If your PS5 downloads are slow, the cause is almost never the console. The PS5 has gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 6, so the bottleneck is usually your home network, too many devices sharing the connection, or busy PlayStation Network servers. Connect your console with an Ethernet cable, pause every other download, and queue large downloads overnight. These three steps fix most slow downloads. The ordered checklist below covers everything else worth trying, plus the settings that change nothing.
Why Is My PS5 Downloading So Slow?
Four things slow PS5 downloads down. Weak Wi-Fi is the most common, because wireless signals lose speed through walls and distance, and they compete with your neighbours’ routers. Shared bandwidth is next: if someone in the house is streaming 4K video while your console downloads, your speed is split between you. Then there is server load. After a big game launch, Sony’s download servers get hammered and everyone slows down. Finally, UK broadband itself slows between about 7pm and 11pm, when the whole street is online.
Notice what is not on that list: the console. Download speed is set by the weakest link between Sony’s servers and your PS5, and in most homes that link is the Wi-Fi or the broadband line, not the machine.
First, Check What “Slow” Really Means
Speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps), but game sizes are in gigabytes. Divide the Mbps number by 8 to get megabytes per second. A 100 Mbps connection gives about 12.5 MB/s, so a 100 GB game takes roughly two hours and fifteen minutes at full speed. If that matches what you see, nothing is broken.
Run a proper test before changing anything. On the PS5, go to Settings, then Network, then Test Internet Connection. Note that the console’s built-in test often reports a lower number than your real speed, because it measures against Sony’s servers rather than your provider’s. Judge by actual download times, not by the test number alone.
The Speed-Up Checklist, in Priority Order
Work through these steps in order, and stop when the problem is fixed. Each one is ranked by how often it actually helps.
- Pause every other download. Games, updates, and uploads all share your bandwidth. Press the PS button, open the Control Centre, go to Downloads, and pause everything except your target. Close suspended games and apps as well, so they stop using bandwidth and processing power in the background.
- Plug in an Ethernet cable. This is the single biggest improvement for most people. Any Cat5e or Cat6 cable works. Go to Settings, Network, Set Up Internet Connection, choose Use a LAN Cable, and pick Easy. Your speeds become steadier at once, especially for large game files and system updates.
- Restart your router, then your PS5. Unplug the router for 30 seconds before plugging it back in, and let it fully reboot before restarting the console. This clears stale connections and often fixes slowdowns that have no obvious cause.
- Switch on rest mode downloads. Go to Settings, System, Power Saving, then Features Available in Rest Mode, and turn on Stay Connected to the Internet. Downloads often finish faster in rest mode because suspended apps stop competing for bandwidth and processing power. Once your downloads finish quicker, check whether you need a 4K monitor for PS5 so your screen keeps up with your library.
- Download outside peak hours. In the UK, home broadband slows in the evening. Queue large downloads overnight or first thing in the morning, when both your provider’s network and Sony’s servers are quietest.
- Check PlayStation Network status. If PSN is struggling, especially after a major release, no setting on your console will help. Search for the PSN service status page, and if there is an outage or heavy load, simply wait and retry later.
- Prioritise your PS5 in your router (QoS). Most UK routers let you rank which devices get bandwidth first. On a BT Smart Hub, Virgin Media Hub, or Sky Hub, look under advanced or traffic management settings and put your console at the top. This matters most in busy households where several people are online at once.
- Improve your Wi-Fi if you must use it. Move the router closer to the console with as few walls between them as possible, keep its firmware updated, and connect to the 5 GHz band rather than 2.4 GHz when the distance is short. The 5 GHz band is faster and less congested.
Stuck at the Same Percentage? That Is the Install Phase, Not the Download
Many players panic when the progress bar stalls, but the download is usually finished by then. After the bar completes, the PS5 decompresses and installs the game, and some updates show a “Copying…” stage. The console looks frozen, but it is working. Leave it alone, because interrupting the process can corrupt the install and force you to start again.
A nearly full SSD makes this phase slower, because the console needs free space to unpack files. Keep 10 to 15 percent of your storage free so installs have room to work.
UK-Specific Problems Worth Knowing
Older Virgin Media hubs, particularly the Hub 3, have a well-documented latency issue that can make speeds collapse in the evening. If your downloads are fine during the day and terrible at night, and you are on Virgin, ask for a newer hub.
On part-fibre (FTTC) connections from BT, Sky, and other providers, evening slowdowns are normal when the whole street is online at once. Full fibre (FTTP) removes most of this, because the line is yours all the way to the exchange. Some UK providers also shape traffic at peak times, and a wired connection plus overnight scheduling beats that far better than any console setting.
Three Settings That Will Not Help
Changing DNS to 8.8.8.8 will not raise your download speed. DNS only looks up server addresses at the very start of a connection. It cannot increase throughput. Try it only if downloads fail to start at all, which points to a broken provider DNS rather than a slow one.
Lowering the MTU value is a placebo for most players. Some forum posts swear by it, but the wrong value causes instability, and the default of 1500 is correct for almost every UK home connection. Leave it alone unless you know exactly why you are changing it.
A VPN will slow your downloads down on a PS5. It adds routing and encryption overhead, and it can interfere with PSN features. Turn it off before starting big downloads. There are no legitimate apps that boost PS5 download speed, so treat any app that claims to as a scam.
FAQs
Does rest mode make PS5 downloads faster?
Yes, usually. Suspended games and apps stop competing for bandwidth and processing power, so the download gets the console’s full attention. Enable Stay Connected to the Internet first, or downloads will pause when the console sleeps.
Why does my PS5 show a slower speed than my phone?
The built-in test can under-report, and the console talks to different Sony servers than a phone speed test. The two numbers are not directly comparable. Judge by actual download times instead.
Does pausing and resuming a download speed it up?
No. Resuming does not trigger a faster connection, and frequent pausing can actually slow things down. Let large downloads run without interruption.
Will a VPN help my PS5 downloads?
No. A VPN adds routing overhead and usually slows downloads down. It can also interfere with PlayStation Network features, so keep it off while downloading.
What speed do I actually need for PS5 downloads?
A 50 to 100 Mbps plan handles game downloads comfortably. At 100 Mbps, a 100 GB game takes about two hours at full speed. Slower plans still work fine; they just take longer, so queue big downloads overnight.
Conclusion
Most slow PS5 downloads come down to Wi-Fi, shared bandwidth, or busy servers, not a faulty console. Wire it up, clear the download queue, and schedule big downloads overnight. If nothing here helps, the problem is likely your broadband line or provider, and a call to your ISP is the next step. Faster downloads mean more time playing, so read our UK gaming monitor buying guide before your next upgrade.
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