Borderlands 4 Breaks Launch Sales Record Despite Major Performance Issues

A new report has revealed that Borderlands 4 has already had a more successful launch than previous games in the Gearbox Software franchise. Despite the game’s major performance issues, it has broken multiple sales records.

Borderlands 4 Breaks Franchise Record and Outsells Borderlands 3

When Borderlands 4 launched in September, the game received mixed reactions from fans due to its undeniable performance issues. On Steam, the looter-shooter currently has a “Mixed” user rating, as many players are still not happy with how it runs on PC.

Despite these issues, however, Borderlands 4 has had the series’ most successful launch to date. This latest report comes from sales data recently published by marketing research firm Circana.

According to the company’s Senior Director, Mat Piscatella, Borderlands 4 made more money at launch than any previous game in the franchise. “Borderlands 4 generated the highest launch month dollar sales of any title in franchise history, nearly 30% higher than the previous best, Borderlands 3. It was September’s best-seller on both the Xbox and aggregated PC storefront charts.”

So by all metrics, BL4 has had a more successful launch than any previous Borderlands game.

It should be pointed out, though, that Piscatella is referring to profits generated, not units sold. So it’s unclear if it’s physically sold more. Borderlands 4 also broke other records that previous games failed to achieve.

In a follow-up post, Piscatella explained that the 2025 looter-shooter is also the first game in the series to top best-selling game lists. “Borderlands 4 was the first Borderlands title to launch as the best-selling game of its release month.”

Players Are Shocked by Borderlands 4’s Success Despite Poor Performance

Many players reacted to the news that Borderlands 4 had a more successful launch than previous games with confusion. On social media sites like X and Reddit, fans were stunned that the game had such massive launch sales, given its many performance issues.

After all, you couldn’t escape people complaining about how poorly it ran when the game launched in September.

“Huh, I wonder what caused it to do significantly better than past titles. You certainly wouldn’t tell from Reddit comments,” one user wrote on the Games subreddit. Another player vented, “I love how a lot of people give companies money that they do not deserve. In this case, the game’s performance and CEO of Borderlands 4 were the worst.”

Controversy Around Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford Didn’t Stop Sales

The comment, of course, was referencing Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford, who became embroiled in multiple controversies leading up to the game’s release. In May, Pitchford upset players when he said, “Real fans will figure out how to pay $80 for Borderlands 4.”

Although his comment sparked massive backlash online, the studio ultimately charged $69 for the looter-shooter instead.

After BL4 launched, Randy Pitchford sparked more drama when he responded to players complaining about performance issues. The Gearbox Software CEO dismissed complaints and told players to learn how to code themselves.

Despite the seemingly never-ending drama, Borderlands 4 has somehow managed to overcome the hurdles, as it has now broken sales records for the series.