Borderlands 4’s launch was huge on Steam, but just one month later, that number has dropped by 85%.
It’s been officially over a month since the launch of Borderlands 4, the highly anticipated installment in Gearbox’s hit franchise. Released on September 12, the game pulled massive launch numbers and a ton of hype from longtime fans and newcomers alike, making it the biggest Steam launch for the series to date.
It was clear fans were ready to jump back into the loot-shooter chaos, especially with Gearbox promising tons of post-launch content. Gearbox even teased the first “bite-sized-yet-flavourful” paid DLC called Bounty Pack: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day, set to release on November 20.
But just a month later, things look very different on Steam. The player count has been sliding steadily since launch, showing a sharp decline from its all-time high.
Borderlands 4 Steam player count
According to live data from SteamDB, The Game Post found that Borderlands 4’s peak player count has dropped over 85% since launch. The game hit an incredible 304,398 concurrent players during its launch weekend, with a day-one peak of 201,273 players. Fast-forward to mid-October, and the 24-hour peak is sitting at 44,394, with around 33,000 players online right now.
That’s still a decent number by most standards, but compared to where it started, the drop-off is hard to ignore.
Here’s what the current player numbers look like for Borderlands 4, based on the data we reviewed from SteamDB:
- All-time peak (launch weekend): 304,398
- Day-1 peak: 201,273
- 24-hour peak (Oct 14): 44,394
- Current live players: 32,800
- 30-day average: 97,880 (down 31.1% from September’s 142,017)
That’s an 85% drop from launch to now, a number that sounds dramatic, but in reality, it’s pretty standard for most live-service or looter-shooter titles. Most games see a steep decline once the initial wave of launch hype fades. Not every player sticks around, especially in a looter-shooter that leans heavily on grinding, gear progression, and endgame loops.
Even Destiny 2, one of the biggest games in the genre, has faced similar issues lately with keeping players engaged. So while the dip might seem alarming, it doesn’t necessarily mean Borderlands 4 is in trouble. In fact, holding nearly 50,000 active players a month after launch is still impressive for a PC-only stat, and that’s before factoring in console numbers.
Part of what’s fueling the drop, though, comes down to endgame depth. A lot of players on Reddit and other social platforms say that while Borderlands 4’s core gameplay feels great, the endgame doesn’t feel as varied. There’s also been talk about stingy legendary drop rates and limited incentives to grind once you’ve geared up your favorite build.
That said, Gearbox has already announced plans to address these complaints. The studio’s upcoming updates will tweak weapon balance, improve loot rewards, and introduce new endgame content like Invincible bosses and seasonal events, starting with Horrors of Kairos later this month. If these additions land well, the player count could see a healthy rebound heading into the holidays.
What about you? Are you still playing Borderlands 4, or planning to jump back in for the next update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
