How to Boost Download Speed on Xbox

Xbox is one of the leading gaming brands in the world. Millions of people in the world enjoy their Xbox consoles not just for gaming but also for watching movies and TV shows. It’s a complete entertainment device.

A new stream of games is inbound with the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S in the market. Downloading all those next-gen games requires not just ample storage space on your Xbox but optimal download speed so that your games are ready to play as soon as possible. You may think that a fast internet connection is all that you need to amplify the download speed. But several other factors play a part in making your downloads complete faster. 

So, here are some of the ways you can boost your Xbox download speed.

How to Fix Slow Xbox Download Speed

Xbox consoles use an internet connection to connect with Xbox Live – a service designed to connect with other Xbox gamers and access the online marketplace to buy and download Xbox games. The Xbox Store allows gamers to purchase new games or buy downloadable content (DLC) for games, among many other things. 

Games today can easily reach 25GB in space on average. The huge file sizes demand that you have a fast-enough internet connection to facilitate downloads in a reasonable amount of time. But, it’s not just games that you have to consider; there are software updates to the games and firmware updates to the Xbox console itself. Game updates can easily reach a couple of gigabytes. And live service games are updated frequently. 

• Switch to a wired connection

Gamers who have been in the activity long enough will tell you that there is no substitute for a wired internet connection. Gamers who play competitively always ensure that their gaming devices are hooked to the router via a LAN cable, even if they have to stretch a long cable to the other room. 

Wireless connections are susceptible to packet drop if the connection strength is not optimal. A wired connection ensures that your internet connection is not somehow holding back the true download potential. 

• Sit close to Wi-Fi

If you have chosen to use a Wi-Fi connection for your Xbox connection, you must ensure a good distance between your Xbox and the Wi-Fi router. Wireless strength fades as you move farther from the access point. Walls are another hurdles that you need to consider. 

If the Wi-Fi router is on another floor or some rooms ahead, this connection will not yield good results. You cannot expect to have a good experience while downloading, let alone play online games that require low latency. 

• Change frequency to 5GHz

Not all routers support the frequency, which is why you will have to spend a bit more. Invest in a dual-band router that supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The 5GHz frequency provides more bandwidth to the connected device. 

This will allow you to connect some devices on 2.4GHz, and connect via 5GHz on devices that support it. The frequency is best suited for gaming and streaming movies. However, 5GHz does not have the same range. 

• Depopulate your Wi-Fi network

You may have an open Wi-Fi network or unknown devices on the network. You can check how many devices are connected to your Wi-Fi by using a web browser to enter the router’s admin panel. Go into the client’s list and see what devices are connected. 

Change your Wi-Fi password to kick devices from the Wi-Fi, or manually disallow each connected device from the admin panel. 

• Upgrade the internet connection

With high-definition content being the mainstream now, devices around us are hungry for bandwidth. It’s common to see more than one personal computer and multiple smartphones in one household. If the download speed on Xbox did not improve after fixing the factors mentioned above, then maybe all you need is an internet connection. 

Get in touch with your ISP’s internet connection customer support and explain your requirements and the number of devices you have at home. Some ISPs provide details like the ideal environment for a particular subscription plan on the internet packages webpage. 

Final Words

Lastly, you can try turning off the VPN. A VPN has many benefits but can introduce more delays in the download process. It’s not ideal for playing games as more latency equals o more lag in gameplay. Once you have downloaded a game, you can just as easily turn the VPN back on and continue browsing the web privately.