Key Highlights:
- Borderlands 4 is to finally arrive for the Nintendo Switch 2, as per a leaked listing.
- The game will be offered in a Game Key Card option, which means that you only get a code.
- Don’t expect the game to run very well.
The previously delayed Borderlands 4 port for the Nintendo Switch 2 finally appears to have a finalized release date, as spotted by a Portuguese retailer. The Switch 2 port was expected to be released within a month of the PC and console releases, but was delayed indefinitely.
Given how poorly the entire game performs across both console and PC, it does make you wonder if a Switch 2 port is even a good idea. To make matters worse, the physical copy has one fatal flaw as well.
Borderlands 4 for the Switch 2 Spotted on Portugese Retailer Site
As spotted on GamingReplay, Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 4 is currently up for pre order. This Portuguese site mentions a pre reserve condition, with a launch expected on February 27, 2026.
The game is priced at around 70 USD, which seems about what you’d expect from a modern AAA release, even if that isn’t an indicator to its quality.
Founder Randy Pitchford’s game was expected to be released for the Nintendo Switch 2 on 3rd October, 2026, but performance concerns caused it to be delayed, and players might finally have a way to play the game.
Although, this might be far from the best way to play the game. More so when you consider that this is a Game Key Card that includes no proper physical copy.
Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
Borderlands 4 was a perfectly serviceable entry into the Borderlands series, and one that was often enjoyable. Unfortunately, that game was built on top of the dreaded Unreal Engine 5 game engine, which meant it performed horrifically.
This was immediately evident with its PC system requirements, which couldn’t even hit stable frame rates with an Nvidia RTX 5090 (assuming you turn off DLSS; which shouldn’t be mandatory on a card this powerful anyway).
The game in general also suffers from periodic stutters, which makes it unpleasant to play for extended periods of time. Not even consoles were spared, and Borderlands 4 runs quite poorly on the PlayStation 5 as well.
This caused a stream of negative posts online, which wasn’t taken too kindly by Randy Pitchford, who suggested players upgrade their PCs instead. Obviously, this wasn’t a good excuse for poor optimization, and the team at Gearbox Software have been working on performance fixes since.
The game is also basically unplayable on the Steam Deck, suffering from low framerates, stuttery frame times and a really poor level of visual consistency. In other words, it manages to both look terrible and run like a hot mess.
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Given how close the Nintendo Switch 2 is in comparison to the Steam Deck (in terms of overall power/performance output), it has absolutely no chance of standing up to the game’s lofty demands.
The Nintendo Switch 2 also has 4 less gigabytes of system RAM when compared to the Steam Deck, which makes for a very unfortunate predicament, in a title that is notoriously VRAM heavy.
Expect the Switch 2 port to run at 720p (or lower, taking into account dynamic resolution scaling), and maintain a rather blurry presentation thanks to the heavy use of DLSS upscaling.
Barring the lowered visuals, a target of over 30 frames per second is likely not on the cards. Even then, expect the game to not hit this target, and be interrupted by frequent stutters.
Borderlands 4’s track record has been quite poor so far, and I wouldn’t get my hopes up, unless the team manages to pull a miracle.
