Borderlands 4 has barely been out for a few weeks, and already the community has uncovered one of the most entertaining quirks of its new systems: a movement exploit now known as “cricket jumping.” What started as a playful trick demonstrated by streamer Bahroo has quickly become a hot topic across forums, Discord servers, and social media threads. Players discovered that by standing on the Prospects’ Ripper Drill, carefully aligning their character, tabbing out of the game at just the right moment, and firing a weapon, they could send themselves hurtling across the map. 
When paired with the game’s built-in glide mechanic, this glitch effectively allows entire sections of the map to be skipped in seconds.
Speedrunners in particular are thrilled, as cricket jumping gives them an unplanned but highly effective shortcut. For a series already infamous for its chaotic fun, the glitch feels like a natural fit. Yet not everyone is convinced it will remain untouched. Creative Director Graeme Timmins commented online that he is “keeping an eye on this.” While he stressed he doesn’t want to ruin players’ fun, he also pointed out that stability and streaming issues could force Gearbox to address it. For now, though, Timmins signaled the studio’s stance is hands-off: enjoy it while it lasts, unless it breaks the game in a meaningful way.
This approach highlights an ongoing balancing act in modern game development. Developers often walk a fine line between preserving emergent, community-driven playstyles and maintaining technical stability. Cricket jumping isn’t a standard bug like a crash or corrupt save file – it’s a sequence of deliberate steps that players must choose to engage in. Some fans argue that if an exploit requires such intention, it should be allowed to remain as a hidden layer of expression, not patched out.
Outside of quirky glitches, Borderlands 4 faces more pressing performance concerns. Console players, in particular, are frustrated by the slower rollout of patches compared to PC. Timmins explained that certification on PlayStation and Xbox takes longer than simply pushing a hotfix to PC, since console updates must pass quality checks from platform holders. Nonetheless, the issues are significant enough that many players are losing patience. Digital Foundry’s recent analysis revealed that framerate degradation occurs after just 30 minutes to an hour of continuous play, even on high-end systems like the PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X. The result is an experience punctuated by regular interruptions – not exactly ideal for a fast-paced looter shooter.
Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford acknowledged the problem, suggesting that console users restart the game periodically to restore performance. While this workaround technically works, critics – including Digital Foundry’s Tom Morgan – argue it’s unacceptable that players must reboot every hour in a flagship AAA title. One colorful fan summed it up: resetting a game as a “solution” in 2025 feels like a throwback to blowing on cartridges in the ’90s.
PC gamers are not spared from frustration. While the platform has already received two patches, performance woes remain. Steam reviews currently sit at a mixed rating, with complaints centering on stutter and poor optimization. Digital Foundry’s technical breakdown recommended avoiding the demanding “Badass” graphics setting, suggesting that Unreal Engine 5 is straining even high-end rigs. Gearbox has repeatedly assured players that improving PC performance is a top priority. In the meantime, they’ve pointed to Nvidia’s optimization guide, which explains how to tweak settings for smoother framerates. Still, responses are mixed, with some players reporting improvements and others seeing no meaningful difference.
The studio also cautioned PC players to give their systems time to adjust after changing graphics settings, as shader recompilation requires 10–15 minutes of gameplay. For casual fans, this explanation feels like an attempt to calm nerves, but competitive and technical players appreciate the transparency. It underscores just how complicated optimizing a modern, graphics-heavy title can be.
Despite the frustrations, Borderlands 4 continues to draw attention, both for its gameplay and its technical controversies. The cricket jumping discovery injects some chaotic fun into the mix, reminding players of the unpredictability that has always defined the Borderlands franchise. But at the same time, unresolved performance issues remain a shadow over the experience, especially for console users who feel left behind by slower updates.
Ultimately, the debate reflects the broader expectations of modern gamers. They want games that are polished, fair, and stable – but they also want freedom to discover and exploit systems in creative ways. Whether Gearbox decides to patch cricket jumping or let it live on as part of the community’s shared lore will say a lot about where the studio places its priorities. Until then, speedrunners are racing ahead, casual fans are laughing at the absurdity, and frustrated console players are watching the clock for when they’ll next need to restart.
As Borderlands 4 evolves with patches and updates, the legacy of cricket jumping may become one of those legendary quirks fans look back on fondly – a moment where a glitch became a symbol of both the joy and the chaos at the heart of Pandora’s wild universe.
2 comments
restart every hour? bro this aint 1998, why we rebooting games in 2025 🤦
if this gets patched imma be sad, its the best part of the game rn