Game Download Time Calculator

Work out game download time instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Game Download Time Calculator

File size in gigabytes is converted to megabits by multiplying by 8000, then divided by the effective connection speed after overhead is deducted. The eight-fold bits-to-bytes conversion is why a 100 Mbps line downloads at only about 12 MB per second, and overhead takes another slice on top.

Formulas

Download time

seconds = size in GB x 8000 / effective Mbps

Effective speed

effective = advertised speed x (1 - overhead)

Worked example

With the default values below, Game Download Time Calculator returns Download time of 1.932. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Download sizeminimum 0.01 GB: 80 GB
Connection speedminimum 0.1 Mbps: 100 Mbps
Protocol and throttling overheadaccepts 0–60 %: 8 %

Results

Download time: 1.932 h
Time in hours, minutes and seconds: 1:55:57
Effective speed after overhead: 92.00 Mbps
Effective speed in megabytes per second: 11.50 MB/s

Step by step

1Values used
2Download time
3Effective speed
4Download time= 1.932 h
5Time in hours, minutes and seconds= 1:55:57
6Effective speed after overhead= 92.00 Mbps
7Effective speed in megabytes per second= 11.50 MB/s

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Game Download Time figure worked out?

seconds = size in GB x 8000 / effective Mbps. File size in gigabytes is converted to megabits by multiplying by 8000, then divided by the effective connection speed after overhead is deducted.

Why does this matter?

The eight-fold bits-to-bytes conversion is why a 100 Mbps line downloads at only about 12 MB per second, and overhead takes another slice on top.

What do I need to enter?

Enter download size, connection speed, protocol and throttling overhead. The defaults shown are a realistic worked example — swap in your own figures to get a result you can use.