Video games are larger than they used to be. Massive titles like “Destiny 2” and “Horizon Forbidden West” can easily reach over 100 GB. The same harsh truth can be said for download times on consoles like the PlayStation 5, which can drag on from minutes to hours depending on the game, regardless of whether you buy physical versions or digital. Even if the end goal is to enjoy titles like “Street Fighter 6,” waiting what seems like a lifetime to access it may make finally pitting Chun-Li against Zangief feel like a worthless endeavor, or at least one that needs to be put off until the next day.
Thankfully, there are ways gamers can speed up the process and get to enjoying their beefiest games. One thing users may wish they knew before buying a PlayStation 5 is how they can maximize playtime on their consoles by decreasing games’ download speeds. This can be accomplished with simple changes like adjusting the console’s “Wi-Fi Frequency Bands” setting. By adjusting the frequency band to 5 GHz, it can cut down the download time from an exorbitant six and a half hours to a more reasonable hour and a half.
Other ways your download times may be reduced include connecting an Ethernet cable to your device, disconnecting other, unneeded devices from your Wi-Fi, and placing your router closer to your PlayStation. One Reddit user suggested solutions like rebooting your console or router, or clearing the PlayStation’s cache. Though less ideal than other quick fixes, you may also consider replacing your router entirely. Regardless, this smorgasbord of solutions shows that improving your console’s download speeds is far from a hopeless endeavor.
Internet quality and performance matter for short PS5 download times
Achieving quick download times, whether it’s for a new game or a recent update, greatly depends on your internet speed. PlayStation 5 users should strive for a download speed of at least 50 Mbps, a 10 Mbps upload speed, and below 50 ms latency to get the most out of their Sony machine. Game downloads will particularly flourish if they occur anywhere from 50 to 100+ Mbps. Your console’s download performance may also be limited by your internet provider.
If swift download speeds are your main priority, you may want to look into services capable of achieving them. “Have a good internet provider and just use an internet cable and not Wi-Fi,” one Reddit user suggested. “Here I get 1 GBps up and down from my provider. And the actual speed of my PS5 and PS5 pro are around 850 MBps. Usually a 100 Gb game takes around 12 minutes or so to download.” Though not everyone will have access to the same internet quality, companies, or services, as those vary per region, doing your due diligence and thoroughly researching every possible option could help you play your brand-new or freshly updated PlayStation 5 games as soon as possible.
