Borderlands 3, one of the most highly anticipated releases of 2019, has officially launched but according to console players, the launch hasn't gone smoothly. Early reports from Borderlands 3 players across all console platforms are claiming that the game is struggling with frame rate issues. There are also claims of PC performance issues, too, but these reports are much less consistent. 2K has previously said that it's working on "optimizing the Borderlands 3 experience."
Performance while playing Borderlands 3 split-screen on consoles has been a particular focus since the game's launch. It seems that performance issues are stretching beyond just split-screen, however. The top story on Reddit's /r/Games subreddit Saturday morning is titled, "Can we have a discussion about the ridiculousness that is Borderlands 3's console performance?" The post has over 8,000 upvotes, with several comments having several thousand upvotes as well.
The main post is specifically about the PS4 Pro version of Borderlands 3. It states that the "Resolution Mode" for Borderlands 3 struggles to offer 25 frames per second, while suffering from extreme motion blur. The game's "Performance Mode" can hit 30 frames per second, but stutters. The top comment in the thread says there is similar issues with the Xbox One X version of Borderlands 3, calling the Resolution Mode "borderline unplayable."
Borderlands 3's menu system/skill trees seem to be a particular source of in-game lag. This was also brought up in complaints about the game's split-screen. One player would be fighting and another would go into their menu, which caused mid-fight lag for their partner. One Reddit poster on base PS4 says that their only complaint is that "getting to the inventory quickly doesn't happen." They describe that there are seconds of loading time, though they note they're enjoying the game otherwise.
As previously mentioned, 2K has commented on performance issues regarding Borderlands 3 split-screen. In that comment, 2K acknowledges that it's broadly working on optimization. However, it doesn't offer any specific information about when a patch might be arriving for frustrated players. It only says that "we will continue to work." An update is hopefully just a matter of days or weeks away. It'd be a shame if Gearbox started releasing Borderlands 3 DLC before the performance issues were addressed.
Borderlands 3 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit