How Much Internet Speed Do You Need for Xbox Series X?

Internet speed in gaming can be the difference between winning and losing, literally. If your internet speed isn’t fast enough, you won’t see the shots fired at you until it’s too late.

If you're wondering how much internet speed do you need for an Xbox Series X, we can help you out. An internet speed of at least 25 Mbps is ideal for online gaming if you’re the only one using the internet. But if you have people calling in, or if you live in a home where lots of people use the internet, you’ll want to shoot for 100 Mbps or more for a better gaming experience. If you’re trying to download a game, or just play an online video game, you’ll also want a good internet ping rate.

As technology constantly evolves, so do gaming consoles. So what’s so new about Xbox Series X? The speed. Microsoft shared how this Xbox console is a step ahead of other gaming systems. But in order for it to work like it’s supposed to, it needs a strong internet connection and a fast internet speed.

Looking for ways to play Halo Infinite without interruption? Here’s how you can play Xbox Series X without the hassle of slow internet.

Good internet speed is typically anywhere between 100 and 200 Mbps.¹ You’ll want to consider how many people or devices will be using your bandwidth at the same time you’ll be gaming. While you don’t need a ton of speed to game online, you do have to share your Xbox Series X Wi-Fi speeds with anyone else on your internet.

Also consider the strain that downloading new games and files puts on your internet. If you want to download games on your Xbox Series X as quickly as possible, then faster internet really helps. Internet speed is impacted from a variety of factors, but it ultimately comes from your internet service provider (ISP).

Next, you’ll want to pay attention to file size. There’s one simple rule of thumb: the larger the file, the slower the download speed.¹ You can either download the game you want quickly and then play without issues, or you can play when you have lots of speed and experience little to no problems. A faster speed will help your multiplayer game run faster.

Game creators try to keep file sizes as small as possible, and they do change slightly with every update. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, for example, is known for its larger file size of around 200 GB. Others, such as Cyberpunk 2077, has a file size around 70 GB.

Once you know your internet speed and the file size of the game you want (let’s use Fortnite as an example), you can estimate how long it’ll take to download on your Xbox Series X. Here’s a couple charts to help show this:

If you’re going to download Fortnite (which has a file size around 25 GB) and your internet speed is roughly 100 Mbps, then it should take half an hour. Don’t forget to pay attention to your internet speed. If you have faster internet, then the download speed will be a lot quicker.

Say you download the same game (Fortnite) with twice the internet speed. Your download time will take half as long.

Pre-downloading games can end up saving you lots of time. The same was true with Xbox One, and you can also do so on Xbox Series X. Sounds crazy, right? This feature allows people to play the games they want as soon as their Xbox arrives. Not too bad. Now you don’t really need to wait for long periods of time while your game is downloading.

While this feature might solve some problems when it comes to waiting for Apex Legends to download, you’ll still need to wait for any additional games you choose after purchasing your Xbox Series X.

When it comes down to it, Xbox Series X is more powerful, about four times faster, and includes a lot more storage. Both consoles support 4K games, although the Xbox Series X comes with an HDMI 2.1 (as opposed to HDMI 2.0).

Both Xbox series X and Xbox One include something called a fast resume feature: it allows you to switch quickly between different games. On Xbox Series X, the feature is more advanced and supports switching between multiple games at one time. There are some major updates to Xbox Series X that make the change much easier than on Xbox One.

If your internet connection isn’t going to be a team player while you snag loot in Borderlands 3, then it may be time to upgrade your plan. These plans will all have enough speeds and data caps to keep you connected without lag.

Sources