Borderlands 4 Gets Review Bombed On Steam

Borderlands 4 reviews are starting to roll out, and overall the reaction among critics has been immensely positive. However, players on Steam are having very different reactions that are not exactly surprising when looking at other recent major releases.

The Borderlands 4 Steam review page is packed full of negative reviews citing performance-related issues. In the game’s opening hours of its release, it dipped quickly into Mostly Negative reviews before correcting back to Mixed at the time of this writing. This follows a trend we’ve seen in recent games that are not fully optimized, especially for PCs that don’t meet minimum requirements.

Borderlands 4 Gets Dozens Of Negative Steam Reviews

Steam Reviews Indicate Performance Is A Huge Problem On PC

Borderlands 4 reviews across the board among critics have indicated a return to greatness for the franchise, but Steam players are having a hard time experiencing the gameplay due to issues with performance. User Rej stated that the game has “Terrible optimization” and calls it “Another Unreal Engine 5 casualty,” citing a common trend in recent AAA games using Unreal 5.

Steam user Satan Clause calls it “Stutterlands 4,” and goes on to argue against Randy Pitchford’s (CEO of Gearbox) statement on X that players need to have realistic expectations about their equipment and how modern games using Unreal 5 will run.

Pitchford highlights that below-spec rigs will struggle with running the game, and that it might be time for players who want to enjoy games like Borderlands 4 to upgrade their equipment. However, some Steam users such as Battlemanish are still experiencing poor performance even with PCs that meet or exceed specified requirements.

Borderlands 4 Reviews Follow Recent Trends

Good Game, Bad Performance Is The Mantra For 2025 AAA Titles

Borderlands 4‘s bad Steam reviews are not representative of console players, who by and large have not faced the same performance snafus. This is a completely unsurprising result given contemporary releases like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Monster Hunter Wilds, and countless other games that released using Unreal 5.

Ultimately, with the way modern games are being developed, Pitchford’s statement rings true to some extent. Issues with performance are likely to continue on many more games in the coming months and years, and it may be time for players to consider upgrading their PCs or lowering expectations for how new games will perform.

Poor Borderlands 4 performance on below-spec equipment is a predictable problem, and it’s one that will not go away anytime soon given how modern video games are developed. While it’s unfortunate that many players are unable to enjoy Borderlands 4, it’s clear that anyone not facing performance struggles love the game.