Borderlands 4 – PC Optimization Guide
Posted by Karan Parmar | September 12, 2025
Tuning Borderlands 4 for the best performance isn’t as straightforward as flipping everything to “Ultra.” The game is flashy, chaotic, and heavier on hardware than you’d expect, especially once the screen fills with enemies, effects, and loot explosions. I’ve tested every major setting across different setups to see what actually makes a difference and what’s just draining frames without adding much to the experience. This guide breaks down which options are worth turning down, where you can keep the eye candy, and how to push smoother frame rates whether you’re running a budget GPU or a high-end rig.
My Test Rig
Tested On:
- CPU: Intel Core I5-13600K @ 5.10 Ghz (6 P-cores + 8 E-cores)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB (Desktop)
- RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000MHz
- SSD Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1TB NVMe M.2 5000MBps
- Resolution: 1080p / 1440p
Ultra vs Optimized – Comparison
I tested Borderlands 4 at both Ultra and Optimized presets to see how much performance you can gain without sacrificing too much visual quality. Ultra gives you the absolute best visuals but can be demanding during heavy firefights, while Optimized trims the fat and keeps the game looking great while running noticeably smoother.
Performance Results:
- 1080p Ultra – Native DLAA – 20 FPS avg
- 1080p Ultra – DLSS 4 Quality – 28 FPS avg
- 1080p Optimized – Native DLAA – 48 FPS avg
- 1080p Optimized – DLSS 4 Quality – 75 FPS avg
- 1440p Ultra – Native DLAA – 12 FPS avg
- 1440p Ultra – DLSS 4 Balanced – 22 FPS avg
- 1440p Optimized – Native DLAA – 32 FPS avg
- 1440p Optimized – DLSS 4 Balanced – 59 FPS avg
Visual Fidelity Comparison:
My Optimized Settings
| Graphics Settings | Ultra | Optimized | Reason |
| Upscaling Method | DLSS | DLSS | Best Upscaler For Quality |
| Upscaling Quality | Native (DLAA) | Quality Mode (1080p) Balanced Mode (1440p) Performance Mode (2160p) | Sharper Visuals & Higher Framerate |
| Scene Capture Quality | Full Resolution | Full Resolution | Map & Inventory Quality (No Impact) |
| Frame Generation | OFF | OFF | Avoids Input Lag and Visual Artifacts |
| Nvidia Reflex Low Latency | OFF | ON | Reduces System Latency |
| HLOD Loading Range | Far | Far | Avoids Object Pop-in |
| Geometry Quality | High | Medium | FPS Boost with Minor Quality Loss at Distance |
| Texture Quality | Very High | Medium | High Textures Use More Than 8GB VRAM |
| Textures Streaming Speed | Very High | High | Less Load on GPU |
| Anisotropic Filtering Quality | x16 | x8 | Small FPS Boost |
| Foliage Density | Very High | Medium | Big FPS Gain, Very Demanding |
| Volumetric Fog | Very High | Medium | FPS Boost with Minor Quality Loss |
| Volumetric Cloud | Very High | High | FPS Boost with Minor Quality Loss |
| Shadow Quality | Very High | Medium | Big FPS Gain, Very Demanding |
| Directional Shadow Quality | Very High | High | Small FPS Gain, Quality Remain Identical |
| Volumetric Cloud Shadows | Enabled | Disabled | Big Impact on Performance |
| Lighting Quality | Very High | Low or Medium | Big FPS Gain, Extremely Demanding |
| Reflections Quality | Very High | Low or Medium | Big FPS Gain, Extremely Demanding |
| Shading Quality | High | Low | Stable FPS During Combat, Less Micro Stutters |
| Post-Processing Quality | Very High | Medium | Avoids Unnecessary DOF & Distortion Effects |
| Motion Blur Amount | 0.5 | 0.0 | Clearer Image, No Unnecessary Blur |
| Motion Blur Quality | Very High | OFF | Clearer Image, No Unnecessary Blur |
Performance Insights
- Borderlands 4 is insanely demanding, and from what I’ve seen, its PC port isn’t optimized well at all. Even on high-end GPUs, frame rates in 4K fall below 30 FPS in many scenes.
- The use of Nanite and Lumen (with real-time lighting by default) seems overkill given the game’s art style. It’s a visually cartoonish world, where baked lighting would make more sense. These features drop FPS for little visible gain.
- CPU load is really high. My i5-13600K (14 cores) is often at 60-70% usage even when the screen isn’t doing much. If simple scenes are this heavy, more complex ones become a nightmare.
- VRAM usage is off the charts for what are essentially cartoon textures. On Ultra texture quality at 1080p, the game easily eats 10+ GB of VRAM. With 8GB GPUs, even medium textures are pushing limits; anything higher causes issues.
- Stuttering, frame drops, and lag are very noticeable when entering new areas or during explosions, combat, particle effects, etc. The frametime is stable in some calm scenes but in action-packed ones it’s full of spikes.
- RAM usage is also insane: expect 18-20 GB+ RAM usage even on 1080p with fairly moderate settings. 16GB users will definitely feel it.
- The game relies heavily on upscaling and frame generation to even be playable. Native rendering at any resolution; even with Low settings, struggles to maintain 60 FPS. DLSS, FSR, or XeSS are practically mandatory, and without them the game feels broken.
- Post-launch Day-One patch helped with crash stability and some optimization, but didn’t fully resolve the low FPS & stuttering in outdoor or particle-heavy zones.
- From what I saw, visuals are good in art design, lighting and colors, character models, etc., but it doesn’t feel like fully polished AAA in terms of performance. There are moments of “wow”, but too many moments where the tech just can’t keep up.
- My optimized settings still seem to be one of the best ways to enjoy the game. They give you balanced visuals with smoother performance: less lag in action, fewer stutters, and overall more consistent FPS.
Closing Summary
Borderlands 4 is still the same wild, chaotic looter-shooter at its core, packed with explosive action, over-the-top humor, and tons of loot to chase. But on PC, the experience is dragged down by some of the worst optimization we’ve seen in a UE5 title yet. For a game with such a stylized, cartoonish look, the hardware demands feel completely out of place, with native performance struggling even on the most powerful GPUs. Heavy reliance on upscaling and frame generation only reinforces the sense that the engine wasn’t built with Borderlands in mind. If you’re willing to tinker with settings or use optimized presets like mine, you can still enjoy the game with smoother performance, but the fact that it requires this much effort is disappointing. Borderlands 4 should be a celebration of the series’ return, yet its technical flaws make it tough to fully recommend right now. With patches and optimization fixes, it could become the definitive Borderlands experience. Until then, it’s a fun but frustrating ride that shines in gameplay but falters in execution.
Buy the Game
You can purchase Borderlands 4 from the following official platforms:
Support the developers and dive back into the mayhem of Pandora, where outrageous guns, wild co-op chaos, and over-the-top humor make Borderlands 4 a loot-filled ride like no othe.
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