Terminally ill Borderlands fan who doesn't know if he "will be around for Borderlands 4" has been able to play the game early: "It was amazing"

A player holding up a mask in the upcoming Xbox Series X game, Borderlands 4.
(Image credit: Gearbox Software)

A terminally ill Borderlands fan has been able to play what Gearbox has made of Borderlands 4 "so far" after being flown out for a studio tour, which he says "was an amazing experience and it was just awesome."

Last month, 37-year-old Caleb McAlpine took to Reddit, sharing that he'd been diagnosed with "late stage 4 terminal cancer" in August with potentially seven to 12 months to live if chemotherapy couldn't slow its progression, and less than two years even if his body responded well to the treatment. "I am a die hard Borderlands fan and don't know if I will be around for Borderlands 4," he said at the time. "Is there anyone that knows how to get in touch with Gearbox to see if there is a way to play the game early?"

Not long after, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford confirmed that "we're going to do whatever we can to make something happen," and thanks to an update post from McAlpine, we now know that it's happened. "So Gearbox flew me and a friend down first class the 20th of this month and we got to tour the studio and meet an amazing bunch of people from some of the devs of all of the Borderlands games up to Randy the CEO," he begins.   

Just an update, Thank you everyone from r/borderlands3

"We got to play what they have for Borderlands 4 so far and it was amazing. I don't know if I will be around when the game comes out but I just want to say thank you to all of you for all of your love and support and for helping in making this happen. It truly was an amazing experience and it was just awesome."

Speaking to GamesRadar+ over email last month, McAlpine told us he'd been "floored" by Pitchford's offer, and said: "I never expected anything like this. It almost felt like a dream to be honest." His GoFundMe campaign to fund his treatment has also seen a huge surge in support since his initial post in October, having now surpassed his goal of $9,000 – it's at $12,255 at the time of writing. 

Wrapping up his latest post, McAlpine reiterates how grateful he is: "Thank you everyone."

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

Read more
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
"Don’t gaslight me": Borderlands 4 CEO Randy Pitchford begs fans to be optimistic about the upcoming FPS, otherwise "we'll all pay the price"
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is "testing Borderlands 4 on Steam," and just wanted to check and see if you can tell
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 debuts at The Game Awards with a proper gameplay trailer showcasing the new Vault Hunters
A mask in front of flames during the upcoming PS5 game, Borderlands 4.
Borderlands 4 CEO wouldn't call the shooter an open-world, but it is the "most open and free" game Gearbox has ever made
Borderlands 4 Big in 2025
Toilet humor, open-worlds, and "billions" of weapons: Borderlands 4 is pushing the looter-shooter series further than ever before
Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4: Everything we know so far
Latest in Borderlands
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 release date set for September, and Gearbox has a dedicated reveal show coming this spring
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters
Gearbox didn't set out to create an open-world game with Borderlands 4, but the FPS does have "open-world-like features, such as seamless travel between zones"
A mask in front of flames during the upcoming PS5 game, Borderlands 4.
In addition to "billions" of weapons, Borderlands 4 has "the deepest and most diverse skill trees" of any game in the series
A screenshot of the upcoming PC game, Borderlands 4.
Borderlands 4's tone sits somewhere between the first two games, which probably means less Skibidi Toilet and more Handsome Jack-style antics
One of the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4 moves beyond Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands as Gearbox promises "billions of weapons and accessories"
Borderlands 4 Vault Hunters
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is "testing Borderlands 4 on Steam," and just wanted to check and see if you can tell
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog