Borderlands 4 is unplayable on Steam Deck, but what about ROG Ally?

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Title released globally: Borderlands 4, developed by Gearbox Software and 2K, now supports PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Known for its high system requirements on PC, I was intrigued to explore its performance on handhelds from day one. These impressions are drawn from the game’s opening hours; it’s possible that later sections may run less smoothly, but these findings represent my initial take on Borderlands 4 on Steam Deck and ROG Ally.

Borderlands 4 Steam Deck impressions

As a dedicated gamer, I was skeptical about diving into Borderlands 4 on the Steam Deck given its demanding PC requirements. I had hoped it might be playable, albeit with significant upscaling. However, even cranking down every setting to the absolute minimum with Ultra Performance upscaling, the game barely managed frame rates between 6 and 20 fps. In moments of non-combat, I observed frames reaching up to 25fps, but combat performance was less impressive, ranging from 14 to 20 fps at best.

On the positive side, Borderlands 4 does offer 16:10 support, HDR on Steam Deck OLED, and a clear, readable UI with an accessible on-screen keyboard for text entry. Yet, the performance leaves much to be desired and is far from satisfactory.















In my testing of numerous games powered by Unreal Engine 5, I’ve discovered that Texture Super-Resolution (TSR) usually provides the most effective upscaling. However, it should be noted that the overall quality leaves much to be desired. While you might want to experiment with other options, I found TSR to be the only one offering a visually acceptable output, given all factors taken into account.

Borderlands 4 Steam Deck recommended settings

Currently, my advice leans towards avoiding Borderlands 4 on Steam Deck for now. It’s better to hold off until there are patches and official announcements regarding Steam Deck support. If you’re determined to play despite the poor performance, I suggest fine-tuning your aim with the right trackpad set to function like a mouse for precision. Additionally, enable the back buttons for L3 and R3 (pushing into the sticks) as these actions will be frequent in gameplay, making it easier and more convenient to use the back buttons instead.









Borderlands 4 ROG Ally impressions

For gamers utilizing PC platforms, Borderlands 4 performs an initial shader compilation upon launch. On my ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, the game launched at a default setting of Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) with Quality upscaling at 1080p. Initially, I experimented with the lowest settings, specifically 720p with TSR at Ultra Performance, while playing at 25W. Despite these minimal settings, I managed to maintain a frame rate between 30 and 45fps, even in multiplayer sessions. However, in busier areas, the frame rate dipped to the lower 30s or higher 20s. In summary, Borderlands 4 is almost playable on ROG Ally Z1 Extreme at 25W, leaving me curious about its performance on the more advanced ROG Ally X model.

At this moment, I suggest playing Borderlands 4 only if you possess a ROG Ally or higher-tier system and can activate turbo mode. In contrast, I would advise against playing it on Steam Deck. I plan to revisit my assessment of the game in a few months or upon the release of any significant updates.

The game Borderlands 4 can now be played on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and computers (both Steam and Epic Games Store). On October 3, it will also become available for the Nintendo Switch 2.

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2025-09-11 22:26