‘Borderlands 4’ fans aren’t impressed with the state of the game

Borderlands 4 is finally out but some fans aren’t impressed with the long-awaited looter shooter sequel.

The sequel to 2019’s Borderlands 3 launched overnight for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is also in the works, but won’t launch until October 3.

A string of reviews have praised Borderlands 4, which currently has a “generally favourable” score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic. “Borderlands 4 is a masterpiece. For all the hours I have already played, I could easily see myself putting in another thousand over the years,” wrote Xbox Era. 

“Borderlands 4‘s extensive endgame offerings and smooth co-op multiplayer experience will keep me coming back to the game for months on end. The series has officially returned to looter shooter glory,” said ScreenRant in their glowing review. 

You’re telling me Borderlands 4 is good and they actually dialed down the reddit humor to have serious and dramatic scenes from time to time? You’re telling me the game is actually funny sometimes? Zanzibart has been forgiven?

— Dreamboum: GOAT Ship Fan (@Dreamboum) September 11, 2025

“Borderlands 4 is a badass open-world evolution of a wonderfully unhinged looter-shooter series that needed to try something new, and it largely nails the biggest swings it takes,” said IGN. 

Fans have also praised the more serious tone of Borderlands 4 after the “wacky humour” of 3. 

Thoughts on @Borderlands 4.

Gameplay feels good. Love the new traversal mechanics. Did a few side quests in my session and they felt great to do (and we’re actually funny). Laughed more in 3 hours than I did the entirety of Borderlands 3. Bodes well for the rest of the run! 😁

— Cohh Carnage (@CohhCarnage) September 11, 2025

However, a number of fans are furious about issues with performance, graphics and bugs that are throughout the game. Because of that, Borderlands 4 currently has a “mixed” score on Steam, based on more than 5000 player reviews. “It doesn’t matter how good the game is. AAA devs deserve low reviews on their games until they learn to release working titles. Indie devs release working games but multi million dollar companies can’t? Pathetic,” wrote one frustrated fan. “Terrible optimisation. Another Unreal Engine 5 casualty. Not worth buying in its current state unless you have a NASA PC,” said another. 

The Borderlands 4 launch has Nintendo Switch 2 fans worried after Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford confirmed that the Switch 2 version won’t look as polished as it does on other consoles.

Recently, Fortnite boss Tim Sweeney explained why some blockbuster games have such an issue with performance. “The primary reason is the development process. Many developers begin by developing games for high-end hardware, then optimize and test on lower-spec devices in the final stages. Ideally, optimisation should be implemented early,” he said at a recent panel. 

In other news, the latest update for EA Sports College Football 26 adds marching band covers of Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore and Charli XCX classics to the soundtrack.