Game Update Time Calculator

Estimate the time a game patch or update takes to download and apply on your connection.

About Game Update Time Calculator

Gigabytes are converted to megabits by multiplying by 8,000, then divided by the throughput actually achieved. Real transfers never hit line rate because of protocol overhead, disk speed and contention, so the efficiency factor derates it first. A game update quoted at line rate is always optimistic; planning a maintenance window on the derated figure is what stops it overrunning.

Formula

Game Update Time

Time = size × 8,000 ÷ (line rate × efficiency), in seconds

Update or patch size: Amount of data to move
line rate: Nominal link speed in Mbps

Worked example

With the default values below, Game Update Time Calculator returns Transfer Time of 0.167. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Update or patch sizeminimum 0 GB: 12 GB
Connection speedminimum 0.01 Mbps: 200 Mbps
Achieved share of line rateaccepts 0–100 %: 80 %

Results

Transfer Time: 0.167 hours
Transfer Time: 10.0 minutes
Transfer Time: 0h 10m
Effective Throughput: 160.00 Mbps
Effective Throughput: 20.00 MB/s

Step by step

1Values used
2Game Update Time
3Transfer Time= 0.167 hours
4Transfer Time= 10.0 minutes
5Transfer Time= 0h 10m
6Effective Throughput= 160.00 Mbps
7Effective Throughput= 20.00 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, fees or charges 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 Game Update Time calculated?

Time = size × 8,000 ÷ (line rate × efficiency), in seconds Gigabytes are converted to megabits by multiplying by 8,000, then divided by the throughput actually achieved. Real transfers never hit line rate because of protocol overhead, disk speed and contention, so the efficiency factor derates it first.

Why does Game Update Time matter?

A game update quoted at line rate is always optimistic; planning a maintenance window on the derated figure is what stops it overrunning.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Update or patch size, Connection speed, Achieved share of line rate. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.