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With so many disastrous launch problems, is there any reason to have hope for Borderlands 4?
The release of a new Borderlands game should be a time of celebration for its community. Instead, the launch of Borderlands 4 has been clouded by serious technical problems. Players who eagerly awaited the game are now talking about getting their money back. The main complaints are about poor performance on powerful computers and the missing option to change the camera view on consoles, which is making some players feel sick. This guide will walk you through the issues people are facing, explain what they mean for you, and help you decide if you should buy the game now or wait for the developer to fix it.
PC Performance Issues Lead to Refund Demands
Many PC players feel that Borderlands 4 is broken. Even those with very expensive, high-end computers are reporting that the game does not run smoothly. This is not just a small problem; it is making the game unplayable for a large number of people. Across internet forums like Reddit and the game platform Steam, the mood has shifted from excitement to disappointment. Threads with titles like “Time for a refund” are becoming common. Players are not just complaining; they are actively sharing pictures of their refund receipts to show they are serious. They are warning other potential buyers to hold off on purchasing the game until major updates are released.
The issues range from low frame rates to complete game crashes. A low frame rate, or FPS, means the action on screen looks choppy and jerky instead of smooth. In a fast-paced game like Borderlands 4, where quick reflexes are important, this can ruin the experience. It makes aiming difficult and can turn an exciting firefight into a confusing slideshow.
One player on Reddit, Skye7821, shared a very telling story. They bought the game to play on a top-tier computer, featuring some of the most powerful parts you can buy, like an RTX 5090 graphics card. They expected a flawless experience. Instead, they found that the game would crash whenever they switched to another program. After this happened, the game would instantly crash every time they tried to start it again, trapping them in a “crash loop” that made it impossible to play at all. This is a severe bug that prevents the game from even starting, which is a fundamental failure for any software.
Another user, AceCustom1, experienced a different but equally problematic issue. They could not get the online mode to work correctly. When they finally managed to play in the offline mode, they discovered the game ran poorly. It was stuck at 60 frames per second, which is a standard many high-end PC gamers expect to exceed easily, and it suffered from huge performance drops whenever they swapped weapons. This kind of stuttering breaks the flow of combat and makes the game feel unresponsive and clunky. These problems are happening on computer hardware that should be able to run the game without any trouble, which points to a problem with the game’s core programming.
The frustration is visible everywhere. J_Gaming89 posted on the social media platform X, showing a screenshot of their approved refund request. They wrote, “Woohoo, I got my refund for Borderlands 4. I wished I could enjoy the game, but man, they need to optimize it better with updates.” This sentiment is echoed by another user, Zantor, who shared a video of their gameplay session falling apart due to glitches and bad performance, stating simply, “My experience with Borderlands 4 so far… Needless to say I’ve just submitted my Steam Refund.” When even players with powerful hardware combinations report hitting only 80 FPS on high settings, calling it “a joke,” it signals a deep-rooted optimization problem.
Console Players Face a Motion Sickness Nightmare
While PC players struggle with performance, console players on PlayStation and Xbox are facing their own unique set of frustrating issues. The most significant complaint is the complete lack of a Field of View (FOV) slider. An FOV setting lets you adjust how wide your character’s view of the game world is. Think of it like the zoom on a camera. A narrow, fixed FOV can make the game feel claustrophobic, as if you are looking through a tunnel.
For some players, this is more than just an annoyance; it is an accessibility issue that can cause motion sickness. A Reddit user named DarkoShad0w started a popular discussion about this very problem. They explained, “I have motion sickness both when playing in VR and games that have narrow FOV, the base FOV of borderlands 4 is 60 (or it seems 60) which is disappointing.” They felt sick while playing and were frustrated that the developer had not acknowledged the issue or promised a fix. Many others quickly agreed, with one user adding, “Idk why this is getting downvoted, people can get motion sickness! FOV sliders are important!”
To make matters worse, console versions of Borderlands 4 also force players to use motion blur. This is a visual effect that blurs the screen during fast movements to simulate how our eyes perceive motion. While some people like it, many find it disorienting and prefer to turn it off. In Borderlands 4, there is no option to disable it. The combination of a locked, narrow FOV and forced motion blur is a recipe for headaches and nausea for a significant portion of the player base.
It is highly unusual for a major shooter game released in 2025 to lack such basic and critical accessibility options. Gamers on X have been calling out the developer directly. RedBeard posted, “hey I just got home from work and there’s NO fov slider on console for borderlands 4?? WHY, I’m used to playing at 110 fov and this feels awful. WHY!!!!!” Another player named Chase summed up the feelings of many console users: “Why in the year 2025 are we releasing a game on console that has no fov slider, runs below 60 fps, mediocre graphics, and FORCED MOTION BLUR?!? It actually hurts my head to play for longer than an hour.”
How Gearbox is Responding
The developer, Gearbox, is aware of the complaints. Their initial response has been to publish optimization guides for PC players. They are asking players to try adjusting their graphics settings and then continue playing for at least fifteen minutes before deciding if the changes worked. The developer explains that this wait time allows the game’s shaders—small programs that control how light and surfaces look—to recompile and settle in.
This is a reasonable request on the surface. Sometimes, games do need a little time to stabilize after graphics settings are changed. However, many players feel this response misses the point. When a viral video from a user named NikTek shows an RTX 5090, one of the most powerful graphics cards available, struggling to maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution, the issue clearly runs deeper than simple settings adjustments. These optimization problems seem to be baked into the game’s engine, and no amount of user-side tweaking can fix a flawed foundation. The response can feel like the developer is putting the responsibility on the player to fix a problem that is not their fault. For now, this response has not been enough to calm the community’s concerns.
Is There Still a Good Game Here?
Beneath the thick layer of technical issues, the core of what makes Borderlands special is still present. The game features the snappy movement, wildly imaginative weapons, and unique brand of humor that the series is famous for. When the game works correctly, playing with friends in co-op mode can be incredibly fun. The thrill of finding a powerful new weapon and battling strange enemies with your friends is the heart of the Borderlands experience.
However, a game’s potential does not count for much if it is too broken to enjoy. The launch day saw a peak of around 200,000 players online at the same time, showing a massive amount of initial interest. But when that excitement quickly gives way to a wave of refund requests, it signals a major problem for the game’s long-term health.
There is a reason for hope. Gearbox has a history of supporting its games long after release. They have fixed problematic launches in the past with patches and updates. It is very likely that they will work to address the performance problems and add missing features like the FOV slider. The question is how long that will take. Until then, many vault hunters are choosing to keep their money and wait for a more stable version of the game. If you are thinking about jumping into the world of Borderlands 4, it may be wise to wait a little while. Your best bet is to monitor the news for updates from the developer and see if they can fix the glitches that are currently holding the game back.