Borderlands 4 Sales ‘A Little Bit Soft’ Due to PC Technical Issues, Take-Two Boss Says, but He’s Confident It Will Catch Up
Take-Two Interactive expects Borderlands 4 to recover commercially after a bumpy PC launch, with CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledging that early U.S. sales were “a little bit soft” because of technical problems, while expressing confidence the game will make up ground over time.
Speaking ahead of the company’s quarterly results, Zelnick said the initial drag on sales was tied to performance and optimization hiccups that surfaced immediately at release. “There was a little bit of softness out of the gate on the U.S. sales side,” he noted, adding that as patches roll out and word-of-mouth stabilizes, “in the fullness of time we’re convinced it’ll all be made up.”
Strong Engagement Meets a Rough PC Start
Internally, Take-Two characterized the debut as a mix of standout engagement and nagging tech setbacks. Borderlands 4 drew high critical marks and surged to the largest concurrent player count on Steam in franchise history during its opening weekend. It also shot to the top of streaming charts at launch, amplifying its visibility across video platforms and livestreams.
At the same time, optimization on PC proved to be a sticking point. Players reported uneven performance—even on higher-end rigs—prompting many to drop settings while still struggling to lock in desired frame rates. Gearbox has been rolling out updates aimed at smoothing performance, addressing stuttering, and tightening overall stability. The studio also suggested that players give the game a short window after changing graphics settings to let things settle, a workaround that underscored the need for ongoing tuning.
Console Quirks and Quality-of-Life Fixes
Console users encountered their own frustrations, with some reporting degrading performance during extended sessions. Early tensions were further stoked by the absence of a field-of-view slider at launch. Subsequent patches have added FOV options and delivered a raft of optimizations across platforms, reducing the most disruptive issues for many players.
Community Sentiment vs. Commercial Reality
While user reviews skewed mixed in the launch window—reflecting both enthusiasm for the core looter-shooter loop and irritation with technical problems—the sales picture remained comparatively strong. Industry tracking indicated Borderlands 4 was the best-selling premium title of September 2025 in the United States and ranked as one of the year’s top sellers to date based on revenue. The game also notched the highest launch-month dollar sales in Borderlands franchise history, suggesting that appetite for a mainline sequel remains substantial despite the turbulence.
Updates, Balance Passes, and What’s Next
Gearbox’s most recent updates delivered balance adjustments across all platforms and continued performance improvements on PC. Post-launch support is set to continue with seasonal mini-events and additional playable content, including new vault hunters, as the team works to further stabilize and enrich the experience.
The publisher reiterated its long-term outlook: with continued patching and community engagement, Borderlands 4 is expected to hit strong lifetime unit sales. That confidence rides on the franchise’s resilience, visible player interest, and the pace of technical fixes since release.
A Candid Message to Players
Amid the early outcry, Gearbox leadership addressed the community directly, acknowledging frustrations and pledging rapid updates. In a particularly frank stance, players who remain unhappy after the recent wave of fixes were encouraged to consider requesting a refund—an unusual but pointed gesture signaling the studio’s willingness to stand behind its ongoing improvements.
For now, the immediate priorities are clear: keep the patches coming, steady performance on PC, maintain parity across platforms, and rebuild sentiment as upcoming content rolls out. If Take-Two’s projections hold, the sales curve may flatten the rocky start—and Borderlands 4 could ultimately land where the publisher believes it belongs.
