Gearbox Software is giving away Borderlands 2 for free on Steam, but some fans are warning others to stay away from the series due to a recent controversy surrounding its terms of service.
The studio behind the looter-shooter series surprised PC gamers with the free offer today, allowing all Steam users to add the sequel to their libraries for free. It’s a freebie that grants access to the 2012 title at no extra cost, but as many share their excitement online, Borderlands 2 Steam reviews are telling a different story.
While the All Reviews section boasts a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with more than 287,000 user reviews, the more than 3,300 Recent Reviews have the second Borderlands game’s reactions labeled “Mostly Negative.” The downward trend began around May 20, 2025, with a particularly large movement of negative responses filling its reviews section today.
This spike in negative Borderlands 2 reviews comes not from a gameplay update or troubled servers but instead key changes Gearbox parent company Take-Two Interactive made to its Terms of Service in February of this year. Players are using their reviews to point to a few topics, including concerns the end-user license agreement (EULA) condemns the use of mods, cheats, and VPNs. However, the primary concern being echoed across social media channels relates to fears Take-Two, 2K Games, and Gearbox are harvesting data and private information.
“One of the best games ever made. I cannot recommend it to anyone right now due to the publisher adding spyware into an updated EULA that you have to accept to launch it,” one popular review from Steam user RyeTheTactician says. “It’s called forced arbitration and it’s one of the scummiest things shady people want to normalize. I will not change it to a positive review until this is fixed, too bad, I had fun will all the Borderlands games in multiple devices, but will probably not play this or [Borderlands 4] for a long time.”
Another complaint working its way to the top of the conversation involves the wider idea of a publisher altering the terms of service for a game that launched nearly 13 years ago. Some have gone as far as to ask for refund options if they wish to decline the updated document’s conditions. Others are also highlighting Borderlands 2’s status as a relatively casual video game with a focus on single-player and co-op experience. The idea is that, without a substantial, competitive multiplayer component, there should be no reason for Take-Two to fear how cheaters may impact the experience of the average Borderlands player.
People are review-bombing the Borderlands games because Gearbox/2K made EULA changes
Looks like people are review bombing the entire **Borderlands** series because Gearbox/2K made EULA changes that can apparently gain root-level access to your machine under the guise of… pic.twitter.com/fZwAoSr9wo
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) May 20, 2025
Take-Two’s terms of service update can be found when booting up other 2K titles, including the original Borderlands and Borderlands 3, which are currently on sale for $9.89 and $3.99, respectively, on Steam. Each title has received a different level of review bombing, with nearly all users pointing to the EULA as the cause behind their freshly added thumbs-down rating. There’s even a specific list of grievances being copy-pasted across the Steam reviews section for each game, which includes concerns that Take-Two is taking advantage of sensitive information such as names, email addresses, IP addresses, billing details, phone numbers, and more.
“Changing the ToS and turning games into spyware and then offering the game for free in order to then steal data from unknowing people is pretty bold,” Steam user =SilvioHammer= alleges.
Many have used their reviews to specifically call out Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford, who attempted to address privacy fears with a post on X/Twitter last week. When one fan said the EULA update had “essentially turned every Borderlands game into spyware with access to all of our information,” Pitchford assured PC fans that there are no software-level changes to the Borderlands games that should have players worried about spyware.
“Nothing has or will change about the software,” Pitchford said at the time. “I think the publisher legal team is covering their bases, but that has nothing to do with what we’re doing. I cannot change the EULA – that’s decided at the publisher level. But I can assure that there is no spyware in the software.”
Yeah – humans are involved. It sucks to get brigaded when we’re over here making good games. Everyone should make their own decisions, though, so if running a protest because of fear over some lawyers covering their butts, I guess that’s the world we have to live in.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 31, 2025
Pitchford’s comments have been backed by other players who feel the reaction to the Take-Two’s changes is a bit overblown. This includes clarification from some who say the EULA has gone largely unchanged for years, going as far as to say previous versions of the document already included several of the conditions players are voicing concern about now. It’s unclear how the significant the February changes to the terms of service were, but overreaction or not, it’s clear a vocal portion of the Borderlands community is no longer happy with what the agreement entails.
“People are overreacting for sure,” one Reddit comment says. “The EULA is hardly any different than the one before it all the way back in 2018. People are just freaking out now because some clickbaiting content creator told them to.”
It’s currently unclear if Take-Two will update its terms of service in any way that could alleviate privacy concerns or the criticism related to mod support. For those who pick up Borderlands 2, which is available to own for free until June 8 at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, the terms of service agreement in question pops up when you boot up the game for the first time. Those who decline it can continue to enjoy the experience but only while playing offline.
The updated terms of service will likely need to be accepted in order to play Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 online as well. It’s set to launch September 12, 2025, for PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will launch at a later date. You can check out all of the latest gameplay details revealed as part of a Borderlands 4-focused State of Play here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
