Borderlands 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Release Put on Hold by Take-Two

Gearbox has shifted Borderlands 4‘s release plans on the Nintendo Switch 2, choosing to pause development of the game on that platform right now. It’s possible that Borderlands 4 for the Nintendo Switch 2 might be revived in the future, but for now, gamers shouldn’t expect to see the project see the light of day.

News that Borderlands 4‘s development on the Nintendo Switch 2 has been paused doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. The launch was initially planned for October 3, 2025, which would have seen it arrive a few weeks after its release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. However, just over a week after the game’s initial release, Borderlands 4 was delayed indefinitely on the Nintendo Switch 2, with Gearbox or Take-Two unable to commit to a new release date. The project went radio-silent afterward as the developer focused on creating new content for the game. Now, it’s increasingly clear as to why it couldn’t provide a new release date for Borderlands 4 on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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Borderlands 4’s Switch 2 Release is On Hold, For Now

Of the Borderlands 4 Nintendo Switch 2 release, Take-Two spokesperson Alan Lewis told Variety, “We made the difficult decision to pause development on that SKU. Our focus continues to be delivering quality post-launch content for players on the ongoing improvements to optimize the game. We’re continuing to collaborate closely with our friends at Nintendo. We have ‘PGA Tour 2K25’ coming out and ‘WWE 2K26’ [for Switch 2], and we’re incredibly excited about bringing more of our titles to that platform in the future.” The Switch 2 was also pulled from the list of upcoming 2026 games in Take-Two’s recent earnings release, indicating that the project is dead in the water for the time being. This doesn’t mean it won’t release eventually, but no one at Gearbox is actively working on Borderlands 4 for the Nintendo Switch 2 right now.

Many gamers may be disappointed by the latest development in this saga, and understandably so. But it’s worth pointing out the potential reasons this decision may have been made. Upon its release, Borderlands 4 on PC was slammed for its performance, with many gamers suffering stuttering and low frame rates. Although this has improved since, it’s clear there were serious optimization issues. Given that the Nintendo Switch 2 would be the weakest platform the game would launch on, optimization would be very important to bring it to an acceptable state, and it’s possible that Gearbox simply didn’t want to invest the time and resources necessary to get it to where it needed to be.

Borderlands 4‘s launch was softer than expected, according to Take-Two’s CEO, who attributed that partly to the aforementioned performance issues. If Take-Two or Gearbox doesn’t think the investment in a Nintendo Switch 2 port would eventually pay off, it makes sense to pause development.

Image via Gearbox

Despite the Nintendo Switch 2 port pause, there’s still plenty for Borderlands 4 players to get excited about. Gearbox is still releasing frequent updates for the game, just recently adding Photo Mode to Borderlands 4. The developer also reconfirmed its 2026 roadmap, with two major paid DLCs (including the first new Vault Hunter) coming throughout the year. The first big expansion is Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned, which is currently set to launch in Q1 2026. This will be followed by another unnamed Story Pack in Q3, with smaller Bounty Packs providing even more content in between.

Released

September 12, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact

Source: Variety