How to Fix PS5 Game Downloads That Are Stuck or Very Slow

A PS5 download that crawls along or freezes at a certain percentage can test anyone’s patience, especially with 100GB games. The cause is usually a network bottleneck, a queue problem, or the console splitting its attention across too many tasks. This guide works through the fixes in order, from thirty-second checks to the settings that permanently improve download speeds.

Quick Answer

To fix stuck or slow PS5 downloads, pause and resume the download, restart the console and router, and switch to a wired Ethernet connection or the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band. Make sure only one game downloads at a time, close any running game, and check you have at least double the game’s size in free storage. If a download is frozen completely, cancel it, delete the partial file, and start again. Setting custom DNS can also help on some networks.

Step 1: The Simple Resets That Fix Most Stalls

1. Open the Downloads/Uploads queue from the control centre (the downloads icon appears when something is queued).
2. Select the stuck download, pause it for ten seconds, then resume. This forces a fresh connection to the server.
3. If it still will not move, restart the PS5 fully (not Rest Mode) and check the queue again.
4. Restart your router too. Routers that have been running for months often slow down, and a fresh start clears it.
5. Run a connection test in Settings, Network, and note the download speed the console actually measures. This number becomes your reference for every fix below.

Step 2: Fix the Connection Itself

The PS5’s Wi-Fi is the single biggest factor in download speed:

• Use an Ethernet cable. Wired connections routinely double or triple PS5 download speeds compared with weak Wi-Fi, and they eliminate dropouts.
• If wired is impossible, use 5 GHz Wi-Fi. In Settings, Network, Set Up Internet Connection, press Options on your saved network and set the Wi-Fi frequency band to 5 GHz only. The 2.4 GHz band is slower and more crowded.
• Move the console or router. Walls, fish tanks, and metal cabinets all weaken Wi-Fi. Even repositioning the console can help.
• Download at quiet times. If the whole household streams video in the evening, your download shares that bandwidth. Queue big games overnight with Rest Mode downloads enabled.

Step 3: One Download at a Time, Nothing Else Running

The PS5 deliberately throttles background downloads while a game is running, to protect online gameplay. Close any suspended game completely — not just to the home screen — when you want maximum speed. Also check the queue for other games downloading simultaneously and pause all but one. The console’s total bandwidth shared across three downloads makes each one look broken. Sony explains how the console prioritises traffic on its PS5 connectivity support page, which is also the right place to check for current PlayStation Network service status if every download fails at once.

Step 4: Check Storage Space Properly

A download can stall if the console lacks working room. Installing a game needs the download size plus space to unpack and copy it, so keep at least 100GB free for large titles. If storage is tight, the download may sit at “calculating” or fail near the end. Free space by deleting or moving finished games first; our guide on freeing up PS5 storage without deleting save data shows how to reclaim space safely.

Step 5: Try Custom DNS Settings

On some networks, changing the DNS servers speeds up how quickly downloads find and connect to Sony’s content servers:

1. Go to Settings, Network, Settings, Set Up Internet Connection.
2. Choose your connection and select Advanced Settings.
3. Leave IP settings on Automatic, set DNS Settings to Manual.
4. Enter a reputable public DNS, such as 8.8.8.8 as primary and 8.8.4.4 as secondary (Google), or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare).
5. Save and retest. If speeds get worse, revert to Automatic — results vary by provider and region.

Step 6: When a Download Is Truly Corrupted

If one particular download restarts from zero, errors at the same percentage every time, or shows a specific error code repeatedly, the partial data is probably corrupt. Cancel the download, go to your library or storage and delete the partial game file, check the PlayStation Network status page for outages, then start the download fresh. Downloading in Rest Mode overnight is often the most reliable way to complete a large, troublesome file, because nothing else competes for the connection.

Mistakes That Make Downloads Slower

• Playing an online game while expecting full download speed. The console prioritises your game. Either play offline or accept slower downloads.
• Judging speed in the first minute. PS5 downloads often start slowly while the console allocates space, then speed up. Give it a few minutes before intervening.
• Copying confusion. After the download finishes, PS5 shows a “Copying” phase for updates, which uses the SSD, not the network. It is not a stuck download.
• Blaming Sony when the router is the limit. Test another device on the same network. If everything is slow, the fix is the router or the broadband line, not the console.

What Speed Should You Actually Expect?

Knowing your target stops you chasing a problem that does not exist. Your broadband package states a headline speed, but the PS5 connection test measures what the console really gets after Wi-Fi loss, server limits, and overhead — typically 70 to 90 percent of the headline on a good wired connection, and often half of it on weak Wi-Fi. Sony’s servers also cap speeds during busy launches, so a major game release night will be slower for everyone no matter what you do. As a rough guide, a 100GB game at a steady 100 Mbps takes about two and a quarter hours; at 300 Mbps, around 45 minutes. If your numbers sit near those for your connection speed, your downloads are healthy and patience is the correct fix.

Rebuild Database: The Occasional Deep Fix

If downloads stall repeatedly alongside other odd behaviour — games disappearing from the home screen, long pauses in menus — the console’s database may need rebuilding. This is done from Safe Mode: turn the PS5 fully off, hold the power button until the second beep, connect the controller by cable, and choose Rebuild Database. The process reorganises the drive’s index and does not delete games or saves. It takes from a few minutes to much longer on a full drive, so run it when you are not planning to play. It is a maintenance tool for a glitchy console, not a routine speed trick, but for a PS5 with multiple download gremlins it often ends the problems in one pass.

Conclusion

Most stuck and slow PS5 downloads surrender to simple steps: pause and resume, restart everything, wire the console or force 5 GHz, download one game at a time with nothing else running, and keep storage comfortably free. Work through that list and your connection test speed should climb close to what your broadband package promises. Save the nuclear option of deleting and restarting a download for the genuinely corrupt file that fails at the same point every time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my PS5 download slower than my PC on the same network?

Usually Wi-Fi position and band. PCs are often wired or closer to the router. The PS5 also throttles downloads while games run. Wire the console or force 5 GHz and the gap usually closes.

What does the “Copying” stage mean after a download?

For game updates, the PS5 downloads the patch, then copies the game file while applying it. Copying speed depends on the SSD and the game’s size, not your internet. Large games can copy for a long time; it is normal.

Can I download games while the PS5 is in Rest Mode?

Yes. Enable Stay Connected to the Internet in the Rest Mode power saving settings, start the download, then put the console into Rest Mode. Downloads continue efficiently overnight.

Why does my download keep pausing by itself?

The console pauses downloads when storage runs low, when the network drops, or when a game needs the bandwidth. Check free space and connection stability first.

Will changing DNS definitely speed up my downloads?

No, it helps on some networks and does nothing or slightly hurts on others. It takes two minutes to test, and you can revert to automatic DNS instantly, so it is worth trying if other fixes have not delivered.