Gamebox has delayed the release of Borderlands 4 for the Switch 2 nine days before launch

Game developer Gearbox has revealed that the release of Borderlands 4 for the Switch 2 will be delayed just days before the planned launch. The company has not revealed the new release date, but anyone who pre-ordered the game digitally will be automatically refunded.

Gearbox also cancelled all digital pre-orders made to date in accordance with Nintendo’s policy. Customers are urged to initiate the pre-orders themselves now or wait for it to happen automatically starting on Friday.

Borderland 4 needs additional development

Greetings, Vault Hunters – We need to share that the release of Borderlands 4 on Nintendo Switch 2 is being delayed. We do not take this decision lightly, but are committed to ensuring we deliver the best possible experience to our fans, and the game needs additional development…

— Borderlands (@Borderlands) September 23, 2025

The video game developer said on Wednesday that Borderlands 4 requires additional development and polish time. The delay came in the wake of the game’s scheduled release on October 3. It’s unusual for a firm to announce a game’s delay just nine days before the planned release, since announcement of game delays typically comes a few months before the planned release.

Gearbox hopes to align the game’s release with the addition of cross saves, which will allow players to transfer their game progress and data between different gaming platforms. The company said it’s already working on the cross-saves, and also realized that they are very important.

The gaming firm promised to update its customers on the new release timing of Borderlands 4 once it has fully adjusted its plans. Gearbox didn’t reveal whether the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4 is still planned to be released in 2025.

Despite a generally positive reception during release, Borderland 4’s Steam reviews currently stand at mixed (67%). Gearbox’s decision to delay the release of the game on Nintendo Switch 2 suggests that the company wants to ensure this version doesn’t suffer a similar fate. The company said it’s committed to ensuring it delivers the best possible experience to its customers.

Borderland 4 experiences performance issues on PC

Borderland 4 launched on September 12, but has been plagued with performance issues on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Players have reported technical issues with the game, such as unstable framerates, stuttering, and crashes, even on higher-end PCs.  

Borderland 4 was also showcased poorly on Nintendo Switch 2 at Gamescom. There are also claims that the game performed poorly at a preview during PAX West, where it had a few hitches, frame drops, and input delays that led to a flurry of issues.

The gaming company’s boss, Randy Pitchford, defended the game against complaints of poor game performance on PC. He argued that every PC player has several tools to balance their preferences between FPS, resolution, and rendering features.

“We have made an amazing and fun and huge looter shooter campaign game. The game is pretty damn optimal – which means that the software is doing what we want without wasteful cycles on bad processes.”

–Randy Pitchford, CEO at Gamebox Software.

One player noted that the game on Switch 2 could barely run at 30fps with 4 enemies on screen in docked mode. The player added that the game had horrendous input delay, and its render resolution was seemingly turned all the way down.

Pitchard said the company has provided more tools to help players make trade-offs in their FPS specifications. He believes that the issues are affecting a very small percentage of users, adding that the company has already fixed many of the issues.

Gearbox released a patch on September 18 that improves the game’s stability on PC. The company also claimed that the patch updates the Glided Glory Pack loot and rewards to offer a more seamless experience.

The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.