The review embargo for Borderlands 4 has lifted, revealing solid scores for Gearbox’s latest looter shooter alongside some notable concerns. Early reviews praise the core gameplay loop and improved co-op mechanics but raise red flags about PC performance and a surprisingly serious tone.
Several major gaming outlets including Eurogamer and PC Gamer didn’t receive review codes in time for the embargo. More importantly, reviewers report that Gearbox only distributed PC versions for testing. This means console performance remains largely untested by professional critics at launch.
The game is earning positive marks for its refined shooting mechanics and class variety. Critics describe the four-player co-op as the best it’s ever been in the series. The consensus points to solid fundamentals that improve on Borderlands 3‘s already tight gunplay.
However, the humor that defined earlier entries appears significantly dialed back. Multiple reviews note that the main campaign takes a more serious approach, pushing most jokes into optional side content. Some reviewers appreciate the tonal shift while others miss the series’ trademark irreverence. The game reportedly contains over 90 side quests, though opinions vary wildly on their quality.
PC performance emerges as the biggest technical concern. Content creator Jackfrags reported struggling to maintain 100 fps at 1440p even with an RTX 5090 and DLSS enabled. His footage shows frequent dips to 70 fps during combat. Steam Deck users face an even rougher experience with reports of 10–30 fps on low settings making the game “barely playable” on Valve’s handheld.
Early PS5 footage from players who obtained retail copies suggests Performance mode runs smoothly near 60 fps most of the time. Quality mode appears less stable according to these early impressions. Console versions reportedly lack a field-of-view slider, a feature many players consider essential.
The endgame also arrives in a questionable state. Veteran Borderlands content creator Joltz noted the absence of raid bosses at launch, calling it a confusing decision given the series’ focus on post-campaign farming. While the game offers reasons to replay different classes, the traditional endgame loop appears underdeveloped compared to previous entries at release.
