Borderlands 2 Goes Free to Keep on Steam, Where Recent EULA Changes Have Sparked a 'Mostly Negative' User Review Rating Across the Entire Franchise

Gearbox Software is giving distant Borderlands 2 for escaped connected Steam, but immoderate fans are informing others to enactment distant from the bid owed to a caller contention surrounding its presumption of service.

The workplace down the looter-shooter bid amazed PC gamers with the escaped connection today, allowing each Steam users to adhd the sequel to their libraries for free. It’s a freebie that grants entree to the 2012 rubric astatine nary other cost, but arsenic galore stock their excitement online, Borderlands 2 Steam reviews are telling a antithetic story.

While the All Reviews conception boasts a “Very Positive” standing connected Steam with much than 287,000 idiosyncratic reviews, the much than 3,300 Recent Reviews person the 2nd Borderlands game’s reactions labeled “Mostly Negative.” The downward inclination began astir May 20, 2025, with a peculiarly ample question of antagonistic responses filling its reviews conception today.

Borderlands 2 Steam User Reviews. Screenshot captured by IGN.

This spike successful antagonistic Borderlands 2 reviews comes not from a gameplay update oregon troubled servers but alternatively cardinal changes Gearbox genitor institution Take-Two Interactive made to its Terms of Service successful February of this year. Players are utilizing their reviews to constituent to a fewer topics, including concerns the end-user licence statement (EULA) condemns the usage of mods, cheats, and VPNs. However, the superior interest being echoed crossed societal media channels relates to fears Take-Two, 2K Games, and Gearbox are harvesting information and backstage information.

“One of the champion games ever made. I cannot urge it to anyone close present owed to the steadfast adding spyware into an updated EULA that you person to judge to motorboat it,” 1 fashionable reappraisal from Steam idiosyncratic RyeTheTactician says. “It's called forced arbitration and it's 1 of the scummiest things shady radical privation to normalize. I volition not alteration it to a affirmative reappraisal until this is fixed, excessively bad, I had amusive volition each the Borderlands games successful aggregate devices, but volition astir apt not play this oregon [Borderlands 4] for a agelong time.”

Another ailment moving its mode to the apical of the speech involves the wider thought of a steadfast altering the presumption of work for a crippled that launched astir 13 years ago. Some person gone arsenic acold arsenic to inquire for refund options if they privation to diminution the updated document's conditions. Others are besides highlighting Borderlands 2’s presumption arsenic a comparatively casual video crippled with a absorption connected single-player and co-op experience. The thought is that, without a substantial, competitory multiplayer component, determination should beryllium nary crushed for Take-Two to fearfulness however cheaters whitethorn interaction the acquisition of the mean Borderlands player.

Take-Two’s presumption of work update tin beryllium recovered erstwhile booting up different 2K titles, including the archetypal Borderlands and Borderlands 3, which are presently connected merchantability for $9.89 and $3.99, respectively, connected Steam. Each rubric has received a antithetic level of reappraisal bombing, with astir each users pointing to the EULA arsenic the origin down their freshly added thumbs-down rating. There’s adjacent a circumstantial database of grievances being copy-pasted crossed the Steam reviews conception for each game, which includes concerns that Take-Two is taking vantage of delicate accusation specified arsenic names, email addresses, IP addresses, billing details, telephone numbers, and more.

“Changing the ToS and turning games into spyware and past offering the crippled for escaped successful bid to past bargain information from unknowing radical is beauteous bold,” Steam idiosyncratic =SilvioHammer= alleges.

Many person utilized their reviews to specifically telephone retired Gearbox brag Randy Pitchford, who attempted to code privateness fears with a station connected X/Twitter past week. When 1 instrumentality said the EULA update had “essentially turned each Borderlands crippled into spyware with entree to each of our information,” Pitchford assured PC fans that determination are nary software-level changes to the Borderlands games that should person players disquieted astir spyware.

“Nothing has oregon volition alteration astir the software,” Pitchford said astatine the time. “I deliberation the steadfast ineligible squad is covering their bases, but that has thing to bash with what we’re doing. I cannot alteration the EULA - that’s decided astatine the steadfast level. But I tin guarantee that determination is nary spyware successful the software.”

Yeah - humans are involved. It sucks to get brigaded erstwhile we’re implicit present making bully games. Everyone should marque their ain decisions, though, truthful if moving a protestation due to the fact that of fearfulness implicit immoderate lawyers covering their butts, I conjecture that’s the satellite we person to unrecorded in.

Pitchford's comments person been backed by different players who consciousness the absorption to the Take-Two's changes is simply a spot overblown. This includes clarification from immoderate who accidental the EULA has gone mostly unchanged for years, going arsenic acold arsenic to accidental erstwhile versions of the papers already included respective of the conditions players are voicing interest astir now. It's unclear however the important the February changes to the presumption of work were, but overreaction oregon not, it's wide a vocal information of the Borderlands assemblage is nary longer blessed with what the statement entails.

"People are overreacting for sure," 1 Reddit remark says. "The EULA is hardly immoderate antithetic than the 1 earlier it each the mode backmost successful 2018. People are conscionable freaking retired present due to the fact that immoderate clickbaiting contented creator told them to."

It’s presently unclear if Take-Two volition update its presumption of work successful immoderate mode that could alleviate privateness concerns oregon the disapproval related to mod support. For those who prime up Borderlands 2, which is disposable to ain for escaped until June 8 astatine 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, the presumption of work statement successful question pops up erstwhile you footwear up the crippled for the archetypal time. Those who diminution it tin proceed to bask the acquisition but lone portion playing offline.

The updated presumption of work volition apt request to beryllium accepted successful bid to play Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 online arsenic well. It’s acceptable to motorboat September 12, 2025, for PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. A Nintendo Switch 2 mentation volition motorboat astatine a aboriginal date. You tin cheque retired each of the latest gameplay details revealed arsenic portion of a Borderlands 4-focused State of Play here.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance contributor with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).