Borderlands 4 Receives Steam Deck Verification Despite Performance Issues

Last week, Borderlands 4 earned a Steam Deck Verified badge, suggesting it would deliver a solid experience on Valve’s handheld. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. To make matters worse, Gearbox has inexplicably removed the option to tweak the game’s advanced visual settings on the Steam Deck.

When Borderlands 4 launched late last year, it was plagued with performance issues on both consoles and PCs. While patches have significantly improved the situation, the initial weeks were filled with crashes, frame rate drops, and other problems that hindered the enjoyment of this open-world looter shooter. I’ve been revisiting the game on PC and having a blast, so I was optimistic that the recent Steam Deck verification meant I could enjoy it on the go. Sadly, that’s far from reality.

Various YouTube channels have highlighted that while Borderlands 4 is technically playable on the Steam Deck, it looks rough, suffers from noticeable input lag, and performs poorly at its default settings. It certainly doesn’t live up to the expectations set by the Verified badge, which is meant to indicate a hassle-free gaming experience on the aging portable.

The most puzzling aspect of Borderlands 4 on the Steam Deck is Gearbox’s decision to remove the advanced visual settings menu. This choice complicates things for players who want to optimize their experience and potentially improve performance. Without the ability to adjust resolution, shadow quality, or draw distance, it’s a baffling move that only exacerbates an already subpar experience.

While Gearbox deserves some criticism, Valve also needs to reevaluate its Verified system. It’s becoming increasingly common to find games with that green checkmark that don’t seem to warrant it. As the Steam Deck ages, this issue is likely to become more pronounced.

The way Borderlands 4 performs on the Steam Deck might shed light on why Gearbox and 2K have indefinitely postponed the Switch 2 port that was announced before the game’s launch. If that version ever sees the light of day, let’s hope it offers a better visual and gameplay experience than what’s currently available on the Steam Deck.