What is a normal game download speed?
A normal game download speed in the US is about 100 to 500 Mbps, which is roughly 12 to 60 megabytes per second in Steam or on your console. At those speeds a 100 GB game takes from about 2 hours down to under 30 minutes. Playing online needs far less: a stable 10 to 25 Mbps and low ping are enough for almost any game.
Mbps vs. MB/s
Internet plans are sold in megabits per second (Mbps). Steam, Xbox and PlayStation show downloads in megabytes per second (MB/s). Divide by 8: a 300 Mbps plan downloads at up to about 37 MB/s. That is why your "300" plan shows "35" in Steam.
How long a 100 GB game takes
| Plan | Real download | 100 GB game |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Mbps | ~12 MB/s | ~2.2 hours |
| 300 Mbps | ~37 MB/s | ~45 minutes |
| 500 Mbps | ~60 MB/s | ~27 minutes |
| 1 Gbps | ~120 MB/s | ~14 minutes |
Real times are often a bit slower because of Wi-Fi, server load and disk speed.
What matters for playing online
- Ping (latency): under about 50 ms feels good; under 20 ms is excellent for competitive shooters.
- Stability: packet loss and jitter cause rubber-banding more often than low bandwidth does.
- Upload speed: matters for streaming yourself, less for playing.
Faster plans mostly help with downloads and with many people using the connection at once.
If your downloads are slower than your plan
- Test with a wired Ethernet connection; Wi-Fi often caps speed.
- Pause other downloads and streams in the house.
- In Steam, change the download region in Settings > Downloads; on consoles, restart the download.
- Check that the game installs to an SSD rather than a slow hard drive.
FAQ
Is 100 Mbps enough for gaming?
Yes for playing online. Large downloads will take a couple of hours, which many players are fine with.
Is 500 Mbps enough for two people?
Yes. It easily covers two players gaming and streaming at the same time.
Is 800 Mbps too much for gaming?
It's more than gaming needs, but it shortens downloads and helps busy households.
Is 10 MB/s a good download speed?
It equals about 80 Mbps, which is on the slow side of normal; a 100 GB game takes close to 3 hours.