Borderlands 4 PC Performance Review: Initial Impressions and Optimization Challenges

Borderlands 4, the latest installment in the popular franchise, has hit the PC gaming scene with familiar performance hiccups, a common trait observed in previous Borderlands titles at launch. Despite the distinct cel-shaded art style and the series' characteristic humor, players are encountering frequent stutters, hitches, and generally suboptimal frame rates. While a post-release patch addressed some initial crash-to-desktop issues, the game still demands significant optimization. This report details performance across various hardware configurations, offering insights into the challenges and potential solutions for achieving a smoother gameplay experience.

Detailed Performance Report: Borderlands 4 on PC

Initial assessments of Borderlands 4’s PC performance reveal a mixed bag, with both cutting-edge and entry-level systems grappling with optimization issues. Testing was conducted on two distinct setups: a high-specification gaming rig featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and 32GB of DDR5-6400 RAM, and a minimum-specification machine equipped with an Intel Core i7 9700K, a Radeon RX 5700 XT, and 16GB of DDR4-3200 RAM.

On the top-tier system, running the game at 4K resolution with the 'Badass' preset (maximum settings) without upscaling or frame generation yielded disappointing results, often hovering around 40 frames per second indoors. Even after implementing DLSS Performance mode, which significantly boosted frame rates and reduced freezing, the game remained largely CPU-bound, indicating a bottleneck not easily resolved by GPU power alone. Venturing into open-world environments, while not as detrimental to performance as anticipated, still introduced periodic hitches and stutters, and even occasional crashes.

For the minimum-spec PC, playing at 1080p with the 'Low' quality preset, the game surprisingly managed a playable, though inconsistent, experience. While not consistently hitting 60 frames per second, the visual quality was unexpectedly decent. Activating FSR Quality upscaling further enhanced performance, making the game more fluid, albeit with a slight visual fuzziness and noticeable input lag. However, in expansive outdoor areas, the CPU utilization frequently maxed out, leading to pronounced and frequent stutters, a clear indication that Gearbox's minimum CPU recommendations are indeed accurate.

A comparative analysis with earlier Borderlands titles showcased a significant increase in hardware demands for Borderlands 4. While previous games ran smoothly on the minimum-spec test rig at maximum settings and 1080p, the latest iteration necessitates lower detail settings and upscaling techniques for comparable performance. This shift suggests a substantial leap in graphical complexity and engine requirements that older hardware struggles to meet. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has previously acknowledged these demands, stating that the game's expansive, seamless world requires modern hardware for optimal performance, a sentiment echoed by community feedback regarding the game's initial optimization state.

The launch of Borderlands 4 serves as a potent reminder of the ever-evolving landscape of PC gaming hardware and software. While it's disheartening for players with older systems to face performance challenges, it underscores the continuous push for more graphically ambitious titles. Developers must strive for a balance between cutting-edge visuals and broad accessibility, ensuring games are optimized across a spectrum of configurations. For players, this highlights the importance of managing expectations and, if possible, investing in hardware that keeps pace with modern gaming demands, or patiently awaiting further post-launch optimizations. The journey towards a perfectly smooth Borderlands 4 experience seems to be one that will unfold over time, with ongoing patches and driver updates.