One of 2025’s biggest and most popular PC games is now Steam Deck Verified, after previously being listed as “Playable” on the handheld machine. This means that Valve has tested the game, in this case, an open-world first-person shooter meets action-RPG, for the Steam Deck, and can confirm it works from start to finish on the machine, as well as works well with its built-in display and controls without any user configuration. Unfortunately, this support arrives nearly five months after the game’s release, but late is better than never.
More specifically, those on Steam Deck who have been holding out on playing Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 until it got the Verification badge, the wait is over. The sequel to Borderlands 3, and the fifth mainline installment in the series, was released back on September 12, with only core platform support. This means it didn’t support additive platforms like the Steam Deck, but also the PS5 Pro. In other words, the lack of Steam Deck support was at least consistent.
One of 2025’s Best-Selling Games
While Borderlands 4 is not one of 2025’s highest-rated games, it is one of the best-selling games of last year. To this end, it was the third best-selling game of 2025, at least in the United States, behind only NBA 2K26 and Battlefield 6. As noted, the reviews weren’t as impressive as the sales, but they weren’t bad either. Borderlands 4 released to a solid 81 on Metacritic, a bit lower than other mainline games, but a very respectable score, which lines up with our own review of the zany, post-apocalyptic looter-shooter.
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Its user review score on Steam is another story, though. Right now, its user review score is specifically “Mixed,” the result of only a 63% approval rating after more than 39,000 user reviews. The negative user reviews make note of many things, but it’s worth noting that, as it may influence the purchase of Steam Deck users, the game suffers from underwhelming optimization on PC, complete with too many performance issues for a 5-month-old game.
Those on Steam Deck who have been waiting for this moment will, unfortunately, find out that it does not come complete with a discount on Steam, which means owners of the Valve handheld will have to pay the full $69.99 if they want to play the new Verified game right now.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.
