Performance Concerns Surrounding Borderlands 4
Last week, Borderlands 4 made its much-anticipated debut, garnering impressive numbers and largely favorable reviews on Steam. However, the launch has sparked a lively discussion among players regarding the game’s performance, particularly on PC. A segment of the gaming community has expressed dissatisfaction with the apparent necessity of utilizing DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and frame generation technologies to achieve satisfactory performance, even on top-tier hardware.
In response to these concerns, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford has taken to social media to defend the game’s performance, asserting that it is “pretty damn optimal.” He emphasized the importance of leveraging the tools provided by the studio and acknowledged that some trade-offs are inherent in the gaming experience. On the PC platform, many titles now incorporate real-time upscaling technologies, such as Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, which enhance performance by generating additional frames through deep learning algorithms.
Initially, when DLSS was introduced approximately six years ago, players criticized it for producing blurry visuals, despite its potential for performance enhancements. Over time, however, advancements in this technology have significantly improved image quality, with DLSS 4.0 now capable of delivering sharp visuals and substantial performance gains—provided the user possesses a sufficiently powerful graphics card. Yet, some gamers, including myself, have begun to voice concerns that modern studios may be designing games with a reliance on these upscaling technologies, rather than optimizing them in the traditional sense.
Upon the release of Borderlands 4, players quickly reported subpar performance on PC. In response, Gearbox issued updates that, in my experience, yielded some improvements. The company also shared an optimization guide from Nvidia tailored to various GPU configurations. While these resources helped some players achieve better performance, many, including myself, continued to encounter difficulties even with high-end setups. For instance, despite using a 5080 GPU, I experienced significant frame rate drops while attempting to play at 1080p on medium settings, struggling to maintain 60 FPS.
Things took a turn for the better when I followed Gearbox and Nvidia’s recommendations to enable DLSS and frame generation. This adjustment allowed me to run Borderlands 4 at a mostly stable 120 FPS with most settings adjusted to high and medium. The visual quality is commendable, and the gameplay is enjoyable; however, a growing number of players are dissatisfied with the notion that a game released in 2025 requires upscaling assistance to function optimally on high-end hardware.
Compounding the situation, Pitchford recently engaged in a lengthy Twitter thread where he encouraged players to utilize DLSS, labeling it as “great,” and noted that the game was designed to take advantage of this technology. His comments, particularly the assertion that it was acceptable for developers to focus on default settings achieving only 30 FPS, did not resonate well with many PC gamers. These enthusiasts invest in high-performance components specifically to enjoy high frame rates at elevated resolutions. Pitchford’s remarks suggested that Borderlands 4 was developed with the expectation that most users would rely on DLSS, raising concerns that the game may not have been adequately optimized for standalone performance.
While I acknowledge the impressive capabilities of contemporary DLSS and frame generation tools, it feels disconcerting that titles like Borderlands 4 and others, such as Alan Wake 2, necessitate reliance on upscaling technology, even for users equipped with the latest hardware. In a recent analysis, the tech experts at Digital Foundry expressed disappointment with Borderlands 4‘s performance on PC, with one commentator remarking that it seemed to underperform relative to other Unreal Engine 5 titles.
Pitchford has assured players via Twitter that further updates are forthcoming, promising enhancements to the game’s performance on PC. He has also dedicated time to assist players in optimizing their gaming experience, asserting that performance issues are not as widespread as some might suggest. Personally, I find myself longing for the days when games could seamlessly run on high-end systems without the need for multiple upscaling solutions. It appears that I am not alone in this sentiment.
The Borderlands 4 PC Performance Fiasco, Explained
Performance Concerns Surrounding Borderlands 4
Last week, Borderlands 4 made its much-anticipated debut, garnering impressive numbers and largely favorable reviews on Steam. However, the launch has sparked a lively discussion among players regarding the game’s performance, particularly on PC. A segment of the gaming community has expressed dissatisfaction with the apparent necessity of utilizing DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) and frame generation technologies to achieve satisfactory performance, even on top-tier hardware.
In response to these concerns, Gearbox co-founder and CEO Randy Pitchford has taken to social media to defend the game’s performance, asserting that it is “pretty damn optimal.” He emphasized the importance of leveraging the tools provided by the studio and acknowledged that some trade-offs are inherent in the gaming experience. On the PC platform, many titles now incorporate real-time upscaling technologies, such as Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR, which enhance performance by generating additional frames through deep learning algorithms.
Initially, when DLSS was introduced approximately six years ago, players criticized it for producing blurry visuals, despite its potential for performance enhancements. Over time, however, advancements in this technology have significantly improved image quality, with DLSS 4.0 now capable of delivering sharp visuals and substantial performance gains—provided the user possesses a sufficiently powerful graphics card. Yet, some gamers, including myself, have begun to voice concerns that modern studios may be designing games with a reliance on these upscaling technologies, rather than optimizing them in the traditional sense.
Upon the release of Borderlands 4, players quickly reported subpar performance on PC. In response, Gearbox issued updates that, in my experience, yielded some improvements. The company also shared an optimization guide from Nvidia tailored to various GPU configurations. While these resources helped some players achieve better performance, many, including myself, continued to encounter difficulties even with high-end setups. For instance, despite using a 5080 GPU, I experienced significant frame rate drops while attempting to play at 1080p on medium settings, struggling to maintain 60 FPS.
Things took a turn for the better when I followed Gearbox and Nvidia’s recommendations to enable DLSS and frame generation. This adjustment allowed me to run Borderlands 4 at a mostly stable 120 FPS with most settings adjusted to high and medium. The visual quality is commendable, and the gameplay is enjoyable; however, a growing number of players are dissatisfied with the notion that a game released in 2025 requires upscaling assistance to function optimally on high-end hardware.
Compounding the situation, Pitchford recently engaged in a lengthy Twitter thread where he encouraged players to utilize DLSS, labeling it as “great,” and noted that the game was designed to take advantage of this technology. His comments, particularly the assertion that it was acceptable for developers to focus on default settings achieving only 30 FPS, did not resonate well with many PC gamers. These enthusiasts invest in high-performance components specifically to enjoy high frame rates at elevated resolutions. Pitchford’s remarks suggested that Borderlands 4 was developed with the expectation that most users would rely on DLSS, raising concerns that the game may not have been adequately optimized for standalone performance.
While I acknowledge the impressive capabilities of contemporary DLSS and frame generation tools, it feels disconcerting that titles like Borderlands 4 and others, such as Alan Wake 2, necessitate reliance on upscaling technology, even for users equipped with the latest hardware. In a recent analysis, the tech experts at Digital Foundry expressed disappointment with Borderlands 4‘s performance on PC, with one commentator remarking that it seemed to underperform relative to other Unreal Engine 5 titles.
Pitchford has assured players via Twitter that further updates are forthcoming, promising enhancements to the game’s performance on PC. He has also dedicated time to assist players in optimizing their gaming experience, asserting that performance issues are not as widespread as some might suggest. Personally, I find myself longing for the days when games could seamlessly run on high-end systems without the need for multiple upscaling solutions. It appears that I am not alone in this sentiment.