Borderlands 4 review: Greatness spoiled by performance problems

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Borderlands 4 is a great return to the series’ roots, but it can be unstable, with crashes occurring after a few hours of gameplay.

Following the somewhat disappointing release of Borderlands 3, Gearbox seems to be aiming for a more refined experience with this new installment. However, it still retains the core Borderlands feel – including the often-annoying robot, Claptrap. Thankfully, players can now adjust Claptrap’s volume, which many will appreciate, as he’s a bit less frustrating than before.

Borderlands 4 is at its best when it strikes a good balance between being serious and being funny. However, it’s lacking a few important elements, and our PC review shows that you’ll only truly enjoy it if your computer is powerful enough to run it smoothly.

Borderlands 4 screenshots

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What is Borderlands 4 about?

You can choose to play as one of four characters – Amon, Harlowe, Vex, or Rafa – who are captured by the ruthless ruler of the planet Kairos. This dictator uses painful devices called Bolts, implanted into people’s spines, to control the population.

Just when things look bleak, Arjay, one of the two members of the Crimson Resistance, rescues you by breaking the lock that’s holding you captive. Now, you must fight to liberate the land of Kairos from its tyrannical ruler. However, you can’t do it alone – you’ll need to defeat the ruler’s powerful lieutenants and build a substantial rebellion first.

A familiar yet welcome adventure

Borderlands 4 takes a slightly different approach to its story and overall mood, but it still delivers the classic Borderlands experience. While the stakes are higher – this time, it’s the whole planet – you can still expect the same quirky humor, like encountering unpredictable Psychos and taking on bizarre quests, such as helping a missile that just wants to detonate.

You’ll also encounter some returning characters you’ll be glad to see, including Zane, Moxxie, and Lilith. Claptrap makes an appearance, though not as frequently as you might think. Borderlands earns extra credit for bringing them back.

Beneath the wild action, there’s a surprisingly powerful story. The villains are genuinely terrifying, doing awful things like manipulating people’s choices and playing with powers they shouldn’t have, which makes you really despise them. It’s easily one of the most compelling narratives in the Borderlands series, expertly blending over-the-top chaos with meaningful consequences.

Unrivaled combat chaos

The fighting is incredibly satisfying and keeps you hooked. It feels smooth and natural, particularly when you’re soaring through the air and unleashing a barrage of radioactive bullets on enemies, all while the main character considers the environmental impact.

The fast-paced action and movement were a real highlight. I loved using my grappling hook to quickly swing around, unloading bullets into enemies, and then finishing them off with a powerful strike. It was incredibly rewarding, and finding the right weapon made this my favorite part of the game.

Honestly, the boss fights are where the game really shines! They’re tough, but in a way that makes you feel amazing and strong. Everything builds up to the final boss, which… well, that’s where things get frustrating. The game just doesn’t run smoothly enough during that fight, and it really takes away from the experience.

Lost in performance

Randy Pitchford suggested that anyone experiencing performance issues with Borderlands 4 on PC simply needs to upgrade their hardware. However, many players disagree, stating their PCs are perfectly capable and aren’t running poorly.

I make a living reviewing video games, and I have a powerful computer – it has an RTX 3070 graphics card, an i9 12900KF processor, and 32GB of RAM, and I usually play games on medium settings. Despite all that, the game still crashed about every two or three hours.

Borderlands 4 struggles with performance issues. Big fights cause noticeable drops in framerate, and simply exploring the game world often requires pausing because the game frequently crashes or glitches, sometimes even causing the player to fall through the environment.

While performance is a major drawback, the game’s missing mini-map and clunky user interface made me long for the polish of Borderlands 3.

I’m terrible with directions. If you tell me where to go or what to find, I’ll just get lost. If you ask me to go somewhere in the Fadefields, you can be sure I’ll be glued to the mini-map!

Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward way to do this. You’ll have to open the menu, access the map, and then repeatedly correct your course – getting lost and turning around multiple times – before you finally reach your destination. It usually takes about ten tries!

It’s disappointing that Borderlands 4 doesn’t include a mini-map, considering how large the game world is. It feels like a feature that could have really enhanced the experience.

The game’s user interface is frustratingly difficult to use. Comparing weapons, checking skills, or customizing your character requires jumping between many menus and sorting through lots of options, making it harder than it should be.

The system is too complex, looks old-fashioned, and is difficult to use. This makes improving your character or equipping new items after gaining experience feel like a frustrating task.

Verdict

Borderlands 4 had a lot of potential. The story and how the game plays are better than ever before, and the change in the game’s overall feel is a good decision.

The game features incredibly well-developed characters, both good and bad, and its combat is among the most exciting and satisfying we’ve experienced, whether you’re battling enemies or teaming up with friends.

Despite its potential, Borderlands 4 suffers from technical problems, lacks some expected features, and has an old-fashioned user interface, which nearly makes it as flawed as the previous game.

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2025-09-19 15:50