We have an unremarkable Internet connection, but there’s no denying that the PlayStation 5 downloads games quicker than our PlayStation 4 could ever manage. We’ve been frequently surprised by the speed at which titles have downloaded on our next-gen system, so we decided to put it to the test. We’re using a very basic connection, and both of our consoles are connected wirelessly.
We set Planet Coaster: Console Edition, which is 18.96GB in size, to download on our PS5 and were able to play in approximately 21 minutes. The exact same test on our PS4 Pro: around 44 minutes. Now it’s worth noting that our connection speed does tend to fluctuate during peak hours, and your mileage will definitely vary depending on your ISP as well, but there’s no doubt the next-gen system downloads data quicker.
In fact, we scoured other reviews to try and figure out if it’s just us, and US Gamer noted that on its lightning fast Verizon FIOS Internet it was able to pull Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise in 7 minutes on the PS5 compared to 58 minutes on the PS4 Pro. None of this is scientific, empiric evidence – but the signs are that Sony’s new console is faster.
That’s not a huge surprise, we suppose – it’s got the latest Wi-Fi receiver inside it, and data should write to the SSD quicker than the stock HDD in the various PS4 models. It’s something we’ve consistently been surprised by, however, as we’d grown accustomed to the slower speeds of Sony’s previous console.
Comments 52
It’s almost as if newer Wi-Fi receivers will result in faster speeds 😉
I don't get it.
An HDD is able to read about 50 MB per second. If it takes around the same time to write 25 MB, I don't see how the ssd plays a role if you have anything less than a 200 mbps connection (which translates to 23 MB per second)
nothing with the wifi and the ssd this is solely to sony servers..maybe ps5 traffic is just a fraction compared to ps4 servers.
On my Pro, I download typically a little over a GB a minute.
For example, 5GB would take me around 3-4 minutes to download.
@Nickolaidas but you can play and download a game at the same time. I guess ps4 is designed to be able doing this 2 activities at the same time without performance drops.
Maybe because psn speed on ps4 is capped by sony, and sony didn't capped psn speed on ps5.
@Blacksmith1985 The PS4 limits download speeds in the background while you are running a game. Rest mode downloads are much faster. From my experience anyway
This is great news!
I have an off-topic question though. I have a huge 4tb external drive on my PS4 pro, but I'm plugging that PS5 next week when it arrives! I'm wondering how will my tons of games display on the UI. I wish there's at least a folder of somekind where all ps4 games are inserted because having 100+ games from left to right will be just... lol what happens exactly?
I see numbers. This seems scientific enough to me. But I agree it's not accurate, and more than peek hours, it depends on whether or not you are streaming or if one of your device is updating. Between pc, tablet, phone, TV, switch and PS4, I have way to many automatic updates happening at all time (I will not talk about the automatic almost legal downloads happening on the NAS)
It's not the case if you're using a wired connection (like any smart person would if they were able to). The speed is going to be exactly the same for me in this case, which is my full speed.
The copying of files on PS4 when downloading a game/update would do my head in. Hopefully PS5 will put an end to that.
Soooo... how much faster will be my 40Mb link?
This article reminds me Ork "Redz Fasta". If you paint vehicle red, it has +1 movement, because Orks believe that red vehicles are faster. 😂
Not many ps5’s in the wild, so not as many connections to the servers. The limiting factor on speed will be the throttling on the Sony server side, and they’ll have to do that once they have 100 million connections
@djlard **Paints new PS5 red
@Nickolaidas I dunno, I'm not an expert, was just trying to think of reasons it could be better in the article. 🤷♀️
Presumably the Wi-Fi receiver is the difference maker! Unless they improved something else we don't know about...
My Xbox One X gets around 380 - 420Mbps when downloading to external HDD. Oddly enough, it seemed to be slower when downloading to it's internal storage. My PS4 Pro seems to get around 160Mbps - 200Mbps. Both are hardwired.
Anyways, I will be interested to see what these new consoles will get when I eventually get one.
I am actually going to attempt to get a PS5 at midnight tomorrow night. We'll see how that goes - I am not optimistic.
@GigaGaia That’s a good point, in this case the PS5 wouldn’t be faster for me either. I dunno why you wouldn’t use a wired connection.
@GigaGaia I think the PS4 throttles downloads while it's "Awake". If I start a download and then put it into "Standby" mode it downloads much faster. I'm guessing people are comparing awake vs awake speeds, maybe.
Meanwhile, on the PS3, a 1GB download will take you all day.
And that's before the install.
@Nickolaidas Actually, it's 25mb. At least according to conversions.
Sounds great. My one s downloads super fast(I’m on virgin media 200mbps) but the PS4 Pro seems to download a lot lot more slower. Hopefully the ps5 downloads are faster. I’ve got ps now put on a month ago, will make downloading all the games quicker.
@get2sammyb Unless they didn't invented one Byte smaller than 8 bits, there is no way.
Imagine your internet link as tube. And your provider turn valves. Even if you have shiny new faucet, you cannot tank your glass faster. ☺️
I have a gigabit connection and I can say that on PS4 pro the speeds are capped. Never got more than 300mbs in connection test. Especially when downloading games speeds are much slower. Using a wired connection of course.
Things that also download faster than PS4:
@GamingFan4Lyf I have the same setup as you, hardwired for both, and a 500Mbps download, yet my PS4's download speeds are HORRIBLE, and the upload is even worse, I can't do the screen share with friends half the time, for example. PC/Xbox/and hell, the Switch over WiFi are all better. Doesn't make any sense.
@get2sammyb 😶-I thought that I read somewhere, that with the SSD in the PS5 that the downloads wouldn't have to go through the copying process before installing which would also make the overall download an install process quicker as well, unlike when downloading to the PS4 or Pro with an HDD?
😶-Is that part true as well, or not?
Does it not tell you the download speeds? My PS4 Pro maxes out at around 180mbps, I pay for 1gbps
@Pandalulz 400mbps is my full speed here and it's what I get when the PS4 isn't in rest mode.
@zebric21 That was my first thought, like 100 PS5 in the wild vs 100,000,000 PS4 traffic.
Second thought - 8 year old PS4 server room is separate from 8 month old server room which has WAY faster upload speeds.
Though PS5 - especially over Wi-Fi - should get faster downloads onto it's SSD than 8 year old PS4 tech.
@NEStalgia Know what is so much slower than my PS4? Switch. Nintendo is running it's server rooms like this.
@GigaGaia I just tested mine, and I take back my hypothesis. I don't think it actually downloads any faster in Rest Mode. In my head, it always seemed like it did. But I also get about 350mbps down, and I think it's downloading at a little more than half that, jumping about 20MBs every second or so, since it doesn't actually give me a specific number.
@graysoncharles that's so odd. I have the exact opposite problem. My PS4 Pro is super reliable and quick on downloads whereas my Xbox One X is slow and drops it's connection on occasion. They sit within a metre of each other so I don't understand why.
I have a 50meg fibre connection and both my pc and ps4 are connected via ethernet cables..the pc is always fast but the ps4 is never anyway near as fast as the pc so i'm assuming that there is some kind of throttling going on..and then there is the copying of data fiasco..i dread warzone updates..
@rjejr LOL that's the truth! Technically I think the hardware, not the server is the bottleneck there. But....yeah....
@deathaxe I'll be honest pal, a lot of that went over my head 😂sorry, man. Could you layman it for me?
I have my PS4 hardwired into my router, and downloading a 40gb game generally takes between 3-5 hours. Meanwhile, downloading a file the same size on my PC via WiFi usually takes a matter of minutes, tops. Same house, same internet.
Fingers crossed that things are better with the PS5!
@deathaxe yeah, man, thanks very much, makes a ton of sense. I was wondering if the PSN store was quicker, AC Valhalla downloaded a lot quicker than expected
Polygon reported the opposite. For them it took double the time to download Bugsnax on PS5 compared to PS4 (on wifi, for wired it was the same time).
@get2sammyb there’s literally an option in the PS4 settings menu to test the connection. You should use that. Anyway ethernet cable > wifi
Never had an issue with download speeds, even going back to the PS3. I've got a Virgin 100Mb connection, and I usually get near to the full speed. But then, my consoles are connected via ethernet cables. And that's the same now, when Sony is supposedly throttling speeds due to the pandemic.
Great news! I wonder if PS Now has been improved with streaming of PS3 games on PS5? PS Now hasn't been discussed with PS5 yet for some reason.
I don't usually complain about the articles on Push Square; but this is akin to saying something like "it was unusual the wind was blowing south today" and forgetting to mention the hurricane going by.
What I mean is, there are a few variables that can be involved here (wireless link speed, wireless protocol being used, other clients on the LAN, bandwidth on WAN, which Sony server you're using to download from, etc. etc.).
Having a few of these covered off in the article would be a good start, but having none mentioned is pretty poor.
The article summary uses this layman evidence as proof that the PS5 network support is better, when it could just be that Sony are paying for higher bandwidth from their cloud that the PS5s connect to, which could change after the honeymoon period is over, and they could save costs and reduce bandwidth (all speculation).
@Paranoimia Do you get the same speeds on the PS4 that you do on your computer? Mine are nowhere close. And the PS3 took FOREVER to download even patches.
What's a Wi-Fi? To get things magically on your console you just stick a cable in it, right?
Kidding aside, glad to hear it's better!
@Unlucky13 Pretty much, yes. My PC, PS3, and PS4 are wired. The speeds on all are what I'd expect, at between 9 and 12 megabytes per second, depending on what else is happening on my LAN. It can be lower at peak usage times due to contention in the area, but that's just the way things are... nothing Sony can do about that.
When it comes to large patches for games, it actually takes the PS4 much longer to copy/install than it does to download. Last night I downloaded an 8GB update for Breakpoint in around 20 minutes, with other stuff using the network.
@deathaxe "satellite to Pluto and Beyond"
So who are they talking to out there, Buzz Lightyear? 🤣
@NEStalgia That reminds me, planning on buying HW: AOC (I wonder if the new coup government will make them change the name of the game?) next week so I should probably start downloading the 13GB now. Or yesterday even. If Nintendo even does early downloads, I honestly don't even know.
@rjejr Nothing says PlayStation launch like buying Nintendo games!
Yeah, they usually have predownloads, though not always as early as you'd expect.
TLOU 2, 77GB in 24 minutes on a gigabit connection.
Does the PS4 Pro have a faster connection than the regular one, if its hard wired to the ethernet? I have a standard model I bought in 2014.
@zebric21 yea well see what happens when everyone has their ps5
@NEStalgia My video game playing is fair and balanced. 😂
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