Download Time by Internet Speed
| Internet Speed | Estimated Time |
|---|---|
| 25 Mbps | 11 hours 7 minutes |
| 50 Mbps | 5 hours 33 minutes |
| 100 Mbps | 2 hours 47 minutes |
| 300 Mbps | 56 minutes |
| 1,000 Mbps (Gigabit) | 17 minutes |
Visual Comparison: 100 GB Download Time by Speed
Built on 80 percent of your advertised speed, which tends to match reality better than the plan's headline number. Server congestion during a big launch can still push this higher, especially in the first day or two after release.
Why Games Got So Big
If it feels like every new release is enormous compared to what you remember from a few years back, that's not nostalgia talking. A few real reasons:
- Textures got a lot more detailed. 4K-ready assets take up far more space than the textures games used just one console generation ago.
- Consoles are built to stream huge files fast. The PS5 and Series X have SSDs quick enough that developers stopped compressing assets as aggressively, since the hardware can just read bigger files directly. That trades some storage efficiency for faster in-game loading.
- Live-service games keep growing. A game that launched at 40GB can easily be past 100GB two or three years and a dozen seasons later, since old content rarely gets removed.
Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldur's Gate 3 are all good examples of the modern open-world norm, each comfortably over 100GB once fully installed with day-one patches.
Making Room Before You Start
A 100GB download is a real chunk of storage on most setups:
- 512GB drive: this is a fifth of your entire drive gone in one install. Worth checking what else you can clear out first.
- 1TB drive: manageable, but a couple of these back to back will fill up faster than you'd expect.
- 2TB+ or an external SSD: no real concern.
If you're tight on space, it's worth checking whether the game offers optional high-resolution texture packs or extra language files you can skip during install, since some titles let you trim a meaningful amount off the total this way.
If Your Connection Is on the Slower Side
At 25 Mbps, an 11-hour download is basically an overnight job, and that's fine. Start it before bed, or before you leave for work, and most consoles and PC launchers will keep going in the background or pick up where they left off if anything interrupts it.
Why It Might Take Even Longer Than Expected
- Launch day traffic. A hundred thousand people downloading the same update at once will slow things down platform-wide, regardless of your own connection.
- A weak WiFi signal. Distance and walls cost you real speed. Our guide to why WiFi runs slower than advertised has the specifics.
- Other devices on the same network competing for the same bandwidth while your download runs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to download a 100GB game?
About 2 hours 47 minutes on 100 Mbps, or 56 minutes on 300 Mbps. On gigabit, it's down to around 17 minutes.
Why did games get so much bigger than they used to be?
Higher resolution textures, less aggressive compression on newer consoles built for speed over efficiency, and years of accumulated content on live-service titles all play a part.
Can I skip some content to shrink the download?
Sometimes. Certain games let you skip optional high-resolution texture packs or unused language files during install, which can meaningfully cut the total size.
Will a 100GB download slow down everything else in my house?
Yes, since it's sharing your connection with every other device. If it's causing problems, pausing it while others are streaming or gaming, then resuming later, is a reasonable workaround.
Is it worth downloading overnight for something this size?
Genuinely, yes, especially on a slower connection. It turns a multi-hour wait into something that just happens while you're asleep.