Can I Run Borderlands 2 on My PC / Laptop?

A 2.4 GHz dual core processor, a GeForce 8500 or similarly old Radeon card with 256 MB of video memory, and 2 GB of RAM make up the floor. Basically any PC from the last ten to fifteen years clears it without effort.

Step up to a 2.2 GHz quad core CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and a GPU around the level of a Radeon HD 5750, an Nvidia GeForce 650M, or even Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics. That's a genuinely modest bar even by the standards of its own era.

The official figures, 2 GB minimum and 4 GB recommended, date back to 2012. On a current version of Windows, 8 GB is the more realistic number to plan around, since the OS itself now eats more memory at idle than it did back then.

Steam's listing puts it around 20 GB, though the base game alone installs closer to 6 GB. The gap comes from the Game of the Year DLC and accumulated patch data padding out the total.

It was built with mechanical hard drives in mind and loads fine off one. An SSD shaves a little off loading times, but nothing about the game requires it.

DirectX 9, which current Windows still fully supports, so it's a non-issue on modern systems.

Look at the PhysX setting first. Left on High, it can push physics calculations onto your CPU and tank frame rate in busy areas, so dropping it to Low or Medium is the first move. If that doesn't clear things up, update your graphics driver and consider capping your frame rate around 100 to 120, since running the game uncapped past that point invites its own set of glitches.

None by default, though setting one yourself around 100 to 120 fps in the video menu is worth doing. Some of the engine's physics and animation behavior is tied to frame rate, and letting it run uncapped on a fast modern PC can make weapons or vehicles behave strangely.

It does. The engine renders at whatever resolution your monitor uses, and no upscaling is needed given how low the hardware demands already are. A handful of UI elements can look small at 4K, something a few community configuration tweaks address.

Running it as administrator, verifying game files through Steam, and updating your GPU driver cover most cases. Older installs occasionally need the Visual C++ 2005/2008/2010 redistributables and the .NET 4 Framework, which the Steam installer usually handles automatically but sometimes misses.

On modern hardware, neither one really limits it. This is an old, lightweight Unreal Engine 3 title where the PhysX setting affects performance far more than whichever CPU or GPU happens to be installed.

There's no need to. Almost any PC built in the last decade already handles it, integrated graphics included. Upgrading might make sense for other games on your list, but this one alone won't justify it.

The RTX 3050 is a strong fit for Borderlands 2. It lands at or above the recommended spec, so high 1080p is comfortable and 1440p works.

Yes. On the GTX 1650, Borderlands 2 runs at high settings in 1080p and scales up to 1440p without much fuss. Around 150 fps or more at 1080p Ultra; the engine limits you before this card does.

Yes. The GTX 1060 6GB has headroom over Borderlands 2's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want. Around 150 fps or more at 1080p Ultra, though PhysX left on High can drop specific areas into the 30s and 40s. Set PhysX to Low or Medium.

Yes, with room to spare. Borderlands 2 recommends less than the RX 580 offers, so expect smooth 1080p high and a playable 1440p. Roughly 140-180 fps at 1080p Ultra. Keep PhysX low since AMD cards don't get GPU-accelerated PhysX.

For sure. The RTX 4060 outpaces Borderlands 2's recommended card, leaving you high 1080p now and 1440p whenever you like. Typically 200 fps or more at 1080p and 1440p Ultra. Cap it around 100-120 rather than running it uncapped.

Comfortably, yes. The RTX 3060 clears Borderlands 2's recommended bar, which puts high 1080p and 1440p both in reach. Typically 200 fps or more at 1080p Ultra. Cap it around 100-120 in the video menu to avoid physics glitches at very high frame rates.

No trouble at all. The RTX 2060 meets or beats what Borderlands 2 recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic. Comfortably past 150 fps at 1080p Ultra; consider capping around 100-120 to avoid the engine's high-fps physics quirks.

That is more than enough. The GTX 1660 clears Borderlands 2's recommended requirement, so aim for high at 1080p or step up to 1440p. Comfortably over 150 fps at 1080p Ultra, with headroom to spare.

That is more than enough. The GTX 1660 Super clears Borderlands 2's recommended requirement, so aim for high at 1080p or step up to 1440p.

Yes, comfortably. The RX 6600 sits at or above Borderlands 2's recommended card, so 1080p on high is smooth and 1440p is well within reach. Well over 150 fps at 1080p Ultra with no real limiting factor left in this game.

Yes. The GTX 1660 Ti has headroom over Borderlands 2's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want.

Yes. The RTX 3060 Ti has headroom over Borderlands 2's recommended card, so you can push 1080p high and move to 1440p when you want. Well past 200 fps at 1080p Ultra; capping the frame rate is more useful here than chasing a higher number.

No trouble at all. The RTX 4050 meets or beats what Borderlands 2 recommends, so 1080p high runs well and 1440p is realistic.

Yes, comfortably. The GTX 1050 Ti sits at or above Borderlands 2's recommended card, so 1080p on high is smooth and 1440p is well within reach. Around 120-150 fps at 1080p Ultra, well clear of any bottleneck.

You are well set. The RTX 4070 exceeds Borderlands 2's recommended card, so 1080p high is easy and 1440p is realistic. Comfortably over 200 fps at 1080p or 1440p Ultra; a frame rate cap matters more than the card at this point.

It can, and this is a genuine native Mac port from Feral Interactive, not a wrapper. The original build ran on machines as old as an Intel Core 2 Duo with Intel HD 3000 graphics, so any MacBook Air or Pro from the M1 generation onward handles it easily, through Rosetta where a native Apple Silicon build isn't offered.

Genuinely, yes. Intel HD 4000, a 2012-era integrated chip, was Gearbox's own recommended-tier hardware at launch. Any current integrated GPU, Intel Iris Xe, AMD's Radeon 780M or 760M, or Vega 8, clears high settings well above 60 fps.

Not in any straightforward way. Most Chromebooks lack the graphics hardware or Windows compatibility to install it, and it isn't on GeForce Now either. A higher-end Chromebook with Linux support could technically run a Steam client, but this isn't a game most Chromebook owners will get running smoothly.

Backward compatibility carries it here, running Borderlands: The Handsome Collection at a 1080p, 60 fps target. Both consoles sit well past that mark with room to spare.

It does on both. PS4 gets it through Borderlands: The Handsome Collection at 1080p and 60 fps, following a patch that fixed early frame pacing problems, and PS5 owners play that same build through backward compatibility with quicker loading.

Yes, bundled into the Borderlands Legendary Collection. It's capped at 30 fps, sitting around 1080p docked and roughly 720p in handheld mode, playable but noticeably softer than the PC version.

With ease. Borderlands 2 carries Steam Deck Verified status and holds a steady 60 fps across most areas. Both ROG Ally and Legion Go have extra headroom over the Deck and run it just as well. All three can hit a finicky default launcher, so many players launch the game executable directly instead.

Not through GeForce Now, since it isn't part of that library under this listing. Xbox Cloud Gaming does carry the Legendary Collection for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, making that the more realistic cloud route if local install isn't an option.

Without much difficulty. This remains one of the lightest big-name games still sold on Steam, and a budget office PC with integrated graphics and no dedicated GPU clears the requirements without issue.

Comfortably so. Even entry-level current CPUs blow past the 2.2 GHz quad core recommendation Gearbox set back in 2012.

Far beyond what's needed. The official minimum asks for only 256 MB of video memory, and VRAM never becomes a limiting factor here, 4K included.

On both, yes, through Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, targeting 1080p at 60 fps, with PS5 reaching it via backward compatibility. The Handsome Collection's original launch code had frame pacing issues that a later patch resolved.

It is, running the Handsome Collection build at 1080p and 60 fps through backward compatibility, with plenty of headroom left on both consoles above that target.

It does not. The Switch release, part of the Legendary Collection, caps out at 30 fps, around 1080p docked and 720p handheld, making it the one platform where this game falls short of a smooth 60.

There isn't any between PC and either PlayStation or Xbox. PC and Mac used to connect over Steam, but Aspyr stepped back from ongoing Mac and Linux support, and version mismatches now make that link unreliable without manual workarounds.

Only for the first launch, to authenticate through Steam. From there, single-player runs entirely offline, while co-op naturally still needs an internet or LAN connection to reach other players.

It runs there without needing any special compatibility mode. As an older DirectX 9 game, it's fully supported on current Windows.

One shipped years ago, but it's outdated and effectively abandoned at this point. Running the Windows build through Proton, whether on Steam Deck or a Linux desktop, is the better option most players use today.

There is, but it's a distinct product: Borderlands 2 VR, released in 2019 for PSVR and later brought to PC VR headsets under its own listing. It isn't the standard PC version covered here, and it carries its own, heavier requirements.

Reborn is a substantial fan-made overhaul touching textures, balance, and some visual effects. It nudges requirements up slightly, mostly in VRAM, but stays nowhere near what a modern title asks for. A GTX 1050-class card still handles it comfortably.

There is, a built-in PhysX benchmark reached through the console command benchmark physx, a handy way to see how much your specific setup is affected by that setting before deciding where to leave it.

Not usually, but it's a reasonable first fix if the game refuses to launch, crashes on startup, or fails to save settings properly, particularly right after a fresh Windows install.

Go with the 64-bit executable whenever your install offers one. The original 2012 release was 32-bit only, and the later 64-bit version fixes crashes and out-of-memory errors that showed up more often on modern systems, especially under heavy mod loads.

Slightly, since rendering two views at once adds some overhead, though the increase is small. Any PC that clears the recommended specs handles split-screen without any trouble.

They don't. The GOTY edition and all story DLC run on the exact same specs as the base game, adding content and some extra storage rather than any additional hardware demand.

Natively, since the engine simply renders at whatever resolution and aspect ratio you set. A handful of menu and cutscene elements can look stretched or off-center on very wide displays, and community configuration guides exist to fix those.

Yes, far above what this game needs. Expect well over 200 fps at 1080p or 1440p Ultra, so the useful move is setting a frame rate cap around 100 to 120 rather than letting it run wide open.