Steam is the storefront of choice for the best PC games on the market. Thanks to frequent Steam sales, PC players can build up an endless backlog of multiplayer games, FPS games, co-op games, and more. Plus, with tons of great upcoming PC games, there’s plenty to look forward to in the gaming world. The only downside is waiting for the game to download. If you suspect your games aren’t downloading as fast as they should, try these tips to speed things up.
Hardwire your PC
If you’re on Wi-Fi, no matter what you will get slower download speeds. It doesn’t matter how fast your internet speeds are, Wi-Fi will never be able to compete with a hardwired connection. If you have the option, plug your PC into your router directly when downloading games to make sure you’re getting the maximum download speeds.
Check Steam’s download speed options and clear the cache
Steam has two options that scan slow your downloads down. They should be off by default, but it is possible you or someone else may have accidentally enabled them. They’re meant for people on limited data or who also stream, so make sure they’re off to keep Steam itself from throttling your speeds.
Step 1: Open Steam and go into the Settings menu.
Step 2: Click Downloads and look for Limit download speed and Throttle downloads while streaming and make sure both are disabled.
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Step 3: Below that, also click the Clear cache button.
Check your region
Steam will choose a default server to download from based on your location, but it doesn’t always pick the best one.
Step 1: Go into Settings ->Downloads.
Step 2: At the top, check the Download region and select the closest server to your location. This will require you to restart Steam to take effect.
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