Later this week, one of the year's biggest and most highly anticipated games, Borderlands 4, is scheduled to release across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 on September 12. It's the newest mainline entry in the beloved co-op looter shooter franchise since 2019's Borderlands 3, and the first one to come since 2022's Tiny Tina's Wonderlands spinoff.
With four new Vault Hunters to play as, an ocean of character skills to learn and master, billions of loot drops to collect and experiment with, a fresh story campaign set on the newly introduced world of Kairos, and more, it looks to be the most ambitious Borderlands yet. But for PC players, there's a bit of a problem to be concerned about.
When Borderlands 4's official PC system requirements and specs were announced in June, they were revealed to be surprisingly demanding — the biggest surprise being that, at minimum, you'll need an 8-core CPU, despite the vast majority of other games only requiring processors with six. The need for NVIDIA's RTX 2070 or AMD's RX 5700 XT is noteworthy, too, as is the 100GB storage requirement.
Steam's May hardware survey showed over half of Steam's users would need to upgrade their CPU to play Borderlands 4, and based on data from August's survey, that hasn't changed.
Notably, some are hopeful that the game will still be playable even if it's run on a system that doesn't meet its requirements. New comments from Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford, however, have all but dashed those hopes completely.
The Day 1 patch does a lot! That said, the expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable. That the game runs at all on your system is a miracle. That you can get 55 - 60 fps out of heavy combat is actually incredible given how the engine and…September 6, 2025
On Saturday afternoon, Pitchford took to social media to address criticisms of Borderlands 4's performance made in a recent preview of the game, explaining that players shouldn't expect the looter shooter to run well — or at all — if they're attempting to play it on a PC that doesn't meet its requirements.
It's important to note that there was initially some confusion about the author's exact specs, and that the worst performance issues they experienced were fixed after a faulty power supply was replaced. However, Pitchford's statements are still relevant to highlight for those worried about how Borderlands 4 will run.
"The Day 1 patch does a lot! That said, the expectation for using a below-min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable," Pitchford explained. "That the game runs at all on your system is a miracle."
"It's a big, bold, new, seamless world, and I'm sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming," he continued.
Indeed, on a technical level, Borderlands 4 is a huge step up for the series; not only does it sport better visuals than any Borderlands before it, but it also made the move to Unreal Engine 5 and features a seamless open-world map without any loading screens — even when fast traveling across it.
It's a big, bold, new, seamless world, and I'm sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming.
Still, if you're using an older gaming rig or out-of-date components, it isn't very pleasant to hear that Borderlands 4 has little to no wiggle room with its PC requirements. As Steam hardware surveys routinely show, tons of PC gamers still play on outdated hardware; if they want to enjoy Gearbox's latest title, they'll be forced to make upgrades.
The good news, though, is that Borderlands 4 seems to be at least worth the effort. Previews for the game have been near-unanimously positive in the days and weeks leading up to its upcoming launch times, with my colleague Michael Hoglund even asserting that it looks to be "the return of the looter-shooter king" after going hands-on himself.
Not only does the core gameplay experience seem more fluid and enjoyable than ever before, but Gearbox has also detailed much of Borderlands 4's endgame, highlighting everything from the return of the high-risk, high-reward Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode to weekly challenges, contract missions, and a Moxxi’s Big Encore Machine feature that makes farming bosses for loot drops a breeze.
Ultimately, everything I've seen of the game beyond its high PC requirements has looked fantastic, so I'm hopeful that the day one patch is effective and that the game plays well for the fans who are able to meet them.
Ultimately, everything I've seen of the game beyond its high PC requirements has looked fantastic, so I'm hopeful that the day one patch is effective and that the game plays well for the fans who are able to meet them.
Only time and reviews will tell, however, but we'll know soon enough since reviews are dropping on Wednesday and Borderlands 4 will start unlocking for many come the morning of September 11.
Borderlands 4 is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (Steam, Epic Games), PS5, and Nintendo Switch 2 for $69.99. Those willing (or able) to play on Steam can pick up the game for a cool $10 discount or so, as it's available for just $60.69 at Loaded (formerly CDKeys) at the moment.
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