Yes! It exists, and you can play it!
Originally set for release on October 3rd, Gearbox Software announced that the game was delayed indefinitely and all pre-orders were able to be refunded. It wasn’t looking good for the future of this highly anticipated game on the Nintendo Switch 2 console.
Surprisingly, tucked away in the back of the Nintendo booth behind a closed curtain is a full working demo of Borderlands 4 running on the Nintendo Switch 2. While I can say that yes, it does work, it is clear why the studio is still working on it with some notable performance and visual deficiencies that will hopefully get fixed soon, so the game can finally release on the hybrid console.
Rather than an open-world slice, the demo dropped me straight into a vault boss encounter, bypassing the usual lead-in where you’d normally get familiar with your gear and abilities. There is a card next to the console that tells you what the controls are. If you have ever played a Borderlands game before, you will be somewhat familiar with this setup.
With no warm-up or exploration time, I picked the heavy tank character and dove straight into the chaos. It is difficult to judge how the game actually runs, due to the limited and contained nature of the demo, with minimal variations in the background.
Borderlands’ signature cel-shaded art style has always helped soften technical compromises on Nintendo hardware, but on Switch 2, it’s clear this build isn’t there yet. Explosions and particle effects often looked artifact-heavy and muddy, with some odd visual distortion during busier moments.
It’s not bad, but it lacks the crispness you’d expect from more powerful hardware. Given that this is reportedly an early build, there’s still time to tighten things up before launch.
While it’s disappointing not to see how Kairos’ expansive environments hold up on Switch 2, the condensed setup at least offered a focused look at combat fluidity and system performance, which, to my surprise, was smoother than I expected. It’s not to say that this version is fighting an uphill battle, as we’ve already seen that the Switch 2 is capable of, but there is definitely a lot more work to be done.
There is still no current release date for Borderlands 4 on the Nintendo Switch 2, but this short demo does give a glimmer of hope that the game can run, and we hope to see an update in the very near future.