Borderlands 4 is slated to release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 12, 2025, followed by a Nintendo Switch 2 release closely afterward. Considering how suitable the Switch 2’s Joy-Con 2 mouse mode is for a game like Borderlands 4, this could end up being a massive win for both parties. Of course, this is contingent on the game’s performance being up to par, something Nintendo has struggled with in the past, especially with AAA games. Fortunately, Borderlands 4’s Switch 2 development updates indicate promising results.
Nintendo Switch 2 has a slated release of June 5, 2025. The Switch 2 will come with launch titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Mario Kart World, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Hogwarts Legacy, to name a few. Borderlands 4 will not be a launch title, and fans will have to wait for the game’s release on Nintendo’s console. However, it has been confirmed that the Borderlands 4 Switch 2 version will be released sometime in 2025.
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Borderlands 4 Can Take Full Advantage of Switch 2’s Mouse Mode
Nintendo Switch 2 aims to bridge the gap between PC and console gaming by ‘stealing’ one of PC gaming’s biggest selling points: the mouse. The Joy-Con 2 for the Switch 2 can be turned on their sides and placed on a flat surface to function exactly like a mouse. A key comparison where consoles always fall short of PCs is the joystick vs mouse debate. Despite diehard fans saying otherwise, simply the fact that aim assist on controllers is a thing proves that aiming with a mouse is superior. Nowhere is that more relevant than in first-person shooters like Borderlands 4, where the entire gameplay loop revolves around aiming down sights to line up the perfect shot.
Games like Counter-Strike serve as concrete evidence that games that require frame-perfect aiming need a mouse for precision. And while Borderlands 4 doesn’t fall into quite the same category as CS, the point still stands. While controller aim assist can somewhat allow consoles to catch up to PCs, it runs the risk of either being too ineffective or a little too effective, with very little middle ground. A perfect example of how aim assist can go wrong is Apex Legends, and how the game's implementation of this feature sparked community outrage until the studio had to nerf it in Season 22. The Switch 2 sidesteps this problem by providing players with both options.
The Switch 2 also comes with built-in voice chat, something Nintendo fans have long been hoping for in a future console. Since Borderlands 4 places huge importance on the co-op experience and communicating with friends, this works out perfectly.
Borderlands 4’s Performance on the Nintendo Switch 2 Promises to Amaze
In a recent interview about Borderlands 4, Randy Pitchford, founder and president of Gearbox, said, “We don’t feel like we’re fighting the system. We feel like the system is enabling us, empowering us to make the best version of Borderlands 4 we can.” Since Borderlands 4 is being developed for the Nintendo Switch 2 by the studio itself and not foisted off on a third party, chances are good that Borderlands 4 will squeeze out as much power from Switch 2 as it can give.
Nintendo Switch 2 has a lot to prove when it comes to performance due to its predecessor’s rocky history. While the Switch could run first-party games like Mario and Zelda perfectly fine, it struggled a lot with third-party ports, especially AAA titles that were originally made for PC and other consoles. In Borderlands 4, Nintendo has the perfect vehicle to show off the Switch 2’s capabilities, and put doubts to rest. Stars are aligned for a Borderlands 4 and Nintendo Switch 2 marriage in 2025. Whether the result will be as successful as fans are hopeful for, only the future will tell.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
