“Borderlands 4,” the latest addition to Gearbox Entertainment’s long-running looter shooter franchise, has confirmed an October 3 release date for the Nintendo Switch 2, less than a month after the wide platform release on September 12.
While this is positive news for franchise fans who’ve already gotten their hands on Nintendo’s brand-new handheld, considering past “Borderlands” games have taken as long as a year to port — some have been disappointed by the details of performance.
“Borderlands 4” will reportedly run at 30 frames per second on the platform, compared to the new norm of 60fps on performance-focused consoles of the current generation. While the news is sure to disappoint some fans with high hopes for the new console’s performance on AAA titles, such caps are necessary for energy efficiency on a handheld device like the Nintendo Switch 2.
Resolution-wise, the game is expected to run at 1080p on a docked device, while handheld gameplay will reduce to 720p. Again, this is a lower resolution than offered on some other platforms, but it is not a drastic reduction for the heavily stylised visuals of the “Borderlands” franchise.
Like on other platforms, the Nintendo Switch 2 edition will support local and online coop gameplay for up to four players. Gearbox has also confirmed cross-save functionality, meaning your progression will be shared across any platform you purchase the game on.
“Borderlands 4” will once again follow a band of four vault hunters, this time blasting bad guys and chasing loot on the planet of Kairos, instead of Pandora.
The next entry in the series seemingly follows familiar beats that fans have come to love, but offers some new features in the form of expanded movement systems, ability buildcrafting and a stronger focus on a seamless open world.
Alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 news, Gearbox has recently released gameplay of two of the playable characters, Rafa and Vex.
“Borderlands 4” will release on PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on Friday, September 12 and Nintendo Switch 2 on Friday, October 3. You can preorder it on your platform of choice here.