Xbox Series X and Series S may have Game Pass as its trump card for a large and accessible catalogue of games to play. But it’s going to be a problem making the most of this if you’re dealing with slow Xbox Series X download speed. As game sizes continue to get bigger, where 50GB is fast becoming the norm, or often double that, you’re going to want to make you you have the best download speed for your Xbox, whether you’re still using an Xbox One or have upgraded to Xbox Series X|S.
In this guide, we’ll be going through the ways you can improve your Xbox Series X|S’s download speed. Some of these are free and simple – or rather anecdotal – though the most effective solutions will require spending money. But if you’ve opted for the all-digital Xbox Series S, then being able to increase your Xbox’s internet speed is absolutely paramount. This guide should give you all the tips and advice you’ll need to get those download speeds up.
Best ways to increase Xbox Series X download speed
There are numerous ways to increase Xbox Series X|S internet download speed, but which are the best? The best ways to improve the download speed of your Xbox are:
- Pay for a faster internet service to increase your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S download speeds.
- For the optimal use of your Xbox Series X|S’s download speed, use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi.
- If you’re still using Wi-Fi then either move your Xbox Series X|S closer to your Wi-Fi router.
- Buy a better Wi-Fi Router with improved range if you can’t have it near your Xbox Series X|S.
- Buy a powerline adapter to connect broadband to your Xbox Series X|S.
- Pause and Resume the download to potentially improve your Xbox Series X|S download speed.
- Put the Xbox Series X|S into Rest Mode.
With games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla being very large, you’ll want all the download speed you can get. Games have been getting bigger and bigger in recent years, and that is unlikely to change.
How to download faster on Xbox Series X and Series S for a price
While there are a few tricks to improving your Xbox Series X|S download speed for free, by far the most effective ways to increase your download speed is spending money on better services or products. These best things to spend money on to increase your Xbox Series X|S are:
- Paying for a faster internet service, such as fibre broadband.
- Using a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi.
- Using powerline adapters, which makes it possible to have a wired connection in any room in your home.
Some of these services or products for improving your Xbox Series X|S’s download speed may require a significant investment, but they are guaranteed to produce results.
If you can, use a wired connection for Your Xbox Series X|S
The best way to improve your Xbox Series X download speed is always to connect the console to your router or network via an Ethernet cable. Even if your Xbox Series X|S is close to your Wi-Fi router, plugging in a network cable will always guarantee an increased download speed.
If your router is in a different part of the house, then the days of running long cables all over the house are also fortunately a thing of the past. you don’t need to pull a complicated line of ethernet cables to get the job done. You can instead buy a Powerline Network Adapter, which allows you to connect to your router via your electricity cables. Just plug this into any room in your home and attach a cable that way.
Buy Powerline Adapters from Amazon US
Buy Powerline Adapters from Amazon UK
Pay for a better internet connection for your Xbox Series X|S
Have you been using the same internet connection for years? If it’s just standard broadband, you’ll want to switch to something like Fibre Broadband, which provides a much faster service that’s essential for your Xbox Series X|S where you’ve got loads of huge files to download regularly.
In recent years, many internet providers have also begun rolling out Ultra-Fast Fibre Broadband where download speeds can go from 100Mbps to 900MBps!
Ultra-fast options may depend on the provider and whether or not it’s available in your area. Check if your current service can let you upgrade. Otherwise, if you’re out of the minimum contract period, it pays to switch to a new provider who can offer better rates. In some cases, you’ll be getting much faster broadband while saving money. This will let you download big games, like Forza Horizon 4, much quicker than before.
Fibre Broadband providers in the US
Verizon 200Mbps for $29.99 per month
AT&T 1000Mbps for $60 per month
Fibre Broadband providers in the UK
BT Full Fibre 100Mbps for £32.99 per month (plus 3 months free)
Virgin Media Fibre Broadband 108Mbps for £24.99 per month
Vodafone Gigafast 900Mbps for £50 per month (plus 6 months free)
Hyperoptic Hyperfast 900Mbps for £35 per month
How to increase Xbox Series X download speed for free
If you’re not in a position to spend much on ways to increase your PS5’s download speed, then there’s also a few tricks to improve it for free:
- Use a new DNS.
- Use Rest Mode on your Xbox Series X|S.
- Pause and resume the download on your Xbox Series X|S.
You may find these may produce variable results as some are merely anecdotal, but you’ve also got nothing to lose by giving it a try.
Change DNS on your Xbox Series X|S
This has had results for some people out and requires changing some settings on your Xbox Series X|S. By changing your DNS settings to use Google’s DNS server, it can potentially increase the Xbox Series X|S’s download speed. To do this, follow the below steps:
- Press the Xbox button to bring up the guide on the left of the screen then use the shoulder buttons to go to the “Profile & System” tab. From there, select “Settings”.
- Select “General” followed by “Network settings”.
- From the Network screen, you should already see the internet connection you’re on. Go down and select “Advanced Settings”.
- In Advanced Settings, select “DNS Settings” then select “Manual” so you can input the following:
Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4
Once this has been done, go back and you can test your internet speed immediately by selecting “Test network speed and statistics”. If you’re not seeing an immediate improvement to your Xbox Series X|S’s download speed, try to turn it off and then turn back on again.
Put Your Xbox Series X|S into on Instant-on Mode to improve download speed
It probably makes sense that for big downloads, you might want to put turn your Xbox Series X|S off and leave the big files to download overnight. How much better the download speed is however anecdotal so don’t necessarily expect it to always work. To ensure this feature is on, first check the following:
- Go to “Settings” then “General” and select “Power mode & startup”.
- Go to “Power mode” on the right and change this to “Instant-on”. This ensures your Xbox Series X|S remains in standby mode and continues downloading files even when turned off.
Once done, hold the Xbox button and it will give you the power options that lets you turn off the console. As long as it’s in ‘Instant-on’ mode, your Xbox Series X|S will continue downloading any files.
Pause and Resume Your Xbox Series X|S Download
On some occasions, you might find that that pausing and resuming Xbox Series X|S can do the trick in improving your download speed.
Simply press the Xbox button to access your guide, then select the game being downloaded. You’ll have the option to pause and then resume.
Similarly, check that you are only downloading one game file at a time to increase your Xbox Series X download speed. Your Xbox Series X|S should however already be keeping different game files in the queue by default.
If you’re also using your Xbox Series X|S to play games or streaming apps, this might also have an impact on how fast your download speeds are.
That’s it for our guide to improving your Xbox Series X|S’s download speeds. Whether you take a few or all the above tips on board, these should hopefully have you less time watching a download bar and just jumping back into a game.
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