Borderlands 4 Absolutely Demolishes Steam Records (And Maybe Your PC Too)

Remember when Borderlands 2 hit its peak of 124,678 concurrent players back in 2012? That was impressive for its time, sure. But Borderlands 4 just looked at that number, laughed maniacally, and said “hold my Psycho mask.” The new game didn’t just beat the old record – it obliterated it with the force of a thousand Torgue explosions.

For context, here’s how the franchise stacks up on Steam:

• Borderlands 4: 207,479 peak players (the new champion)
• Borderlands 2: 124,678 peak players (dethroned but still legendary)
• Borderlands 3: 93,820 peak players (solid effort)
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: 68,238 peak players (the forgotten middle child)
• Original Borderlands: 23,655 peak players (humble beginnings)

The game didn’t just break records – it’s currently sitting pretty as Steam’s number one best-seller worldwide. That’s some serious bragging rights right there.

The Good, The Bad, and The Stuttery

Now, before you get too hyped up and start throwing your wallet at Gearbox, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Those Steam reviews? They’re sitting at a “mixed” 62% positive rating based on 5,435 reviews. Ouch. That’s not exactly the victory lap you’d expect for a record-breaking launch.

The culprit? Technical issues that are making players’ PCs cry harder than a Claptrap unit with separation anxiety. We’re talking shader compilation pauses, stuttering that would make a broken robot jealous, and performance hiccups that have earned the game a rather unflattering nickname: “Stutterlands 4.” Creative, I’ll give them that.

Unreal Engine 5: The Double-Edged Sword

Here’s where my inner tech nerd gets excited and terrified simultaneously. Borderlands 4 is built on Unreal Engine 5, which is basically the Ferrari of game engines right now. It’s powerful, it’s beautiful, and it can make your jaw drop with its visual fidelity. But just like a Ferrari, it’s also temperamental and demanding.

Some players are chalking up the technical issues to UE5’s notorious reputation for being a resource hog. It’s like trying to run a space program on a calculator – theoretically possible, but you’re gonna have a bad time if your hardware isn’t up to snuff.

A More Grounded Pandora Experience

Interestingly, Gearbox decided to dial back the meme-heavy, internet-slang-riddled humor that defined previous entries. This Borderlands 4 is apparently more “grounded” – which in Borderlands terms probably still means completely unhinged, just with fewer references to outdated internet jokes.

The action takes place on planet Kairos, where you’ll be dealing with a dictatorial ruler called the Timekeeper. Four new Vault Hunters are ready to cause absolute mayhem, complete with new traversal mechanics like a grappling hook. Because apparently, shooting everything in sight wasn’t mobile enough.

The Steam Domination Continues

Despite the technical hiccups that have PC players reaching for their stress balls, Borderlands 4 is absolutely crushing it on Steam. Within just hours of launch, it was sitting comfortably as the sixth most-played game on the entire platform. That’s sharing space with gaming titans and established multiplayer juggernauts.

Critics are giving it solid scores too – 84 on Metacritic and 85 on OpenCritic. Many are saying it feels like a spiritual successor to Borderlands 2, which considering that game’s legendary status, is basically the highest compliment you can give a Borderlands title.

The game is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and even the Nintendo Switch 2. Whether your rig can actually run it smoothly? Well, that’s between you and your graphics card.

Look, Borderlands 4 might be making some PCs stutter like they’re nervous on a first date, but those Steam numbers don’t lie. This game is connecting with players in a big way, technical issues be damned. Sometimes you just gotta embrace the chaos – it’s very on-brand for Borderlands, really.

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