Following its record-breaking Steam debut with over 304K concurrent players, Borderlands 4’s launch has been overshadowed by PC optimization debates. Despite surpassing franchise milestones, the title’s “Mixed” Steam reviews (67% from 16.5K+ users) highlight widespread performance frustrations.

Gearbox president Randy Pitchford addressed concerns on X, urging players to prioritize frame rates over 4K resolutions. He emphasized that Ultra HD demands robust hardware, recommending 1440p with high settings for smoother gameplay: “If you’re on mid-tier setups, that resolution trade-off is worth it. The visual quality remains stunning.” Pitchford also championed AI upscalers like NVIDIA DLSS, dismissing latency fears as negligible for non-competitive play.

Performance tests reveal even flagship GPUs like NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 struggle to maintain 50 FPS at 4K native settings. Contrary to some player preferences, modern titles increasingly rely on upscaling—evident in console implementations and enhanced PC technologies like AMD’s FSR 4. Despite critiques about Borderlands 4’s optimization, rejecting these tools ignores industry-wide shifts toward adaptive rendering solutions.

Responding to demands for native-resolution excellence, Pitchford replied tersely: “Build your own engine if you’ve cracked the code. Our developers collaborate with leading tech partners—claiming ignorance here is dismissive of their expertise.” While updates to improve performance are anticipated, the studio maintains that leveraging modern techniques remains crucial.

Separately, Gearbox denied rumors of spyware integration, while early mods emerge on Nexus to tweak gameplay and visuals.