Guide
What is a good download speed for gaming?
Recommended download speeds for gaming, example download times for large games, and tips to speed up console downloads.
Tip: Want a quick answer? Use the download time calculator and compare a few speeds.
What matters for gaming downloads
For downloading games and updates, download speed (throughput) is the main factor. For online play, latency and stability matter more than raw Mbps.
Recommended download speeds
- 25–50 Mbps: fine for casual downloads, but large games can take a while.
- 100 Mbps: solid for most households; big updates are manageable.
- 300–500 Mbps: great if you download large titles often, or multiple people download at once.
- 1 Gbps: best when your devices and router can actually use it (Ethernet helps).
Example download times
| Game update (20GB) @ 50 Mbps | ~54 minutes |
| New title (100GB) @ 100 Mbps | ~2.2 hours |
| New title (100GB) @ 500 Mbps | ~26 minutes |
Why your console might download slower
- Wi‑Fi signal quality (especially if the console is far from the router)
- Background downloads/updates on other devices
- Console server caps during peak releases
- Storage speed constraints while installing
Best practice for faster game downloads
- Use Ethernet when possible.
- Download during off‑peak hours.
- Pause other heavy traffic (cloud backups, 4K streaming).
- Keep router firmware updated and place it centrally.