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Gearbox acknowledged reports of worse performance after the September 25, 2025 Borderlands 4 update and said its stuttering could come from shaders compiling in the background. Its first recommendation was to play continuously for at least 15 minutes; if stutter persisted, clear the shader cache using the graphics-card maker’s approved method. That is useful first-line advice, not a guarantee that every later performance problem has the same cause.
What happened after the September 25 update?
The update aimed to improve stability and performance, listing fixes for hitching, low frame rates and crashes. At the same time, Gearbox acknowledged reports that some players saw reduced performance after installing it and said further stability and performance work remained under investigation. The dated patch notes are reproduced by SteamDB.
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Gearbox’s explanation for the stuttering reports it addressed was background shader compilation. Its notes said: “Stuttering issues should resolve over time as the shaders continue to compile in the background while playing.” Treat this as the developer’s explanation for that post-update issue, not proof that all stuttering—especially persistent or later cases—is caused by shaders.
First, give shader compilation time to finish
Gearbox’s PC troubleshooting guide says shader compilation usually takes about 10 minutes on most PCs. The guide also advises allowing at least 15 minutes before evaluating performance, and Gearbox’s separate September 13 update says graphics-setting changes can require up to 15 minutes of shader recompilation.
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- After a game update or graphics-setting change, stop adjusting settings while you test.
- Play continuously for at least 15 minutes, then check whether the hitching has eased.
- If the stutter remains, move on to the cache and system checks below rather than assuming it will eventually disappear.
Repeatedly changing graphics options during this test can trigger recompilation again, making it harder to tell whether the original shader work has finished.
If stuttering continues, try these checks
Clear the shader cache using the GPU maker’s method
Gearbox’s PC guide gives vendor-specific cache-clearing directions for NVIDIA and AMD. For NVIDIA, it identifies the DXCache location; for AMD, it points to the Reset Shader Cache option in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition. Follow the guide and current instructions from your GPU vendor rather than using a third-party cleaner. Cache clearing can affect shaders used by other programs, too.
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- Out-of-This-World Adventure – Stranded on a lunar space station, Hugh encounters Diana, a mysterious android resembling a young girl. While searching for a way back to Earth, they fight to survive against Bots directed to “neutralize” intruders.
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Check drivers and graphics settings
Install a current graphics driver, then use Gearbox’s guide to review GPU and resolution settings appropriate to your system. The guide dates from September 2025, so its specific driver-version references should not be treated as current recommendations.
Verify the game and narrow down software conflicts
Gearbox also recommends verifying the game files and disabling overlays as troubleshooting steps. If those checks do not help, consult the Borderlands support site for the issue tracker or submit a support ticket with your system information.
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Shader stutter is not the only reported performance issue
Timing and scope can help distinguish temporary shader compilation from another problem. Stutter that starts after an update or settings change and improves during the first 15 minutes fits Gearbox’s shader-compilation explanation. Performance that remains poor afterward needs further troubleshooting; the explanation alone does not identify its cause.
There was also a separate, character-build-specific issue: an October 2025 update addressed reports that some Harlowe/Gravitar builds caused slowdowns. That is distinct from the general post-update shader stutter and may be relevant if the slowdown is tied to those builds.
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Later optimization work did not establish a universal fix
In its December 11, 2025 major update notes, Gearbox described ongoing performance optimization and reported measured frame-rate improvements of 9%–20% on minimum- and recommended-spec PC hardware. Those are Gearbox’s reported results, not an independent benchmark of the September 25 regression or evidence that every affected player’s stutter was resolved. The notes were updated July 2, 2026, and Gearbox wrote: “However, we still have much more to do here.” See the December performance update.
Players continued discussing stutter in 2026, but individual posts cannot show how widespread the problem is or establish that every report has the same cause. No reliable affected-player percentage or controlled platform-by-platform before-and-after benchmark for the September 25 issue is established by these sources.
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