Borderlands 4 launched with numerous errors and problems. Players expected it to be well-optimized for platforms other than PC, like the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED.
But the launch of the game sure did prove us wrong. If you are also struggling to run Borderlands 4 on your Steam Deck, this guide will help by providing the best-optimized settings for the game.
Borderlands 4- Optimized Settings for Steam Deck and Steam OLED
Even with low settings and TSR upscaler pushed all the way up to performance, Borderlands fails to give a satisfactory framerate. Let’s take a look at how we can fix that:
Setting Up Lossless Scaling via Decky
You need to set up lossless scaling via Decky on your Steam Deck. Without this step, you won’t be able to achieve a playable framerate. If you don’t have it installed, here’s how to do that:
- Hold down the Steam Deck’s power button, and a menu will appear.
- Select the “Switch to Desktop” option.
- Now that you are in Desktop mode, open up a web browser of your choice.
- Follow this link, and you are one step closer to downloading the Decky Loader.
- Scroll down, double-click the Download link, and then select the recommended install option.
- Now, you need to create a Sudo Password. Just go back into the Steam Deck’s Desktop Mode and click the Deck icon to open the apps box. Type Konsole in the search box, open it, and then type ‘passwd’ in the box. Create a password and then confirm it in the second one.
- Launch the installer again from your downloads folder and select Execute.
- Enter the password you just created, and the installation will begin.
Add the Lossless scaling plugin on Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED via Decky. After that, launch Borderlands 4 and apply the following optimized settings:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Display Mode | Full-screen |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 |
| Display Stats | None |
| Limit Frame Rate | Off |
| Custom FPS Limit | Grayed Out |
| Vertical Sync | Off |
| Field of View | 90 (Preference) |
| Vehicle Field of View | 90 (Preference) |
| Graphics Preset | Low |
| Anti-Aliasing | Enabled |
| Upscaling Method | TSR |
| Upscaling Quality | Performance |
| Spatial Upscaling Quality | Disabled |
| Scene Capture Quality | Low |
| Frame Generation | Off |
| NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency / AMD Anti-Lag | On |
| HLOD Loading Range | Near |
| Geometry Quality | Low |
| Foliage Density | Very Low |
| Volumetric Fog | Low |
| Volumetric Cloud | Low |
| Shadow Quality | Low |
| Directional Shadow Quality | Low |
| Volumetric Cloud Shadows | Disabled |
| Lighting Quality | Low |
| Reflections Quality | Low |
| Shading Quality | Low |
| Post-Process Quality | Low |
| Motion Blur Amount | 0.0 |
| Motion Blur Quality | Off |
Aside from applying these settings, the following tips will also increase the performance of Borderlands 4 on your Steam Deck or Steam OLED:
- Open the lossless scaling menu and set the flow scale to 50%.
- For a better image quality, increase it to 60-65%.
- Enable FIFO.
- Max out the GPU clock.
- Play with the power cable connected to the Steam Deck for better performance.
- Running out of VRAM? Set UMA buffer to 6GB.
That’s all for this Borderlands 4 guide on how to run Borderlands 4 smoothly on Steam Deck and Steam OLED. If you are experiencing errors and issues with the game on PC, you can check our guides on that as well.
