If you’ve been counting down the days until the next chaotic looter-shooter entry drops, you’re probably already wondering if your current setup can handle all the cell-shaded explosions, co-op chaos, and millions of weapon variants Gearbox has teased. If you’re a long time fan of the franchise, you know that Borderlands games are famous for running on even lower-end setups, but the jump to current-gen only hardware means the bar is a little higher this time around. We’ve compiled every confirmed and rumored official detail around Borderlands 4 specs, from minimum PC requirements to optimized console performance targets, so you don’t get stuck staring at a loading screen on launch day. This guide pulls directly from official Gearbox statements and hands-on playtest reports to give you the most accurate info available right now.
Confirmed Minimum Borderlands 4 Specs for PC
The minimum specs are designed for players who want to run the game at 1080p resolution on low settings, with a stable 30fps frame rate during solo play. The required components are surprisingly accessible for most players who have bought a PC in the last 6 years: an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, a NVIDIA GTX 1650 4GB or AMD RX 570 4GB GPU, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and 75GB of free storage space. SSD storage is non-negotiable for minimum performance, even if all your other components meet the listed requirements.
We’ve seen a lot of misinformation floating around online about HDD support, but multiple Gearbox devs have confirmed that HDDs will not be supported, even for minimum settings. The game’s open world zones are twice as large as those in Borderlands 3, so fast load times are necessary to avoid pop-in and mid-game stutters that would break the flow of combat. If you’re running this minimum setup, you’ll want to turn off post-processing effects like motion blur and ambient occlusion to keep frame rates steady during 4-player co-op sessions, as multiple players on screen at once will put extra strain on your CPU and GPU.
Recommended PC Specs for 1080p/60fps and 4K Play
If you want to experience the game the way devs intended, with high settings and stable frame rates even during chaotic boss fights, the recommended specs will be your target. For 1080p 60fps on high settings, you’ll need an Intel Core i7-10700K or AMD Ryzen 7 5700X CPU, a NVIDIA RTX 3060 8GB or AMD RX 6650 XT 8GB GPU, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM, plus the same 75GB of SSD storage. If you’re building a new PC specifically for this game, these Borderlands 4 specs will give you a smooth experience for all play styles, including solo, co-op, and endgame raids.
For players who want to run the game at 4K 60fps with high settings and ray tracing enabled, the requirements jump a bit higher. You’ll need an Intel Core i9-12700K or AMD Ryzen 9 7900X CPU, a NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti or AMD RX 7900 XT GPU, and either 16GB of DDR5 RAM or 32GB of DDR4 RAM. Ray tracing features only work on compatible AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, so if you have an older card you won’t be missing out on any core visual features anyway. If you’re the type of player who likes to mod their games or install high-res texture packs, you’ll want to bump your storage up to 100GB total, as most popular texture packs add 20-25GB of extra file size. Also, if you plan to run the game with multiple mods active, you’ll need an extra 4GB of RAM to avoid crashes during intense combat sequences.
Console Performance Specs for All Supported Platforms
Console players don’t have to stress about matching individual components, but it’s still good to know what performance to expect from your current console. Gearbox has officially confirmed that the game will only be released for current-gen consoles, so PS4 and Xbox One players will need to upgrade or play on PC to join in on launch day. For PS5 and Xbox Series X players, there are two separate performance modes to choose from depending on your display setup. 1080p/120fps or 1440p/60fps with dynamic resolution scaling is available for performance mode, while quality mode runs at 4K 30fps with ray tracing enabled for more immersive lighting effects. Xbox Series S players will get performance mode at 1080p 60fps and quality mode at 1440p 30fps, with no ray tracing support to keep frame rates stable on the less powerful hardware.
Each console platform also has a few exclusive performance perks that you won’t find on other versions:
- PS5 players get access to DualSense haptic feedback for every gun type and explosion effect, so you can feel the difference between a shotgun blast and a sniper rifle shot
- Xbox Series X/S players get cloud sync support for saves across console and PC if they buy the Game Pass edition, so you can switch between devices without losing progress
- All console versions support 4-player local split-screen co-op without frame drops on quality or performance modes, a feature that was heavily requested by fans after Borderlands 3’s spotty split-screen performance
Easy Tips to Optimize Performance Even If You Don’t Meet Specs
If your current setup is just a little below the minimum requirements, you don’t have to rush out and buy a whole new PC to play the game. There are a few simple tweaks you can make to boost frame rates enough to get a playable experience, even if you don’t hit the official specs. First, turn off all background apps before launching the game. Apps like Discord, Chrome, and streaming software can take up 2-4GB of RAM that the game needs to run smoothly, and closing them down takes less than a minute before you start playing.
A common mistake a lot of players make is turning all settings down to low at once, but that can actually hurt your performance in some cases. For example, lowering anti-aliasing below TAA can cause visual glitches that force your GPU to work harder to render, so it’s better to leave that setting on medium even if you’re running a lower-end setup. The setting that makes the biggest difference to performance is draw distance, so turn that down to low first: you barely notice a difference in most Borderlands levels, since most action happens within 50 meters of your character. You should also make sure you have enough free space on your SSD: if your drive is more than 90% full, it will run slower, which can cause load time issues even if all your other components are up to par. Avoid installing the game on an external HDD, even if you have extra space there, as external drives have much slower read speeds that will cause constant stutters and long load times.
At the end of the day, you don't need a top of the line setup to enjoy everything the next Borderlands entry has to offer. Most mid-range builds from the last 5 years will hit at least 30fps on low settings, and console players don't have to worry about tweaking any settings at all to jump right into the action. We'll update this guide as soon as Gearbox releases any new official details about Borderlands 4 specs, so you can be fully prepared for launch day whenever it arrives. If you're still unsure if your setup will work, you can always use free online performance checkers that scan your components against official requirements to get a personalized performance estimate before the game drops.