Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford has responded to complaints about Borderlands 4’s performance on personal computers. In a recent post on X, he called the game a “premium title for premium gamers” and recommended that players with older hardware get a refund if it doesn’t run well.
Borderlands 4 launched on September 11, 2025, and quickly reached a record 252,530 players on Steam. However, it has received mixed reviews, with many PC users reporting low frame rates and crashes.
The game’s system needs include a strong graphics card like the Nvidia RTX 3080 for the best experience, which has left some players frustrated.
Pitchford explained that while the game works on consoles the same for everyone, PC setups vary a lot.
He suggested that players with hardware from three or four years ago can still get good results by adjusting settings, like turning down the resolution or disabling special visual effects. He compared trying to run the game on very old computers to using a weak engine in a big truck.
“If you find out your computer can’t handle the game well and you don’t want to tweak the options, please use the refund on Steam instead of having a bad time,” Pitchford wrote. He also shared tips for better performance, such as using features like DLSS on Nvidia cards or FSR on AMD cards to boost speed.
This isn’t the first time Pitchford has spoken about the game’s demands. Before launch, he warned players to have realistic expectations, saying older or lower-end computers might not perform as well. Gearbox released a patch shortly after launch to fix some issues and improve speed on PC.
Fans have mixed reactions to Pitchford’s comments. Some agree that the game is made for newer machines and appreciate the refund advice, while others feel Gearbox should have optimized it better for more computers.
Despite the issues, the game has strong sales, and many players enjoy its action-packed gameplay and story.
Borderlands 4 is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Gearbox continues to work on updates to make it smoother for everyone.
