Borderlands 4 is getting a lot of hype right now, but a lot of PC gamers might be left behind because of its demanding system requirements. The minimum specs for the upcoming looter-shooter, which were revealed when the game’s price was announced, have some pretty serious demands, and one in particular might be a dealbreaker for a lot of people: the requirement for an eight-core CPU.
This is a pretty big deal when you consider that a huge portion of PC gamers are still rocking chips with fewer cores. According to a recent Steam hardware survey, over half of all Steam users (50.39%, to be exact) have a processor with six cores or fewer. This means that a large chunk of the PC gaming population won’t even be able to boot up Borderlands 4 on their current rigs, let alone play it at its lowest settings.
Borderlands 4 Is Far Too Demanding Right Now for Regular Players
Now, to be fair, this won’t be an issue for those with high-end systems. But for a ton of players using budget or even mid-range setups, there’s a good chance they’ll need to upgrade their processor just to get the game to run. This isn’t just about a smooth experience; it’s about meeting the absolute minimum required specs to play the game.
I don’t think anyone expected this when the game was revealed at the Summer Game Fest The minimum requirements for Borderlands 4 are as follows:
- OS: Windows 10 or Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
- Storage: 100 GB of available space (on an SSD, which is a key note)
The 8 CPU Cores for a processor. It’s a hard line in the sand, and it’s something that most budget-friendly processors on the market just don’t have. The recommended specs are even crazier, asking for a whopping 32GB of RAM and a GPU like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. This is definitely a game built for modern, powerful hardware, and it looks like it’s taking full advantage of it.
It’s a little unclear why the requirements are so high. The game uses Unreal Engine 5, which is known for its advanced visual rendering and can be pretty CPU-intensive. The developers have also aimed for a seamless open world with no loading screens, which puts a lot of stress on the system to handle data without any hitches.
While other AAA games this year can run on six-core chips, it’s understandable that a game with so much on-screen chaos, with dozens of enemies and explosions, would require a powerful CPU to keep things from turning into a slideshow.
There’s a Day One Patch That Willl Save Everyone
The good news is, there’s a Day One patch coming that is supposed to “do a lot” to help with performance and optimization. Randy Pitchford, the head of Gearbox, has been vocal about this, reassuring players that the studio is confident in the game’s optimization. He’s even said that on minimum-spec PCs with medium settings, players should be able to get an average of 60 frames per second.
He also pointed out that the difference between an SSD and an HDD can significantly impact performance, so that’s something to keep in mind. However, Pitchford also warned players to have “realistic expectations”. He basically said that if you try to run the game on a machine that’s below the minimum specs, you should expect it to be unplayable.
While it’s great that they’re trying to fix things with a patch, it sounds like it’s not going to perform miracles for anyone with a “craptastic potato”. This isn’t a new concept, of course; it’s always been the way of PC gaming that older hardware will struggle with the latest AAA titles. The difference here is how high the bar is set for the minimum.
Source: Randy Pitchford/X
