Never played Borderlands 4? It’s free to play for a limited time

Borderlands 4 is the latest entry in the legendary looter-shooter series, released in 2025 – and at the same time probably the least popular Borderlands game. Anyone who has avoided the title so far due to its mixed reception at launch can now catch up for free. On Steam, Borderlands 4 is free to play until September 14 and will then be available at a 50% discount for around $35 instead of $70. One advantage: The shooter is Verified for the Steam Deck.

The game still follows the familiar formula: shoot enemies, collect loot and make your character increasingly powerful. The biggest change is the significantly more open and almost seamless game world. Instead of switching between numerous separate areas and planets, players explore large regions on Kairos. A hoverbike serves as a vehicle that can be summoned at any time.

When it comes to gameplay, Borderlands 4 has been well received. Its Steam reviews, which are only 48% positive, are mainly explained by technical issues with the PC version. At launch, players complained about severe stuttering, low or inconsistent frame rates, crashes and startup issues – even on powerful gaming PCs. Many also found the inventory very cluttered and cumbersome, which is particularly frustrating in a game where new loot constantly needs to be sorted and compared.

Gearbox has since released numerous updates and claims that the game now delivers around 20% more frames per second on average compared to the launch version. However, a recent Reddit thread suggests that the technical issues still haven't been fully resolved: Following the latest update, some players are once again reporting lengthy shader compilation, stuttering, crashes and significantly longer loading times. Others, however, have noticed no deterioration in performance. Anyone who wants to see for themselves can at least do so for free right now.

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