Why is my download speed slower than my internet plan?

This is due to the difference between bits and bytes. Internet service providers advertise speeds in Megabits per second (Mbps), while game launchers measure file sizes in Gigabytes (GB) or Megabytes (MB). Since there are 8 bits in 1 byte, a 100 Mbps internet plan actually downloads files at a maximum speed of 12.5 Megabytes per second (MB/s).

Game Download Time Calculator – Estimate File Download Speeds

How to Calculate Game Download Times

Calculating how long a game download will take manually requires converting your file size and internet connection speeds into the same base units. Because network providers measure speed in bits and storage systems measure size in bytes, we must convert bytes into bits first before performing the division.

1

Convert Gigabytes (GB) to Megabits (Mb) Since there are 8 bits in 1 byte, we must multiply our file size by 8 to translate bytes to bits. Under standard networking scales:
1 Gigabyte (GB) = 8,000 Megabits (Mb).
For example, a 50 GB game represents: 50 × 8,000 = 400,000 Megabits.

2

Divide by Your Internet Speed (Mbps) Divide your total Megabits by your download speed. If your plan speed is 100 Mbps:
400,000 Mb ÷ 100 Mbps = 4,000 seconds.

3

Convert Seconds into Readable Time Divide the total seconds by 3,600 to find the hours, and then convert the remainder to minutes and seconds:
4,000 seconds = 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 40 seconds.

Download Time (Seconds) = (Game Size in Gigabytes × 8,000) ÷ Speed in Mbps Example: (50 GB × 8,000) ÷ 100 Mbps = 4,000 Seconds (1h 06m 40s)

📊 Excel Formula: Game Download Time

To automatically calculate download durations (in standard time formats) inside Excel or Google Sheets, use this formula where Cell A1 is the file size in GB and Cell B1 is the download speed in Mbps:

=((A1 * 8000) / B1) / 86400

Formatting Note: To display the output cleanly as hours and minutes, right-click the formula cell → Format Cells → Time → Select custom format [h]:mm:ss.

The Core Distinction: Bits vs. Bytes

The single most common mistake when estimating downloads is confusing **Megabits per second (Mbps)** with **Megabytes per second (MB/s)**. Internet providers advertise connections in Megabits (lowercase "b"), while systems like Steam, PlayStation Network (PSN), Xbox Live, and Epic Games Store download files in Megabytes (uppercase "B"). Because 1 byte contains 8 bits, you must always divide your advertised internet plan speed by 8 to find your maximum possible download rate in bytes (e.g., a 300 Mbps connection caps out at 37.5 MB/s).

Download Times Reference Table

This table compares how long standard game files take to download across common residential internet plan speeds (perfect conditions with no bandwidth throttling):

Game File Size	Slow (10 Mbps)	Average (100 Mbps)	Gigabit Fiber (1000 Mbps)
25 GB (Indie / Small Game)	5h 33m	33m 20s	3m 20s
50 GB (Standard Game)	11h 06m	1h 06m	6m 40s
100 GB (Triple-A Game)	22h 13m	2h 13m	13m 20s
150 GB (Next-Gen Massive Game)	33h 20m	3h 20m	20m 00s

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to common questions about estimating game and file download times.

Why is my actual download speed slower than my internet plan?

This is due to the bit vs. byte conversion. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) advertise plans in Megabits (Mbps), while standard game launchers (like Steam or Xbox) measure file size in Megabytes (MB). Because 1 byte contains 8 bits, you must always divide your advertised plan speed by 8 to find your maximum real-world download rate (e.g., a 100 Mbps plan downloads at a maximum rate of 12.5 MB/s).

How long does it take to download a 100 GB game on a 100 Mbps connection?

On a stable 100 Mbps plan under perfect conditions, a 100 GB game will take exactly 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 20 seconds to download. In the real world, this could take slightly longer due to network congestion, standard Wi-Fi overhead, or server-side limits from your launcher platform.