Borderlands 4 Sets Series Record for Concurrent Steam Players, but Stumbles on Mixed Reviews

Borderlands 4 hit a series record of 207,479 concurrent players on Steam in less than 24 hours after its global release on Sept. 11, 2025, according to SteamDB.

As of the time of writing, previous major installments of the franchise have lagged behind in Steam concurrent player peaks, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel hit only 68,238, the original Borderlands reached just 23,655, Borderlands 2 hit 124,678, and Borderlands 3 only 93,820.

Notably, developed by Gearbox Software, the sequel to 2019’s Borderlands 3 and the fifth entry in the main Borderlands series, became the most popular game on Steam published by 2K, overtaking the top spot from Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, with a peak of 162,657 concurrent players.

The launch wasn’t entirely smooth, and the game received a Mixed rating on Steam with 7,365 reviews as of the time of writing, with most of the criticism from players focused on poor game optimization for PC.

Meanwhile, PC version of Borderlands 4 received an 84-point Metascore based on 64 critic reviews.

Available on PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch 2 release planned for Oct. 3, 2025, Borderlands 4 comes offering two gameplay modes: solo or co-op, allowing players to team up with up to three others, along with new vehicles and traversal tools, including a grappling hook.

In Borderlands 4, the story unfolds as Pandora’s moon, Elpis, destroys the protective barrier of the planet Kairos after being teleported away by Lilith using her Siren powers. Players assume the role of one of the Vault Hunters, tasked with leading the resistance against the ruthless dictator known as the Timekeeper and his army of synthetic followers, the Order, while uncovering hidden alien treasures across the planet.