Download speeds have noticeably slowed down recently on Steam.
Download speeds have noticeably slowed down recently on Steam.
You're a Steam user with a 500MB connection that can reach 72MB/s. Recently, you noticed your speed dropping to 9-13MB/s, causing stuttering in games. You've switched servers from Manchester to London, but it hasn't improved things. Typically, you get over 20MB, so this is quite surprising.
This would cause game lag during downloads, making it feel like stuttering while the file loads in the background.
Contact steam support or search online for possible solutions. Restarting your Wi-Fi and PC could also resolve the issue.
It caused a brief slowdown on my end. Perhaps during maintenance they had limited bandwidth, making the download feel slower. I typically download at around 74mb/s, but recently I was getting 2-10mb/s. Having a Steam server nearby also affected my speed.
Steam is consistently using high bandwidth, often near 10mb/s, though there might be a limit in place. CDN fees add to the cost. While occasional problems are possible, it’s unlikely to be the main reason. Usually, a few megabits per second for online play suffices, unless you’re downloading large files during gameplay—those are typically handled on your device. It could point to a network problem either at your location or within Steam itself, but the download speeds alone shouldn’t explain these issues. Have you run a network test? What are your ping, packet loss, jitter, and speed readings?
Got this the hard way on PS3... Avoid loading anything during gameplay... Performance will tank and files may get corrupted. I don’t use alt tab unless essential, keep other windows closed or disable Steam chat (the overlay won’t work). Even minor issues can break things, causing crashes or disconnections—especially when alt tabbing. I treat my PC as a dedicated tool, not a general-purpose machine, which is why I disabled the Windows update service to prevent unnecessary background tasks while gaming.