How to speed up PS4 downloads

The PS4 may be the top-selling console of this generation, but it isn’t without its flaws – and any PlayStation gamer reading this will already know what we’re talking about. That’s right, the big issue plaguing gamers is slow download speeds on the PS4, regardless of internet connection speeds. 

But that’s where we come in. Here, we explain why the PS4 lags behind the competition in terms of download speeds, and how you can speed up your PS4 downloads using a proxy – and don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds! 

(It’s also worth noting that Sony is cutting overall bandwidth in Europe by 25 percent to combat the surge in European internet traffic since the outbreak of Coronavirus, and that’ll have a knock-on effect on PSN downloads.)

Why are PS4 downloads so slow?

The biggest question is; why are PS4 download speeds so slow? It seems that no matter how fast your home broadband is, PS4 downloads are much slower than those on Xbox One and PC. While some gamers can download huge games on PC in as little as 20 minutes, it’s not irregular for the same game, on the same network, to take hours to download on the PS4.

Over the years, many tips have appeared online to speed up PS4 downloads, including but not limited to:

• Setting your DNS to Google’s DNS servers
• Using an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi
• Putting your console in rest mode when downloading
• Making sure nobody else is downloading large files on your home network
• Avoiding playing online games while downloading 

While these steps may slightly increase the speed of your download, the real reason for slow speeds is due to how the PS4 is designed to download data from the PlayStation Network itself. The flaw is that the PS4 can’t download huge chunks of data at once, and PSN has to ‘wait’ for the PS4 to organise the data as it’s downloaded. There’s a thread on Reddit that explains it really well for those that want to know more.

The good news is that there is a way to actually speed up PS4 download speeds, and all you need is a PC, proxy server software and your PS4 to do it.

Speed up PS4 downloads using a proxy server

The key is to set up a proxy server on your PC that your PS4 can use to download data from PSN, which should provide a much-needed boost to download speeds on the PS4. Simply follow these instructions:

1. Download and install CCProxy on your PC – you can opt for the paid version if you want, but you only need the free version for the purpose of this tutorial.
2. Open CCProxy and click Stop to stop the proxy (it starts automatically upon opening).
3. Click Options and locate the HTTP/RTSP protocol listing; change the corresponding IP in the dropdown menu from 0.0.0.0 to your local IP (there should only be one other option).
4. Make a note of the IP and Port Number from the HTTP listing.
5. On your PS4, head to Settings > Network > Set Up Internet Connection and select your preferred connection type (Ethernet or Wi-Fi – just make sure it’s on the same network as your PC).
6. Select Set Up Manually, and select Auto for all options apart from the Proxy.
7. Input the IP and Port Number you noted down earlier.
8. Save your connection settings.

And that’s it! Your PS4 should now download games and updates from PSN much faster than before, with speeds reflecting what you pay your ISP to provide. The only catch? Your PS4’s internet connection will only run from the proxy on your PC, so you’ll have to have the software running whenever you want to download games or connect to the internet on your PS4.

A fix for this is to only use the proxy when you have large updates or new games to download, and to revert to automatic settings for general gameplay. Either way, it’s a small price to pay for greatly improved PS4 download speeds!

If you want to test your new download speeds, why not take a look at our recommendations of the best PS4 games?