How each one plays with four people
Diablo IV: a shared open world where your party moves through dungeons and events together, with enemies scaling so nobody is left out. It handles a party arriving at different levels gracefully, which matters when one friend plays more than the others.
Borderlands 3: a campaign you play through as a squad, with the option for everyone to get their own loot rather than fight over drops. It is more structured - you are progressing through a story together rather than roaming - and it is at its best when the group plays the campaign in roughly the same order.
The friend who plays more than everyone else
Every loot game has this problem and they solve it differently. Diablo IV's scaling means a higher-level friend can still play with you without trivializing everything, and cross-progression means they can dip in from any device.
Borderlands 3 is a campaign, so a friend who races ahead has spoiled and skipped content for the group. Agree in advance whether people play solo between sessions - it is the single biggest determinant of whether a group finishes it together.
Cost, and what four copies really means
Borderlands 3 is the older game and discounts heavily, often to a fraction of its launch price, and the Ultimate Edition bundles a large amount of extra content. Diablo IV is the more recent and pricier of the two, with an expansion available on top and seasonal cosmetics for sale.
Neither has a Friend's Pass, so every player buys in - four copies is the real cost of either. Live prices for both are in the table above and refresh daily. Also check what your group's subscriptions already include before buying anything; that check saves more money than any sale, and our Xbox page covers the Game Pass angle.
Which suits which group
Friends on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Diablo IV. Nothing else here is close.
Four friends on one platform, on a budget. Borderlands 3.
A group that plays weekly and likes chasing builds. Diablo IV - the seasons exist for you.
A group that plays occasionally and wants to finish something. Borderlands 3.
Two people on one sofa. Either, thanks to split-screen. Borderlands 3 is the cheaper way to test whether you both like loot games.
A group that wants the deepest long-term co-op RPG. Look wider - our co-op RPGs page puts both against Monster Hunter Wilds and Elden Ring Nightreign.
What about three players?
Both take four and both are fine with three - enemy scaling handles it in Diablo IV, and Borderlands 3 adjusts too. Neither is built specifically for a trio, though. If you are exactly three, our 3-player page has games designed around that number rather than tolerating it.
The verdict
Diablo IV is the better group game because crossplay solves the problem most groups actually have, and cross-progression is a genuine luxury. Borderlands 3 is the better value and the better choice for a single-platform group that wants a campaign with an ending and no ongoing commitment.
Decide by platform first, budget second, and tone third. Then read our PS5 page or PC page to see how each ranks against the rest of what your group could be playing.
