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How long will a 100 GB game take to download on a 100 Mbps plan?

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds is the best case for a 100 GB game on a 100 Mbps plan. Start it before you leave, because the wait runs for hours, not minutes.

A 100 GB game on a 100 Mbps plan works out to 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds in this calculator. That's a best case. It assumes the full 100 Mbps for the whole download, with no pauses and no slowdowns, so treat the number as the floor.

Transfer time
2h 13m 20s
At peak link speed
File size
100 GB
100 GB
Link speed
100 Mbps
100 Mbps internet plan
This exact 100 GB copy over 100 Mbps internet plan, pre-loaded. Change the file size, link, or model a longer round trip.
Edit in the full tool

How this is calculated

The number that confuses people here is the speed. Plans are sold in megabits per second (Mbps), but a game's size is in gigabytes (GB), and download windows often count in megabytes per second (MB/s). Eight bits make one byte, so the MB/s figure is the Mbps figure divided by eight. At full speed this plan shows 12.5 MB/s, and that's correct, not a fault.

A wait of 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds is long enough that you shouldn't plan to play tonight. Start the download before you leave the house, or let it run overnight. Protocol overhead and other devices on the connection both take part of the plan speed, so keep heavy traffic off the line while it runs.

This is the slowest of the four plans on these pages, so any slowdown costs more minutes here than it would on a faster plan. A 300 Mbps plan is 3 times the speed and cuts the wait to 44 minutes 26 seconds.

Verdict

Plan for at least 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds of waiting. Anything in the chain that slows down adds to it. At this speed the plan is the part most likely to hold you back, since a disk or Wi-Fi link has to run slower than the plan before it matters. Check your plan for a data cap too, because a 100 GB download counts against it.

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.
View details
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 game on a 300 Mbps plan
The same 100 GB on the next plan up, a 300 Mbps plan.
View guide
100 GB game on a 1 Gbps plan
The same 100 GB on a 1 Gbps internet plan, the fastest plan on these pages.
View guide
Why is my transfer slower than my connection?
Covers the TCP window limit on long-distance links, with a worked example at 80 ms.
View guide
100 GB over WiFi 6
The Wi-Fi 6 peak link rate for 100 GB, for when Wi-Fi sits in the download path.
View guide

Frequently asked questions

Why does my download window show MB/s when my plan says Mbps?
Plans are sold in megabits per second, and download windows often count in megabytes per second. Eight bits make one byte, so the MB/s figure is the Mbps figure divided by eight. A full 100 Mbps plan shows 12.5 MB/s, which is correct.
Is the calculator's time a best case?
Yes. The calculator converts 100 GB into bits and divides by the 100 Mbps plan, which gives 8,000 seconds. It assumes the full plan speed from start to finish with no pauses. Any slowdown makes the real download take longer.
Does the 100 Mbps plan itself set the pace?
At this speed, the plan is the most likely limit. It sets the pace only when every other part of the chain can keep up with 12.5 MB/s. A slow disk, a busy server or weak Wi-Fi can drop below that rate and take over.
Does a 100 GB game use my data cap?
It can. If your plan has a monthly allowance, the whole download counts against it, so 100 GB uses 100 GB of the allowance. Check your plan for a data cap before you start a large download.

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