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How long does a 100 GB game take on a 1 Gbps internet plan?

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

13 minutes 20 seconds is the best case for 100 GB on a 1 Gbps plan, or 125 MB/s. A distant server, your Wi-Fi and your disk decide how close a real download gets.

A 100 GB game on a 1 Gbps plan works out to 13 minutes 20 seconds in the calculator, at 125 MB/s. That's a best case, with the full plan speed held for the whole download and no pauses. This page is about a download from an internet server, which is not the same as a copy across your own network.

Transfer time
13m 20s
At peak link speed
File size
100 GB
100 GB
Link speed
1 Gbps
1 Gbps internet plan
This exact 100 GB copy over 1 Gbps internet plan, pre-loaded. Change the file size, link, or model a longer round trip.
Edit in the full tool

How this is calculated

A game download comes from a server far away. The other end, the route between you and that server, and your own Wi-Fi or disk can each set the pace, and the plan is only one link in that chain. The 100 GB over Gigabit Ethernet page covers the same file on a local network, where you control both ends, so its list of bottlenecks is different. A distant server can also be held back by the TCP window on a long-distance link, which the Why is my transfer slower than my connection page covers.

The local network page gets the same best case, 13 minutes 20 seconds, because the math only sees the file size and the link rate.

Against the 300 Mbps page, the wait drops from 44 minutes 26 seconds to 13 minutes 20 seconds.

At this speed, the plan is the part least likely to hold you back. To reach that rate, every other part of the chain has to keep up, and that's where the real download time gets decided.

Verdict

Treat 13 minutes 20 seconds as the floor for a 100 GB game on 1 Gbps. The server, the route, your Wi-Fi and your disk all have to keep up before a real download gets close to it. Check your plan for a data cap too, since 100 GB counts against any monthly allowance.

More Internet scenarios

100 GB over USB 3.0
A 100 GB transfer over USB 3.0 works out to 2 minutes 40 seconds at the interface's 5 Gbps peak rate.
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1 TB over USB 3.0
A 1 TB transfer over USB 3.0 works out to 26 minutes 40 seconds at the interface's 5 Gbps peak data rate.
View details
4 GB over USB 2.0
A 4 GB transfer over USB 2.0 works out to 1 minute 6 seconds at the interface's 480 Mbps peak rate.
View details

Related guides

100 GB over Gigabit Ethernet
The same 100 GB at 1000 Mbps on a local network, where you control both ends.
View guide
100 GB game on a 300 Mbps plan
The same 100 GB on the 300 Mbps plan, where Wi-Fi and disks start to matter.
View guide
Why is my transfer slower than my connection?
The TCP window on a long-distance link, one reason a distant server runs slow.
View guide
200 GB over WiFi 7
The Wi-Fi 7 peak link rate for 200 GB, with notes on why real speeds fall short.
View guide

Frequently asked questions

Is a 1 Gbps internet plan the same as Gigabit Ethernet?
No. Gigabit Ethernet is a local link between devices you own, and you control both ends. A 1 Gbps internet plan is the speed your provider sells for traffic to and from the internet. A game download crosses that plan plus the route to the game's server, so the local page's bottleneck list doesn't carry over.
Is the calculator time a best case at full plan speed?
Yes. The calculator converts 100 GB into bits and divides by 1 Gbps, which gives 800 seconds. It assumes the full 1 Gbps for the entire download, with no pauses. Any slowdown from the server, the route, Wi-Fi or the disk makes the real time longer.
Can the game server limit my speed on a 1 Gbps plan?
Yes. A server or content delivery network may cap the speed for each user, or be busy, so the other end becomes the limit. A faster plan can't make a slow server faster.
Does Wi-Fi matter on a 1 Gbps plan?
It can. Wi-Fi often delivers less than the plan, and the speed drops with distance and walls. A cable from the computer to the router takes Wi-Fi out of the equation. The modeled link rates are on the Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 pages.

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