Borderlands 4 launched on September 12, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S and even though the initial reviews for gameplay, art and design were fairly positive, there is a lot of the criticism concerning the performance – both PC and console versions are seeing constant crashes, stability and performance issues.
Despite the cutting-edge features the game offers, it is shockingly demanding and even very powerful modern hardware struggles. According to some user the performance can be inconsistent while running at max settings at 1440p or 4K even when DLSS/ frame-generation is enabled. Others say that even at lower settings, there are frame dips, stutters, texture pop-ins and frequent crashes. Also, users report long shader compilation times, both at startup and when changing settings. Many users report crashes and instability even on mid-to-high-end gear.
On consoles, there are reports that performance degrades the longer you play without restarting due to memory leaks or similar issues. Console versions have fewer graphical settings and also features like FOV slider are missing at launch. This limits what players can do to mitigate frame pacing or comfort issues.
Two updates have already been released, aimed at improving stability, fixing crashes and performance issues, but according to some players, the latest one, caused further issues. Gearbox seems to be aware of these issues and said the following on Twitter: “Stuttering issues should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile in the background while playing. If you’re still experiencing issues after 15 minutes of continuous play, you can also clear your shader cache via your video card manufacturer’s approved method.” Some users say that the issues exist even after they followed these steps.
As for PS5 and Xbox Series X, the ability to adjust field of view was added, as the latter can affect how players perceive performance, but issues like frame drops (especially in long sessions) are still being reported.
If Gearbox keeps up with the updates and optimization, many of the major problems might be resolved over time.
