Gearbox Races to Fix PC Woes as Borderlands 4 Creative Director Backs Switch 2 Delay, Puts Quality First
Under mounting pressure and rising risks, officials hit pause, casting delay as the only responsible path forward.
Borderlands 4 just punted its Switch 2 version downfield, and the game’s creative director says that was the right call. Given how the launch has been going on PC in particular, I’m not shocked. Here’s what’s actually happening, minus the spin.
The delay, straight up
Gearbox has pushed the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4 off its original October 3 date. There’s no new date yet. Officially, the studio says it needs more time to polish and to line up the release with the addition of cross saves. That’s the studio line, and it tracks.
"A tough decision, but ultimately the right decision. Quality matters and a delay is the appropriate call."
That’s creative director Graeme Timmins backing the move on X on September 24, 2025, in reply to the delay announcement.
Why people are side-eyeing this
Nobody at Gearbox is linking the Switch 2 delay to performance issues elsewhere, but it’s hard not to raise an eyebrow. Players have been wrestling with stability and performance problems, especially on PC. Gearbox pushed out a chunky 758MB patch aimed largely at those issues, and Timmins says more updates are coming. So yeah, delaying the most portable version while other, beefier platforms are still smoothing out rough edges makes a certain kind of sense.
Switch ports can be witchcraft
There’s precedent for big games landing in great shape on Nintendo hardware. The Witcher 3 and Alien Isolation arguably should not run as well as they do on a mobile device, and yet here we are. If Gearbox wants Borderlands 4 to join that club on Switch 2, taking extra time is the smart play. I just hope we’re not waiting forever for that new date.
Where it stands now
- Switch 2 version: delayed indefinitely from the planned October 3 release; no new date.
- Official reason: more polish and syncing the launch with cross saves.
- State of the game elsewhere: ongoing performance issues, especially on PC.
- Patching: a 758MB update already landed to target performance; more fixes promised.
- Public stance: Timmins calls the delay "the right decision" and says quality comes first.
And the timing
Borderlands 4 is arriving right as Destiny is in a lull. Great for Gearbox. Maybe Bungie takes the hint.