The download speed decreases over time.
The download speed decreases over time.
It happens because your device adjusts its speed based on network conditions. When the connection is strong, it downloads quickly (around 9–11 MB/s), but when it slows down, it reduces to about 3 MB/s. Pausing and resuming lets the system optimize again, which can make the transfer faster after a short break.
Currently, most game downloads arrive in smaller pieces. This means the client must fetch these segments and then pause until your computer finishes organizing them on the hard drive. Occasionally, the client slows down while unpacking to give your processor and storage space time to keep up, especially if a chunk is big or packed with many tiny files. You might notice this by checking your CPU and disk activity during slower downloads—it’s typical and expected now.
This effect is usually hard to spot on an SSD but becomes clear when using an HDD.
sadly this occurs more frequently on Steam and other services—it might be due to CDN overload or other technical factors, though it's just unfortunate. a few years ago things were different. recently, I installed Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Epic and experienced no issues with constant line maxing. however, new releases tend to slow down eventually, likely for performance reasons. if you suspect a problem, you could try using a different CDN or download server via Steam settings; it might resolve the issue.