The Tool Desk
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Work through the fixes below in order. Do not judge performance immediately after changing graphics settings or installing a patch: shaders may need roughly 10 minutes to compile, and Gearbox recommends playing for at least 15 minutes before deciding whether the change worked.
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1. Restart Borderlands 4 after updating
Close and relaunch the game after an update. Gearbox says restarting allows the update to complete and helps prevent matchmaking connection errors. This is also the safest first step after changing settings or installing a hotfix.
Check the official Vault Updates list to confirm which version is installed and whether a newer update is available.
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2. Wait for shader compilation
Borderlands 4 recompiles shaders after a patch and after any graphics-setting change. Stuttering can continue while this happens during gameplay. Gearbox estimates that shader compilation takes approximately 10 minutes on most PCs and recommends continuing to play for at least 15 minutes before evaluating performance.
- Launch the game and load into gameplay.
- Play for at least 15 minutes, preferably in the area where the stutter is most noticeable.
- Avoid changing more graphics settings during this test, because each change can trigger another shader recompilation.
Stopping immediately after a patch can make a genuine fix appear ineffective. Gearbox previously documented this behavior after the September 25, 2025 update. That specific issue was later marked resolved in an April 30, 2026 official comment, so old reports describing it as an unresolved current problem are outdated.
3. Clear the GPU shader cache if stuttering remains
Do this only after giving the game time to compile shaders. Clearing the cache removes stored shaders for other games and applications as well as Borderlands 4.
NVIDIA
- Press
Win + R. - Enter
%LOCALAPPDATA%NVIDIADXCacheand press Enter. - Delete the large files in the folder—Gearbox specifies files larger than 10 MB.
- Restart the game and allow shaders to rebuild.
Use the official PC troubleshooting guide if the folder or files do not match these instructions.
AMD
- Open the AMD Adrenalin application.
- Select Gaming → Graphics.
- Scroll to the bottom and select Reset Shader Cache.
- Launch Borderlands 4 and allow the shaders to compile again.
4. Use the in-game upscaling settings
Open Options → Visuals → Advanced, then scroll to Resolution Scaling. Gearbox lists these options under Upscaling Method:
- DLSS for NVIDIA GPUs
- FSR for AMD GPUs
- TSR from Epic Games
- XeSS for Intel GPUs
Gearbox’s documented recommendation is Upscaling Quality: Performance and Frame Generation: On. Apply the change, then allow the shader-compilation period to finish before judging the result.
On Windows 10, upscaling requires hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling:
- Open Windows Settings.
- Search for Graphics.
- Select Change Default graphics settings.
- Turn on Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.
- Restart Windows.
Gearbox says this setting is enabled by default on Windows 11.
5. Lower the settings most likely to affect frame-time spikes
If stutter continues, reduce demanding options rather than changing everything at once. Borderlands 4 has added options to disable shadows, volumetric clouds, and fog. These are useful first targets when frame times are unstable.
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A prior performance update also reorganized texture and mesh memory pools to improve VRAM usage. If stuttering appears alongside texture loading problems or VRAM pressure, reduce texture-related settings and test again. Change one group of options at a time, because every graphics change can trigger shader recompilation.
For context, Gearbox’s PC targets are:
- Minimum target: 1080p at 30 FPS on the Low preset.
- Recommended target: 1440p at 60 FPS on the Medium preset.
A system meeting only the minimum target should not be expected to maintain 60 FPS at high resolution or high settings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Disable overlays
Gearbox says overlays can cause performance problems or crashes. Temporarily disable Steam Overlay, Discord overlay, GeForce Experience overlay, and MSI Afterburner’s overlay or monitoring features, then test the game again.
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To disable Steam Overlay, open Steam → Settings → In-Game, then turn off Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
7. Update the graphics driver
Install the current driver for your GPU vendor—NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel—then restart Windows and test again. Do not rely on the NVIDIA driver number displayed in Gearbox’s troubleshooting article as proof of the latest driver: that page is marked updated September 13, 2025, and its displayed version may no longer be current.
8. Verify the game files
Steam
- Right-click Borderlands 4 in the Steam Library.
- Select Properties → Installed Files.
- Choose Verify integrity of game files.
Epic Games Store
- Open the Epic Library.
- Click the three dots next to Borderlands 4.
- Select Manage → Verify.
Verification can repair incomplete or corrupted files, but it will not replace shader compilation. If stuttering started after verification or another patch, allow the game time to rebuild its shaders.
9. Check for the Intel 13th- or 14th-generation CPU issue
Gearbox identifies possible instability on Intel 13th- and 14th-generation processors. Symptoms can include slowdowns, crashes, overheating, or unusually large CPU-usage spikes during gameplay or installation. If you have one of these CPUs and the symptoms match, treat the CPU platform as a possible cause rather than assuming the GPU settings are solely responsible.
What not to rely on
Gearbox’s current PC troubleshooting guide does not document a universal Borderlands 4 launch option or console command for fixing stuttering. Undocumented launch flags repeated online should not be treated as official fixes. The supported procedure uses the game’s graphics menu, shader-cache operations, driver updates, overlay troubleshooting, and launcher file verification.
Recommended order
- Restart the game after updating.
- Play for at least 15 minutes so shaders can compile.
- Clear the NVIDIA or AMD shader cache if stuttering remains.
- Enable the appropriate upscaling method and use Gearbox’s Performance/Frame Generation recommendation.
- Lower shadows, volumetric clouds, fog, and texture-heavy settings if necessary.
- Disable overlays.
- Update the GPU driver.
- Verify files through Steam or Epic.
For the full supported procedures and current qualification of update-related issues, consult Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 PC Troubleshooting and Optimization Guide and the official update index.
Quick Recap
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