Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 requires a download

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has confirmed that when Borderlands 4 launches for Switch 2 on October 3, you’ll need to download a big chunk of data—even if you buy the physical cartridge. Not exactly shocking, but like so many other games on the system it’s effectively a Game Key Card release. Pitchford’s explanation is blunt and to the point:

“It’s a big game. There will be a download, even for physical copies.”

And don’t count on 60 fps. Pitchford says the team refused to trim content or sacrifice full cross‑play with other platforms, so the Switch 2 version is aiming for “mostly around 30 fps,” and you should brace for dips during heavier firefights. That goes double in handheld mode, where the hardware gets pushed much harder.

Gearbox is hardly alone. More and more major publishers are leaning on Game Key Cards for Switch 2 releases—an unpopular but growing trend that almost certainly isn’t going away. High‑capacity carts cost real money, and as game sizes keep ballooning, this is something we’re all going to have to get used to.

What do you think about Game Key Cards? Let me know and we can build that into the article.