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Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford warned before Borderlands 4’s September 2025 launch that players using PCs below minimum specifications should expect the game to be unplayable. He later qualified the warning: PC Gamer reported that Pitchford said he might have confused recommended and required specs, and relayed a 2K QA claim of an average 60 fps on minimum-spec PCs at typically medium settings. Neither statement establishes how the game performs on every PC, and the figures below are launch-era specifications reported in September 2025—not a verified statement of current requirements or performance.
What did Gearbox’s CEO warn about?
In a September 8, 2025 report, PC Gamer attributed the warning to Pitchford’s response on X to a player concerned about a preview build: “The expectation for using a below min-spec machine should be that the game is unplayable.” Pitchford also said older hardware might not deliver smooth performance in a “big, bold, new, seamless world.” PC Gamer’s report is the source for those statements; the original posts were not directly accessible to the reporter.
The warning was not a definitive claim that every PC below the listed minimum would fail to launch. PC Gamer reported that Pitchford later said he may have conflated “recommended” and “required” specifications. He also relayed that 2K QA, working with Gearbox engineering, reported an average 60 fps on minimum-spec PCs at typically medium settings. That is a QA result as Pitchford described it—not an independent benchmark or a guarantee for a particular computer.
What Borderlands 4 PC specs were reported?
Notebookcheck’s September 10, 2025 report, updated September 20, listed these minimum and recommended specifications. Treat them as the figures reported at launch, rather than a verified current requirements listing.
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| Component | Minimum reported by Notebookcheck | Recommended reported by Notebookcheck |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 5800X |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 32 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT |
| Storage | 100 GB SSD space | Not separately stated in Notebookcheck’s report |
Source: Notebookcheck’s launch-era report. The sources cited here do not establish whether these figures have changed since 2025.
How to check whether your PC meets the reported minimum
Compare each component separately; a stronger graphics card does not make up for a CPU or memory shortfall, and meeting one requirement does not establish that the entire PC meets minimum specifications.
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- Check your processor: compare its model with the Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X listed above.
- Check your graphics card: compare it with the GeForce RTX 2070 or Radeon RX 5700 XT. Check the exact model, not just the brand or product family.
- Check installed memory: the reported minimum is 16 GB RAM.
- Check storage: the report lists 100 GB of SSD space. Confirm that an SSD has at least that much free capacity for the installation.
If your system is below any reported minimum, the launch-era warning supports caution, not a precise prediction of your results. Pitchford said PC configurations vary, and the available statements do not provide tested outcomes for every combination of hardware.
Does Borderlands 4 need an SSD?
The reported minimum specifications call for 100 GB of SSD space. Pitchford also said, as reported by PC Gamer, that HDD versus SSD can be a factor in hitching. That comment does not show that an SSD alone eliminates hitching, improves frame rates, or makes a below-minimum CPU or GPU adequate. The report does not state a separate recommended storage requirement.
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What is—and is not—established about performance?
- Reported: Pitchford’s below-minimum warning, his later qualification about required versus recommended specs, and the 2K QA average-60-fps claim are all reported statements from September 2025.
- Not established here: independent frame-rate results, performance on a specific PC, the effect of later patches, or the game’s current requirements and performance as of October 8, 2026.
Pitchford also said a day-one patch included improvements and optimizations, according to PC Gamer. That launch-era comment does not establish the state or impact of later updates. The practical answer is to compare your full PC against the reported minimum and consult a current official requirements listing before making a decision based on these older figures.
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