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How to speed up game downloads on Xbox

Xbox Series X with controller.
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Whether you got the Xbox Series X vs the Series S, you can get all the best Xbox Series X games easier than ever thanks to Game Pass and purchasing games digitally. The only bump in the road is that all the great games, and all the upcoming video games, are massive downloads. We've all been excited to jump into the next game right away only to realize it will take hours to download. With our tips, you can cut down on that wait time.

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Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • Xbox Series X or S

Key art for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Microsoft

Prioritize your download

While you're waiting for a game to download, you will probably be tempted to either play a multiplayer game or maybe stream a show or movie. However, doing this will only cause your game to download slower. To most efficiently download a game, you not only want to not use your console for anything else, but close any running apps.

Along with that, only download one game at a time. The logic here is the same; the more your console has to do at once, the slower it will be.

Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma controller for PC and Xbox Series X.
Razer

Strengthen your connection

You can't do anything about what internet speeds are available in your area or within your budget, but you can do a few things to make sure you're actually getting the full power of what you do have. While downloading a game, turn off any other devices that are connected to the same network, such as phones and PCs. The more devices connected to the same network, the slower speeds each device will get. If your Xbox is the only thing connected, it will get full priority and the fastest speeds possible.

Similarly, using an Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi will be a huge boost to your speeds, though may not be possible for every situation. Even moving your console closer to the router to minimize signal loss helps if you can manage it.

If all our tips fail, you can attempt to reboot your router to see if there is some issue there. If problems persist, you might want to contact your ISP to see if there is a larger issue with your connection.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
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