For example, if you have a ping rate of 150ms, your computer takes 150 ms to respond to a request by another computer. Your ping rate is the speed at which you get a response from your Internet connection after you send out a request. One of the biggest influences on your online gaming experience is latency and response time, the delay between the action in the game and when it's displayed on your screen. Take a look at our report on video game download times around the world to see how long Brits have to wait compared to other nationalities.
Newer, high-res games such as those that use 4K streaming will place the biggest demands on your broadband, and a download speed of 3Mbps will definitely not be enough.Īnd given that most blockbuster video game titles come in at dozens of GBs in size, how long it will take to download the actual game files will also depend on your broadband speed too. Keep in mind that these requirements will go up for each additional player in your household and that they don't take into account your internet being used for any other activity at the same time (which is highly unlikely). However, your download speed isn't the only factor that will affect your online gaming experience, you'll need a decent upload speed and a ping rate of less than 150 ms (milliseconds). While each gaming platform is slightly different, the minimum download speed you need for online gaming is 3Mbps.
Therefore, in order to download an HD film in under 10 minutes, you’ll need to have a fibre broadband connection, with speeds of at least 36Mbps. The first three columns represent varying ADSL broadband speeds, ranging from 4Mbps to 16Mbps. Note: File sizes are given in megabytes and speeds are in megabits. Therefore, there may be some variation in the download time calculator numbers. Keep in mind that actual speed isn't always as fast as advertised speeds, and there are many additional factors that affect speed. The download speed calculator shows a few examples of different types of files you typically download from the internet, along with how long they take to download on different broadband speeds in minutes and seconds. Learn more about ultrafast broadband with our guide. If you’re looking for internet that can handle anything, then an ultrafast download speed of 100Mbps+ will ensure there’s never an interruption or lag in your service. But in order to support multiple internet users or high-data tasks like 4K streaming or big file downloads, a good download speed would be in excess of around 60Mbps, which typically falls into the category of superfast broadband.īut speeds in the UK are rapidly going beyond this point now too. What is a good download speed?įor very small households with little internet use, a good download speed is at least 10-11Mbps for standard ADSL broadband. So to try to make things clearer, we've simplified things with our download speed calculator, which will show you the actual time it takes to download different file types.
When searching for broadband deals, you’ll always see an average download speed listed next to the price, but with file sizes written in one format and speeds written in another, it can be confusing when trying to figure out if your broadband is fast enough to handle a download. So it's never been more important to make sure you have an internet connection that can handle the needs of your household, and the download speeds we signed up for in the last couple of years just aren't enough anymore. More people are relying on their internet now than ever before, whether it's to work from home, stream the latest viral Netflix show or video call family and friends.