Despite achieving the biggest launch in franchise history and debuting as the third-highest selling game of 2025, Borderlands 4 has disappointed Take-Two Interactive‘s sales expectations. CEO Strauss Zelnick squarely blames the game’s troubled PC release for the underperformance.
Table of Contents
Launch Performance Breakdown
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Opening Week Sales | ~2-5 million copies (estimated) |
| Steam Concurrent Peak | 300K+ players (franchise record) |
| US Sales Ranking | #3 best-selling game of 2025 |
| Critical Reception | 82 Metacritic score |
| Steam Rating | Mixed (50% negative in recent month) |
| Franchise Total | 99 million units (fell short of 100M target) |
The PC Performance Disaster
The game faced severe optimization problems on PC at launch, with players experiencing FPS drops, stuttering, and load-in issues, even on systems exceeding recommended specifications. The backlash intensified when Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford called the PC version “pretty optimal” and told unhappy players to develop their own games if dissatisfied.
“The critical acclaim was superb, and we’re really happy with the release,” Zelnick stated. “Equally, as you know, there were some challenges with the Steam release.”
Missing the 100 Million Mark
Before launch, Randy Pitchford predicted Borderlands 4 would push the franchise past 100 million units “easy,” but the series remains at 99 million sales—a symbolic miss that underscores the impact of technical issues on purchase decisions and refunds.
The situation was compounded by PlayStation data showing Borderlands 4 dropped from #3 to #14 in downloads month-over-month, suggesting dissatisfaction extended beyond PC players to console audiences facing similar optimization problems.
Long-Term Recovery Plan
Recent patches have improved performance by double-digits, and Take-Two remains confident in the game’s lifetime sales potential. With the first major DLC pack launching November 20 and a delayed Switch 2 version still coming, the publisher expects catalog sales to compensate for the weak launch.
However, maintaining a “Mixed” Steam rating two months post-launch signals ongoing player frustration—a cautionary tale about the cost of launching unoptimized AAA titles in an era where performance expectations have never been higher.
FAQs
How many copies did Borderlands 4 sell at launch?
Estimated 2-5 million copies in the first week, with franchise total reaching 99 million units.
What caused Borderlands 4’s poor PC performance?
Severe optimization issues including FPS drops, stuttering, and crashes that persisted despite high-end hardware configurations.
