5 Ways to Fix Slow PS5 Download Speeds

Zaid August 31, 2023 12:19 AM Tips & Tricks

Sony’s PlayStations are one of the most popular gaming consoles in the world. They come at a reasonable price and offer an immersive gaming experience to the players. But, this immersive experience gets hindered sometimes due to all sorts of bugs and issues.

One of them is the slow download speeds users reported getting while trying to download a game on their PS5, Sony’s latest PlayStation gaming console launched in 2020.

The reports clearly state that the issue here is not with the internet connection for the most part. Even the most minor updates show an expected download time of days, if not weeks.

Users have tried many troubleshooting methods like clearing the cache, restarting the download and the console, etc. But none of these seems to be working. We have brought you some ways to eliminate this nuisance with this article. So, without further ado, let us dive right in.

The role of a Domain Name System, or DNS for short, is to convert domain names into IP addresses. This is essential for web browsing. Changing the DNS servers has proven to increase internet speeds and a few other benefits. This is entirely safe, so you do not need to worry.

To change the DNS servers on your PS5, go to the Network section in Settings. Select ‘Set Up Internet Connection’, then change the DNS settings to Manual. After that, set the Primary DNS to 8.8.8.8 and the Secondary DNS to 8.8.4.4. Leave the rest of the settings as they are and save the changes. This has worked for many people.

If that does not work for you, you can do the following. Go to the Network section in the Settings again, and select ‘Set Up Internet Connection’. Pick the network connection you use, either WiFi or a LAN cable. Select Options and then choose Advanced Settings. Select Automatic for the IP Address option and ‘Do Not Specify’ for the DHCP one.

Change the DNS Settings to Manual again. Set the Primary DNS as 1.1.1.1 and the Secondary DNS as 1.0.0.1. Select Next after that and change the MTU Settings to Automatic. Finally, set the Proxy Server to ‘Do Not Use’ and proceed to test the internet connection. This has also been useful in many instances.

Just so you know, the Domain Name Systems starting with 8 belong to Google servers, and the ones starting with 1 belong to Cloudflare servers.

If you have a router that supports dual-band WiFi, you may know it transmits data via two-frequency bandwidths. One is clocked at 2.4GHz and provides a broader range but slower data speeds. The other one, clocked at 5GHz, is there for faster data speeds but a shorter range.

If your PS5 is connected to the 2.4GHz band, it may be the reason for the slow download speed. However, if it is connected to the 5GHz one, check if the router is too far away. As mentioned earlier, 5GHz WiFi provides a shorter range, which could result in an unstable internet connection if the connected device is too far away. So, we recommend you connect your PS5 to a suitable one.

To do so, head into the Network section of the Settings once again. Select the option to Set Up an Internet Connection. After that, select the network your device is connected to and pick the suitable frequency bandwidth.

It is common knowledge that a wired connection is technically better than a wireless one for the most part. Two major advantages of wired connections over wireless are lower latency and no risks of signal drops due to different factors.

So, switching to a wired internet connection may result in better download speeds on your PS5. Doing this is quite simple. Just connect your PS5 and your router using an ethernet cable.

Rest Mode in PS5 is there to save the power of the console. It is useful when you do not need to play on the console but want to download games or updates. When your PS5 is in Rest Mode, the controllers can continue getting charged.

Continuing the download process while the console is in Rest Mode may help increase the download speeds due to the low power and internet usage by other tasks.

To put your PS5 in Rest Mode, press the PS key on your DualSense controller. Locate the Power icon, click on it, and then select the option to Enter Rest Mode. Make sure to start your download before doing so. Also, as a cautionary measure, do not unplug the power cord. Doing so may result in all your data getting corrupted and damaged.

If you, for some reason, cannot use a wired connection, you need to make sure there is nothing that could obstruct your wireless connection. Reducing the traffic would be the first step towards that. In this sense, traffic means the amount of data moving around a network.

Reducing the traffic would mean disconnecting as many devices as possible from the network. This could help in boosting the download speeds on your PS5.

If none of these methods have helped you, you may have to wait until Sony provides an official fix. So far, there has been no such help from them. We hope they do that soon so players can continue enjoying their games.