Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is an upcoming high-fantasy looter shooter from developers Gearbox, and it’s set to offer a D&D-style twist to the popular Borderlands formula.
Fans can expect all the cel-shaded madness and polarizing humor the Borderlands universe is known for, but the spin-off also offers major changes to help it stand out from Gearbox and 2K Game’s biggest franchise. If it’s anything like the accomplished Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, fans of the bonkers Borderlands universe have good reason to be excited.
Here’s everything you need to know about Tiny TIna’s Wonderlands, including details on its release date, story, gameplay and more.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands release date
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is slated to launch in early 2022, as confirmed during Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest before E3 2021. According to Take-Two Interactive’s earnings report, fans may even get their hands on the Borderlands spinoff as early as January.
Take Two’s new pipeline shows that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is set to launch between Jan – March 2022. pic.twitter.com/U296hR2cxKAugust 2, 2021
As spotted by reliable analyst Daniel Ahmad, the publisher’s quarterly earnings report revealed Gearbox’s looter-shooter will arrive in Q4 of the 2022 fiscal year. This means the official launch could land sometime between January 1 and March 31.
Gearbox has yet to confirm a specific date, and it usually releases its mainline Borderlands games during the holiday season, making it difficult to pinpoint how early to expect a release. Judging by the many game delays of 2021, we’re leaning more toward March (assuming Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands isn’t delayed anytime soon).
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will be available on multiple platforms, including PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, and PC.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands story
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland is a spin-off to Borderlands; it is some sort of continuation of the well-liked Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. Don’t expect any talk of Vault Keys or Eridian artifacts, but since Tiny Tina is involved with spinning the adventure as a dungeon master, do expect an unpredictable story.
The announcement trailer dropped some big casting names, including Andy Samberg as Captain Valentine, Wanda Sykes as Frette the Robot, Will Arnett as the Dragon Lord, and Ashly Burch as Tiny Tina. There’s big talent involved, leading us to believe the story won’t just be a conventional side quest, but rather, it will put players on a journey to stop the tyrannical Dragon Lord.
During the Gearbox E3 2021 showcase, senior producer of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Kayla Belmore revealed the game has a standalone plot, meaning gamers who didn’t play Borderlands don’t need to play it to understand the story.
Players can also expect wyverns, goblins, and more to be some of the big enemies of Tiny Tina’s “chaotic fantasy world,” so expect a story with more fantasy elements rather than the usual sci-fi. Gamers can also expect the crazy amount of guns Borderlands is known for. According to the trailer, Butt Stallion will also be making a return.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands gameplay
The D&D-styled first-person shooter is expected to include a campaign, four-player co-op, and a bunch of endgame content intended to keep players engaged. In fact, GamingBolt spotted that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands will have “repeatable end-game content.” Apparently, gamers will be able to create their own characters, unlike the usual main characters available in every Borderlands game.
As we now know, players can create their very own multiclass hero from scratch to battle against wyverns, goblins, skeletons, wizards, and the Dragon Lord himself. We can also expect guns, magic, and broadswords as our main weaponry, with Gearbox claiming gamers will “shoot, slash, and cast your way through outlandish monsters and loot-filled dungeons.”
We have yet to see any official or leaked gameplay, but it’s expected to follow the same Borderlands RPG shooter-looter gameplay mechanics, but this time with a dash of swords and magic.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands PC minimum and recommended requirements
Borderlands isn’t known for its demanding specs, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands isn’t expected to be any different. Borderlands 2 impressively made its way on the PlayStation Vita back in the day, while Borderlands 3 was made available on macOS a month after its initial launch. Chances are you’ll have a laptop ready to play the spinoff.
We expect PC requirements to be similar to Borderlands 3. The minimum requirements include an AMD FX-8350 or Intel i5-3570 CPU, 6GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon HD 7970 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 2GB GPU. Recommended specs include an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Intel i7-4770 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 590 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GPU.
As you can tell, there’s no Nvidia RTX 30 Series in sight, so don’t fret about needing a pricey upgrade to play Tiny TIna’s Wonderlands (yet).
Outlook
Gearbox offered only a teaser of what to expect once Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands launches in the early months of 2022. From what we’ve seen, the game will appeal to first-person looter-shooter fans and D&D players who enjoyed Tiny Tina’s first foray into the genre.
While we would have liked to see more gameplay shown during the Gearbox E3 showcase (which this writer found abysmal), we’re sure to get a better look in the coming months leading to its launch. While we wait for further updates, check out the best PC games to play right now.
