current Steam listing identifies Steam authentication and a possible third-party SHiFT account requirement. SHiFT is used for account-linked features such as codes and rewards, while online play also depends on the relevant storefront and network services. The storefront does not advertise a separate modern competitive anti-cheat system for this collection.

Localization covers English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Russian at the bundle level. Exact interface, subtitle, and full-audio availability can differ between Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel, so players who need a particular voice language should check the individual game entry rather than relying only on the bundle summary.

On PC, the collection is best understood as a legacy cooperative shooter with strong controller support, extensive inventory systems, Steam achievements, cloud features, and a large mod-adjacent community ecosystem through Steam Workshop. It is not marketed as a new-generation PC remaster with a separate launcher identity.

Who should play it?

The Handsome Collection is a strong fit for players who want cooperative first-person shooting tied to deep loot progression. It suits groups that enjoy comparing builds, replaying missions for better gear, and turning a basic weapon drop into the centerpiece of a new character setup.

It is also a good choice for solo players who prefer class experimentation over a single fixed protagonist. Borderlands 2 in particular provides a broad selection of character archetypes, while The Pre-Sequel offers a different setting and movement model without abandoning the familiar weapon-and-skill framework.

Players looking for a tightly paced modern shooter, a realistic military simulation, or a short linear campaign may find the collection repetitive. Missions often send you back through familiar areas, inventory screens interrupt the action regularly, and the strongest progression comes from repeated combat rather than from a purely cinematic story path.

The humor is loud, self-aware, and intentionally abrasive. That tone is central to the Borderlands identity, but it will not appeal to players who prefer restrained dialogue, realistic characters, or a serious science-fiction setting.

Similar PC games and genre alternatives

For a newer Gearbox looter shooter with more modern movement, weapon handling, and character systems, open-zone cooperative looter shooters such as Borderlands 4 provide a natural comparison. The Handsome Collection remains more compact and mission-based, while newer entries place greater emphasis on large connected environments and updated traversal.

Players who want the same colorful first-person combat but with fantasy classes, spells, and melee weapons can also consider fantasy looter shooters built around class combinations like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. The mechanical overlap is strongest in cooperative builds, randomized equipment, and campaign replayability.

Neither comparison replaces the collection's particular appeal. Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are defined by their older mission structure, manufacturer-based weapon identities, Handsome Jack storyline, and extensive add-on catalog.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection FAQ

Is Borderlands The Handsome Collection Remastered the official PC name?

No. The current PC bundle is listed as Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. “Remastered” is commonly used to describe the upgraded collection branding, but it is not part of the official current Steam bundle title.

Which games are included?

The package includes Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. It does not include the original Borderlands, Borderlands 3, Borderlands 4, or the Telltale adventure games.

Does the PC version include all DLC?

It includes a large selection of campaign expansions, playable characters, level upgrades, challenge content, cosmetic packs, and Headhunter missions for both games. Later Borderlands 2 content such as Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary is not part of the standard Handsome Collection bundle listing.

Can four players play together online?

Yes. Online co-op supports up to four players. Each participant can use a separate Vault Hunter, equipment loadout, and skill build during the campaign and add-on content.

Does the PC version support local split-screen?

Native PC split-screen is not the standard feature advertised for the Windows versions. The four-player split-screen mode associated with the console collection should not be assumed to work on PC without unofficial workarounds.

Is a SHiFT account required?

The Steam bundle indicates that one or more included products may require a third-party SHiFT account. SHiFT is associated with account-linked rewards and codes, while Steam handles the storefront authentication and installation layer.