Gearbox has announced that a Borderlands 4 patch is dropping today, with PC performance improvements taking center stage. The studio confirmed that addressing performance issues on PC is their “top priority” for this update, though specific timing and full patch notes weren’t provided.
The patch comes as PC players have been wrestling with a range of performance problems since launch. Frame rate drops, stuttering during gameplay, and occasional crashes have plagued even high-end systems. Many players report wildly inconsistent performance that doesn’t match their hardware capabilities.
Volumetric effects appear to be the main culprit behind the performance woes. Players discovered that turning down volumetric fog and cloud settings can boost frame rates by 30 FPS or more. One player with an RTX 4080 noted these two settings alone were tanking their performance when set to ultra.
The stuttering issue goes beyond just low frame rates. Players experience frame pacing problems during traversal and intense combat encounters. Some suspect shader compilation hitches, a common problem in modern PC releases that causes brief freezes as new visual effects load for the first time.
Player experiences vary dramatically across different systems. While some manage 130–140 FPS at 1440p using DLSS and frame generation with tweaked settings, others struggle to maintain stable performance even with better hardware. This inconsistency suggests optimization issues rather than pure hardware demands.
Console players are hoping for their own improvements, particularly FOV sliders and motion blur toggles. The current locked field of view combined with heavy motion blur is causing motion sickness for some players. However, console patches typically require certification from Sony and Microsoft, which could delay these quality-of-life features.
The community has already developed various workarounds while waiting for official fixes. Beyond adjusting volumetric settings, players are experimenting with config file tweaks and community optimization mods. However, many of these unofficial solutions show mixed results, and some config variables may not work as advertised.
