Nvidia has given a disappointing announcement about Borderlands 4’s performance on the eve of the game’s launch. At least on PC, some players may struggle to run the game according to a new update from the GPU maker.
Borderlands 4 PC Requirements Are Brutal According to NVIDIA
Borderlands 4 is launching on PC and consoles starting Friday, September 12, 2025. However, on the eve of its release, Nvidia has given users an update about the game’s performance on its GPUs. While the tech company is touting its latest features, the blog post has left some players worried that they will struggle to run the first-person shooter. For example, Nvidia states that players need to use DLSS and Multi Frame Generation to achieve higher frame rates.
“Our newest DLSS innovation, DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, generates up to three additional frames per traditional frame, multiplying performance significantly, for the fastest gaming possible at the highest resolutions and detail levels. GeForce RTX 50 Series owners can multiply Borderlands 4 frame rates by up to 5.5X using DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation.” Nvidia then provided a chart showing the game hitting 250 FPS with the features turned on, which multiplies frames by 5.5.
If we are doing the math correctly, that means Borderlands 4 roughly runs at 45 FPS at 4K with a GeForce RTX 5090 if you have these features turned off. That’s quite remarkable, considering it is one of the top-of-the-line GPUs currently available on the market.
I mean, the card goes for $1,999.99 to $2,399.99. Now granted, not all players will be playing the game at 4K with max settings. But the fact that the best PC hardware can’t hit 60 FPS at launch has some players worried about the game’s overall optimization.
B4 Has Had Performance Issues in the Past
This isn’t the first time Borderlands 4 has had reports of performance issues. For example, an early preview of the Switch 2 edition reported that the port was struggling to maintain 30 FPS. The same report stated that the game could barely have more than four enemies on the screen at once. Although, to be fair, this is the Nintendo Switch 2 we are talking about here. While I love my console, it’s not exactly known for its specs.
However, when 2K recently demoed Borderlands 4 on Conan O’Brien’s Clueless Gamer show, the game actually crashed multiple times. Interestingly, the segment revealed they were playing the PC version on Steam. In an awkward moment on the show, a warning pop-up read “The game has crashed more than once recently. Restoring default settings may fix the issue.” However, it could have been an early build of the game and not the final version. Regardless, a major AAA title crashing during a promotional video isn’t a great look.
Before we get all doom and gloom, Borderlands 4 reviews have so far been pretty positive. The game currently sits at 84 on Metacritic with 63 reviews. Still, a few reviews did mention that the PC version requires great specs to run well. So that still lines up with Nvidia’s latest blog update.
Basically, if you want to run Borderlands 4 with high-end settings, expect to have an expensive PC rig. Of course, it should be noted that so far, there haven’t been any reports of the game having major performance issues on consoles. However, that’s also because all reviews were conducted on PC, which is interesting, to say the least.
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