All the right pieces were in place for Borderlands 4 to be one of the biggest hits of the year, and very possibly the return to form the franchise needed after the lukewarm reception to 2019's Borderlands 3. The four new Vault Hunters all looked distinct, the concept of the series' first open world was exciting, and the promise of a more grounded tone was exactly what most fans wanted. Before launch, the future of Borderlands 4 looked very bright indeed.
Borderlands 4 is now out, and while all of those pieces are there in the final product, they're all marred by some major technical issues. While these performance problems are mostly affecting PC players, Borderlands 4's console ports aren't free of noticeable FPS dips, blurry textures, and a slew of other minor and major issues that affect moment-to-moment gameplay. But launch is just the first step of what is sure to be a very long road for Borderlands 4.
Launch Is Just The Beginning for Borderlands 4
Borderlands 4's First Update Is a Fine Start
Though the game's foundations are incredibly solid and most fans are generally very happy with the latest entry in the long-running looter shooter franchise, the performance issues surrounding Borderlands 4 at launch are severely affecting its reception and many players' enjoyment of the game. Thankfully, developer Gearbox is already attempting to right the ship.
Borderlands 4 received its first update on September 13, just a day after its worldwide launch. According to Gearbox's official patch notes, this update was intended to "help improve stability for a wide range of PCs." The developers also provided links to Borderlands 4's tech support page, and links to optimization guides for those using Nvidia or AMD graphics cards.
At the end of the patch notes, Gearbox stated that it's "just getting started," and that it's "continuing to read your feedback, planning additional updates and will have more details to come." Given how rough Borderlands 4's performance is nearly a week out from launch for many players, it's great news that more updates are on their way. But these issues are going to take some time to fix.
While PC performance seems to be Gearbox's number one priority right now, and rightfully so, Borderlands 4's PS5 and Xbox Series X versions would still benefit from a few patches of their own. It's very likely performance patches will become a regular sight during the first few weeks following Borderlands 4's launch.
Borderlands 4's Post-Launch Roadmap Is Already Jam-Packed
But the launch and subsequent performance patches are just the first few steps on the very long road currently in front of Borderlands 4. At the end of August, Gearbox presented fans with a rather detailed post-launch roadmap for Borderlands 4, one that's packed with content beyond even Q1 2026.
In Q4 2025, players can expect the following content updates in Borderlands 4:
- 'Horrors of Kairos' Seasonal Mini-Event that adds free legendary weapons, cosmetics, and a new weather variant
- Bounty Pack 1 — a paid DLC that adds new missions, a new boss, new cosmetics, and a new vehicle
- Invincible Boss 1 — a free high-level boss variant and arena, new legendary weapons, and a new Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode level
Then, in Q1 2026, Borderlands 4 is set to receive the following content updates:
- Bounty Pack 2 — another paid DLC that adds new missions, a new boss, new legendary gear, new cosmetics, and a new vehicle
- Pearlescent weapon rarity (free addition)
- Story Pack 1: Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned — a paid DLC that adds a new playable Vault Hunter, new main story missions, a new map zone, new side missions, new legendary gear, and a ton of new cosmetics
Gearbox has also confirmed that a second Story Pack, two more Bounty Packs, and more Invincible Bosses will be added after Q1 2026. These are some somewhat lofty ambitions, but if Borderlands 4 can fix its performance issues and deliver on these post-launch promises, it's certain to live a long life.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
