If you’re one of the many gamers who picked up a new Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S this Christmas, you might be interested to learn there’s one very easy way to make your download speeds that much better.
There’s no greater pain than trying to install a big game like Starfield or Assassin’s Creed Shadows, only to realise you’ve wasted hours installing the damn thing. It’s even worse if you’ve got Xbox Game Pass and can’t decide which games to go for because you’re afraid of how long they’ll take to download.
Can I Improve My Xbox Series X|S Download Speeds?
I’m so glad you asked
There’s one incredibly easy way to instantly boost your Wi-Fi speeds on Xbox consoles, and by changing this one setting you could potentially double or triple your download speeds. Please note this does come with some caveats, and mileage may vary.
All you need to do? Change your WiFi router from the 2.4 GHz band to the 5 GHz band. This is something a lot of gamers are probably already aware of, but there’s a huge number of more casual gamers/internet users who have no idea about this kind of stuff. You’d be amazed, honestly.
The key thing here is that your Xbox may not automatically pick up 5 GHz, so to make sure you’re on the preferred band, head on over to your console’s settings, then select network settings. From here, take your pick.
YouTuber Turbo Speed Wi-Fi tested out the change himself, and his tutorial he managed to almost double his download speed and give his upload speed a noticeable boost too.
“Wow. I just tried this and went from 22 Mbps to 178 Mbps,” one commenter wrote under the video.
This Isn’t The Best Option For Everyone
Here’s what you need to know
The key thing to remember about the 5 GHz frequency is that it’s stronger, but has a shorter range. It also gets blocked by things like walls, ceilings, or tables. So if your Xbox is, for instance, upstairs on a shelf in your bedroom while your router is downstairs in a cupboard, swapping to 5 GHz would be pointless. Consider where your router is in relation to your console to get the most out of this.
If you’re a younger gamer, or the router doesn’t belong to you/you’re not the one who pays for it, maybe check with the person who does before you go fiddling with any settings!
Let’s also point out the obvious: a wired Ethernet connection is the best way to go for online gaming in pretty much every scenario. But if, for whatever reason, that just isn’t possible with your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, this option is the next best thing.
