Gearbox has confirmed Borderlands 4 on the Nintendo Switch 2 will come with a number of downgrades in comparison to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions.
With the console’s more powerful specifications, there was a hope the Nintendo Switch 2 would have greater feature parity when it comes to third party multiplatform games. And that is the case, but only up to a point.
While there have been some impressive ports so far, especially Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, the biggest test is how current generation titles across the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S run on the hardware. Star Wars Outlaws looks set to be the first test subject, which is set to launch September 4 on the Switch 2.
The second will be Borderlands 4, which is due to hit Nintendo’s system three weeks after the other versions, on October 3, 2025. While the reasons behind the slight delay are unclear, all signs suggest developer Gearbox has had some trouble getting it to run on Switch 2 the same way as it does on the other consoles.
Gearbox president Randy Pitchford previously confirmed the Switch 2 version will not support 60fps like other platforms. ‘It was important to us to not cut anything and to support cross-play across other platforms,’ Pitchford posted on X when asked about the frame rate on Switch 2.
‘So, no. It’ll be mostly around 30fps, with some dips in some intense moments heavy combats or if hosting a multiplayer game in handheld mode.’
But in the official FAQ for Borderlands 4, fans have spotted another caveat specific to the Switch 2 version, namely that it won’t support split-screen co-op.
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‘Switch 2 players will have the same exciting Borderlands 4 experience as other platforms minus the split-screen option, and yes, it will have full cross-play with Epic, Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S,’ the website reads.
Borderlands 4 on the Switch 2 will also have full mouse support, making it one of the first online shooters to support the new Joy-Cons in that way.
For anyone who played Borderlands 3 on the original Switch, this might not come as a surprise. That also had local co-op removed but it didn’t support crossplay for online co-op either – so Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 does have the latter, at least.
While some level of compromise is to be expected considering the Switch 2 is less powerful than the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it’s still a disappointing sign that the console might continue to have noticeably worse versions of third party titles.
For now, the most bankable Switch 2 ports might be titles which were released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, such as Elden Ring and Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Persona 3 Reload, which are all set to launch on Nintendo’s console in the near future – although only Persona has a release date so far, on October 23.
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