Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford wants "everyone to have realistic expectations for performance" ahead of launch: "This is a big, open AAA game and lower end and older hardware may not perform as well"

Borderlands 4
(Image credit: Gearbox)

Borderlands 4 is almost here – the upcoming looter shooter is finally set to launch this week (unless you're on Switch 2), and Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford wants to give everyone on "lower end and older" PCs some "realistic expectations for performance."

It has been confirmed that a day-one patch is in the works for Borderlands 4, which, in a new series of Twitter posts, Pitchford says "does a lot!" Even so, it won't work miracles.

"The expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable. [...] It's a big, bold, new, seamless world and I'm sorry to say that older hardware may not provide buttery smooth performance for the latest gen AAA games, as has always been the case since the dawn of PC gaming," he states.

Elaborating on this a bit further, Pitchford explains that in collaboration with Gearbox's engineering team, publisher 2K's quality assurance team "sets the standard and 2K QA reports indicate that they are able to achieve 60fps average with minimum spec PC on typically medium settings." Of course, "different PC configurations will vary," and "HDD vs SDD is also a factor for the hitching."

Pitchford continues: "Yes, Day One patch has some key improvements and optimizations. I just want everyone to have realistic expectations for performance. This is a big, open AAA game and lower end and older hardware may not perform as well as higher end, modern PC's."

If you're at all uncertain about how your PC will handle Borderlands 4, the Gearbox boss says he's "asked for some assets to be generated to show a range of specifications and how they perform with different settings to help users decide."

Overall, though, he concludes: "We're confident in the game's performance and optimization – especially given what the software is doing under the hood!"

"We tend to commit to the bit": Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse.

Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.