Nintendo Switch 2: Borderlands 4 struggled to run at a steady 30 FPS during Gamescom demos

An unfortunate slew of reports from the Gamescom 2025 hands-on demo of Borderlands 4 for the Nintendo Switch 2 have described the game’s performance as “horrendous”. 

According to a widely circulated X post by user EpicNNG, the Gamescom demo build of Borderlands 4 struggled substantially, barely maintaining a steady 30 FPS. This performance figure becomes all the more concerning when accounting for the fact that EpicNNG played the game in docked mode, and the game struggled with just four enemies on screen. 

The user reported that the demo was plagued with severe input delay, and the render resolution had been drastically reduced, which begs the question of whether DLSS and Frame Generation are working as intended.

Even so, his reports suggest that the visual fidelity was subpar, with the render resolution turned all the way down. But this isn’t the first game on the Nintendo Switch 2, which has been reported to suffer from severe performance issues.

Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is reported to face significant performance issues on the Nintendo Switch 2, with users reporting that the game would dip down to 15 FPS on occasion. This is surprising because the Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for only two months, and raises questions about whether the console can handle the demanding AAA releases down the line.

Gearbox Software is reportedly working to optimize Borderlands 4 for its October 3, 2025, release on the Nintendo Switch 2, following its September 12 launch on Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 5, and PC.

However, developers have been struggling to work on their third-party titles, given the reported limited availability of Nintendo’s developer kits for the Switch 2. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has acknowledged the performance issues on the Switch 2, stating that the team has prioritized content parity and cross-play support with other platforms, instead of aiming for a higher framerate.

It must also be noted that Randy Pitchford, the CEO of Gearbox confirmed that physical copies of the Switch 2 port will require a substantial download, likely a Game-Key Card, as the game’s 68GB size exceeds the Switch 2’s cartridge capacity.

This revelation has sparked intense debate in the gaming community about whether the Switch 2 could remain a viable handheld option to play AAA titles, especially those that are demanding on one's hardware, on the go.