Is your Borderlands 3 so laggy that it’s all but unplayable? If yes, don’t lose hope so soon – this post might help you clear up the problem. Many players are experiencing lag issues with Borderlands 3, just like you. Common as it is, lagging can be caused by various reasons, mostly network-related or hardware-related. Now let’s dig right in and see what’s what.
What sort of “lag” issues I’m having?
Do you know that “lag issue” typically refers to network-related problems? For example, major lag spikes. This is one of the most common problems among online games, such as LOL, Fortnite, and Apex Legends. Obviously you can play Borderlands 3 either online or offline, so if your issue only occurs in online mode (for example, when you’re playing online multiplayer), then there’s no doubt that you’re having a real lag issue. In this case, take note of your network condition and find some ways to improve it.
If your Borderlands 3 seems laggy even in offline mode, then you’re very likely having a frame rate problem (e.g., having low FPS because your computer can barely handle the game). There’s also an outside chance that the game per se has some unforeseen bugs, so you could only wait for new patches to fix them.
Now, after figuring out what sort of “lag” issues you have, read on and find possible fixes for your problem.
Fixes for Borderlands 3 lag issues
Here are several fixes that have proved useful to Borderlands 3 players. You don’t need to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
Jump ahead to the section that best suits your needs:
I’m having network problems
Alright, now you know it’s your network that causes the lag issues in Borderlands 3. Go on to check out the following fixes:
Fix 1: Restart your modem and router
Fix 4: Close bandwidth hogging applications
Fix 5: Swap Wi-Fi to an Ethernet connection
Fix 1: Restart your modem and router
You should restart your modem and router especially when they haven’t been switched off for a long time. Just give them some time to cool off and clear up the cache. Here’s how to do it:
1) Unplug both your router and modem.
2) Wait at least 30 seconds to let the two machines cool down a bit.
3) Plug the modem back in and wait until the indicator lights are back to their normal state.
4) Plug the router back in. Likewise, wait until the indicator lights are back to their normal state.
5) Now that your routers and modem have been restarted properly, you can launch Borderlands 3 again to see if the lag issue remains. If it does, move on to the next fix.
Fix 2: Renew IP address
To renew your IP address, you should perform the following procedure:
1) On your taskbar, type command into the search box. Then right-click on the Command Prompt result and select Run as administrator.
Click Yes if you’re prompted about permission.
2) In your command prompt window, enter the following command:
ipconfig /release
Note that there’s a space between “ipconfig” and “/”.
Press Enter on your keyboard and wait till the release is completed.
3) Then type the following command:
ipconfig /renew
Note that there’s a space between “ipconfig” and “/”.
Press Enter on your keyboard and wait till the renewal is completed.
4) This time, enter:
ipconfig /flushdns
Note that there’s a space between “ipconfig” and “/”.
Press Enter on your keyboard and wait till the process is completed.
Exit the Command Prompt window. Now check to see if your Borderlands 3 is still laggy. If it is, proceed to Fix 3, below.
Fix 3: Change DNS server
Try to switch your ISP’s DNS server to the Google Public DNS address. This may improve the resolve time and provide you with more security online. Here are the steps:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run dialog box. Type in control panel and press Enter.
2) Expand View by: and select Category. Then, click View network status and tasks.
3) In the next window, click Change adapter settings.
4) Right-click on your network and select Properties.
5) Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) to view its properties.
6) In the pop-up window, select these two options: Obtain an IP address automatically and Use the following DNS server addresses.
For the Preferred DNS server, enter 8.8.8.8 to replace the primary IP address; for the Alternate DNS server, enter 8.8.4.4. Then click OK.
Check to see if your lag issue still persists. If it does, try out the next fix.
Fix 4: Close bandwidth-hogging applications
Having too many applications in the background will slow down your network and trigger lag issues. So, make sure you close all the unnecessary programs before playing Borderlands 3. Here’s how to check and disable them:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog box. Type in resmon and hit Enter.
2) In the Resource Monitor window, on the Network tab, take note of the Total (B/sec) column. In this way, you’ll get an intuitive view of what process is now taking up the most of your network resources.
3) Right-click on the process that you want to disable and select End Process.
4) If prompted for permission, click End process.
5) Repeat the steps above until you’ve closed all the bandwidth-hogging programs.
6) Your problem is sometimes caused by interference from antivirus software. To see if that’s the problem for you, temporarily disable your antivirus program and check if the problem persists. (Consult your antivirus documentation for instructions on disabling it.)
If your game works properly after you disable the antivirus software, contact the vendor of your antivirus software and ask them for advice, or install a different antivirus solution.
If this fix didn’t work, take a stab at the next one.
Fix 5: Swap Wi-Fi to an Ethernet connection
This fix is solely for Wi-Fi users. Since the wireless network is not as stable as the wired one, you’ll get more interruptions if your computer is connected to Wi-Fi. For example, when you’re playing Borderlands 3 in a room far away from your router, the Wi-Fi signal received can be rather weak, hence the reason for a lag issue.
To solve this problem, you should swap Wi-Fi to an Ethernet connection, but this is not practical for everyone. Alternatively, you may buy a powerline Ethernet adapter which extends the reach of your home network to places with poor wireless coverage.
Also, you should avoid possible wireless interference that weakens your Wi-Fi signal such as cordless phones and microwave ovens. Place them far away from your router, or simply move your laptop somewhere else.
Fix 6: Get a VPN
Virtual Private Network (VPN) enables you unlimited access to game servers around the globe. Once you connect to a VPN server (whether it locates within or outside your country), you can choose a region which is less busy to play the game in. On another note, Internet Service Providers (ISP) may sometimes throttle Internet connection speeds to prevent congestion especially when you’re doing something data-intensive, such as playing online video games. But with a VPN, your online activity data are encrypted so ISP won’t find out what you’re doing, hence you’re not likely to be throttled.
In a word, VPN may help you resolve your lag issue in some cases. So what VPN you should probably choose? Remember, never use a free VPN. Just as the phrase goes, “If You’re Not Paying For It, You Become The Product.” Using free VPNs can have negative consequences sometimes, like information leakage.
Here I’d strongly suggest you go for NordVPN or ExpressVPN. You could google them and there should be lots of information about these two VPNs boasting military-level encryption, reasonable price, high network speed, and mostly positive reputation, etc. Above all, both of them are provided by reliable companies.
– Coupon Codes for NordVPN
– Coupon Codes for ExpressVPN
Hopefully the 6 fixes above helped you resolve the lag issues with Borderlands 3. Now it’s time for the next part – how to tackle “lag” issues related to low FPS.
I’m having frame rate problems
More often than not, frame rate problems are related to your hardware (for example, your PC can hardly keep up with the game). Regarding how to improve your FPS in Borderlands 3, I’ve already written a post before: FPS Drops in Borderlands 3? Try These Fixes on PC. It includes 8 fixes that helped resolve the frame rate problem and if you’re interested in it, just check it out.
Now I’ll list three of the fixes included:
Fix 1: Update your graphics card drivers
Fix 2: Modify in-game settings
Fix 3: Disable fullscreen optimizations
Fix 1: Update your graphics card drivers
Updating graphics drivers is typically a good idea when you encounter lag issues caused by low FPS. You can update your drivers in Windows Device Manager, but sometimes it may fail to detect an out-dated driver, hence unable to provide a newer one; you can also download the graphics drivers from NVIDIA, AMD, etc. and then install them manually.
However, if you want to update all your device drivers (which is beneficial to your computer by the way), the two methods above may be of limited use. In this case, we highly recommend using Driver Easy to manage all your driver updates because it significantly saves your time and effort.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy takes care of everything.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to your graphics card driver to automatically download its correct version, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
Launch Borderlands 3 and check if your lag issue still remains. In case it does, move down to the next fix.
Fix 2: Modify in-game settings
You can turn off/down some of the display settings in Borderlands 3 to improve the FPS. Here’s the setup you may find useful (note that it doesn’t necessarily suit your needs):
1) On the launching screen, click OPTIONS.
2) Then VISUALS.
3) On the BASIC tab, make sure you set Display Mode to Full Screen. As for other options, you can simply copy the following settings or modify them according to your taste.
4) On the ADVANCED tab, make the following tweaks:
- Graphics API: DirectX 11
- Overall Quality: Medium (If your computer is a bit old or something, set it to Low or Very low)
- Anti Aliasing: FXAA
- FidelityFX Sharpening: On
- Camera Motion Blur: Off
- Object Motion Blur: Off
- Texture Streaming: Ultra
- Anisotropic Filtering: 16×
- Material Complexity: Medium
5) Next up:
- Shadows: Medium/Low
- Draw Distance: Medium/Low
- Environment Detail: Medium
- Terrain Detail: Medium
- Foliage: Medium/Low
- Character Detail: Medium
- Ambient Occlusion: Off
- Volumetric Fog: Medium or Off (If you turn off Volumetric Fog, the game may look less atmospheric in some sections.)
- Screen Space Reflections: Off
If you see instant improvements in FPS, you can either stop here or go on to try the next fix.
Fix 3: Disable fullscreen optimizations
This fix is only available to Windows 10 so you don’t need to try it if you’re not using Windows 10:
1) Locate the game folder where you’ve installed Borderlands 3.
2) Right-click the executable file of Borderlands 3 and select Properties.
Then, on the Processes tab, locate Borderlands 3 in the list of processes, right-click on it, and select Open file location.
3) In the Borderlands 3 Properties window, on the Compatibility tab, select the Disable fullscreen optimizations check box. Then, click Change high DPI settings.
4) Check the Override high DPI scaling behavior box. Then click OK.
5) Click Apply > OK.
Hopefully this article has helped you resolve the lag issues with Borderlands 3, or at least mitigate them to some extent. If you find out more effective solutions, please feel free to leave comments below and share them with us. Thanks for reading!