- Wired connections will always ensure the best connection and fastest speeds for gaming with your PS4.
- Multiple simultaneous downloads can bog down your PS4 connection speeds.
- Switching to a faster internet provider is one of the most effective methods for improving your PS4 download speeds.
All gamers have experienced the dreaded lag in the middle of a game. You’re right about to get a kill shot, but suddenly, your character is dead on the ground. You didn’t get a chance to react or defend yourself because the connection was lagging. Slow performance, lag, or latency are common problems for PS4 gamers. If your system is running slowly, here are several things you can do to improve your internet speeds and prevent lag or freezing in the middle of the game.
Table of Contents
- Switch to a Wired Connection
- Don’t Overload Your PS4 With Multiple Downloads
- Change your DNS
- Update Your Firmware
- Upgrade Your Equipment
- Upgrade to a QoS Gaming Router
- Make sure your router has a 5GHz band
- Get a router that can handle your download speeds
- Opt for a faster internet plan
Gamers have all experienced the dreaded lag in the middle of a game. You’re right about to get a kill shot, but suddenly, your character is dead on the ground. You didn’t get a chance to react or defend yourself because the connection was lagging. If your PS4 is running slow, there are several things you can do to improve your internet speeds and prevent any lagging or freezing in the middle of the game.
Switch to a Wired Connection
If your PS4 WiFi connection is slow, you should consider switching to a wired connection. When your PS4 is connected to the internet with WiFi, you might experience slower speeds because of the distance or any objects between your console and the modem that could weaken the connection. With a wired connection, your PS4 is directly connected to your internet modem using an ethernet cord. This means that the connection will be faster and more reliable. To establish a wired connection:
- Plug an Ethernet cable into one of your modem’s LAN ports.
- Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into your PS4’s LAN port, which is located on the back of the console.
- Go to the “Main Menu” on the PlayStation 4 and select “Settings.”
- Select “Network.”
- Select “Set Up Internet Connection.”
- Select “Use a LAN Cable.”
7. Select “Easy.”
Once you’ve completed these steps, your PS4 will do the rest of the work for you. It will detect the Ethernet cord and connect your console to the internet. This should improve your PS4 internet connection.
If you aren’t able to get a wired connection, you can try moving your PS4 closer to the router (or vice versa) to strengthen the signal.
Don’t Overload Your PS4 with Multiple Downloads
If you’re trying to download multiple games on your PlayStation 4 at the same time, your connection will be slower than normal. You’re basically creating a traffic jam with all those downloads that are trying to get to the same place at the same time. It’s always best to download one game at a time, but it's especially important if you’re experiencing slow PS4 download speeds. Your internet speed will also slow down if you’re trying to play a game while downloading another game at the same time.
An easy way to alleviate the frustration of constant PS4 lag and buffering is to download games while you’re not playing. If you know you’re going to want to play a new game when you get home from work, start downloading it in the morning before you leave. You can also find out if your console is trying to download multiple games at once and decide which ones you want to download first by following these steps:
- Click your controller’s “Home Button.”
- Go to the “Notifications” icon on the main menu.
- Games that are downloading will appear at the top of the list of notifications. Select the content you want to pause by hovering over it and pressing the “X” on your PS4 controller.
- A menu will appear. Select “Pause” from this menu.
You can pause as many titles as you’d like so that the games you’d like to play next will download faster. After the content you wanted to download first is finished, you can resume the other downloads by following the same steps you used to pause them.
Another trick you can try is rest mode. Putting your PlayStation 4 in rest mode while downloading content increases speed. If you’d like to try this, follow these steps:
- Go to the main menu and select “Settings.”
- Select “Power Save Settings.”
- Select “Set Features Available in Rest Mode.”
- Select “Stay Connected to the Internet.”
5. Go back to the home screen and select “Notifications” to see if your content is downloading. If it is, it will appear at the top of the list with a download bar.
6. Hold down the “Home Button” on your PS4 controller.
7. Select “Rest Mode.”
After this, you’ll be able to leave your PlayStation alone while it downloads. You won’t have to worry about the download pausing.
Change Your DNS
Domain Name System (DNS) is basically like the contact list in your phone, but for the entire internet. It stores a list of websites and their corresponding IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. When you go to call someone in your phone’s contact list, instead of typing in the phone number (which you probably don’t even have memorized), you click on the person’s name. DNS acts like your address book by keeping track of all the IP addresses, so you don’t have to.
For example, when you type “www.amazon.com” into the search bar, DNS communicates between you and the network’s back end to pull up the website using its IP address, aka a long string of numbers and periods. That way, you don’t have to memorize the IP address for every single website you want to visit.
The default DNS server assigned to your home network is typically provided by your internet service provider. This server usually isn’t optimized to load things as quickly as other ones like Google Public DNS. You have the option to change your default DNS server to another one to make things load faster. Switching over to Google DNS may help improve your PS4 WiFi. Here’s how to change your DNS server:
- Go to the main menu and select “Settings.”
- Select “Network.”
- Select “Set Up Internet Connection.”
- Select the connection you’re currently using: “Use Wi-Fi” or “Use a LAN Cable,” then select “Custom”.
- Select the network name you're currently using.
- Select “Manual”. The following screen will appear:
7. Change the settings to these inputs:
Option | Input |
|---|---|
IP Address Settings | Automatic |
DHCP Host Name | Do Not Specify |
DNS Settings | Manual |
Primary DNS | 8.8.8.8 |
Secondary DNS | 8.8.4.4 |
MTU Settings | Automatic |
Proxy Server | Do Not Use |
Once you’ve changed these settings, just turn your PlayStation off and on again. After it’s on, just restart your downloads. This should speed up PS4 downloads.
Update Your Firmware
If none of the methods above show a noticeable improvement, your PlayStation 4 might be running slowly because it doesn’t have the most up-to-date firmware installed. Firmware is a piece of software that helps your hardware function properly. Updating your firmware to the latest version will ensure your download speeds are fast and everything on your PS4 is running smoothly overall. To update your firmware:
- Go to the home menu on your PS4 and select “Settings.”
- Select “System Software Update.”
- If there is an update available, it will show up here. The update will then start automatically.
Upgrade Your Equipment
Your PS4 relies on one important piece of equipment: your Wi-Fi router. If your router can't handle the speed you need for a smooth gaming session, you end up feeling frustrated. But you don't have to trust the router you get from your ISP. You can upgrade your router to a device that works best for you.
Upgrade to a QoS Gaming Router
Not all internet routers are created equal. Old router models can actually impact the quality of your gaming experience, even when using Ethernet. There are routers specifically designed to improve gaming that include Quality of Service (QoS) features. Routers with QoS features are often referred to as gaming routers. With a gaming router, you’re able to set up your preferences so that your gaming console takes precedence over the other devices in your house that are connected to the internet. This means that if you’re trying to play a game while your roommate is streaming Netflix, your PS4 will take priority so that you won’t experience lag.
Get a Router With a 5GHz Band
Routers come with either a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band (and some newer models have a 6 GHz band). If you’re using your PS4 over Wi-Fi rather than Ethernet, we’d recommend choosing a router with a 5GHz band. The 5GHz band allows you to have faster Wi-Fi speeds and more reliability than a router with only the 2.4 GHz band. Upgrading to 5 GHz should help speed up PS4 downloads. The only thing to keep in mind is that 5GHz routers work best over shorter distances, so you’ll want to make sure that your PS4 isn’t too far from the router. This is best practice with any router, but it's even more important with a 5 GHz band.
Get a Router That Can Handle Your Download Speeds
If you’ve had your router for years, your router might actually be the bottleneck, as opposed to your Wi-Fi range or the internet connection itself. Routers are only able to handle a certain amount of speed. If you have an internet plan that offers download speeds up to 500 Mbps, but your router only supports speeds up to 300 Mbps, you’ll never experience speeds faster than 300 Mbps. That means you’d be missing out on 200 Mbps of download speed, which is really just a waste of your money and could be the reason for your PS4 lag. You can confirm the maximum speed supported by your router by googling the router's make and model, which is generally printed on the back of the device.
Opt For a Faster Internet Plan
If you’ve followed all of our tips and tricks and your PS4 download speeds are still slow, you might not have the right internet plan. Below is a list of common internet speeds and what activities you’re able to do with them. Consider all of the different things you and your household use the internet for to decide which speeds will be best for you:
Download speed | What you can do with this speed |
|---|---|
50 Mbps | Connect 1-2 devices Online shopping Video conferencing Light gaming (except satellite) Streaming music Stream videos in 1080p HD quality |
100 Mbps | Connect 2-3 devices Download files in minutes Online multiplayer gaming (except satellite) Stream videos in UHD 4K quality Average gaming (less likely to lag) |
200 Mbps | Connect 4-5 devices Download 10 songs in 30 seconds Download 20 photos in 1 minute Download 10 TV episodes in 3 minutes Daily gaming that may or may not slow down other devices on the network |
300-500 Mbps | Connect 8-15 devices Small smart home system with cameras Seamless online gaming (except satellite) Live stream video Large file sharing |
1+ Gbps | Connect 40+ devices Download 10 songs in 3 seconds Download 20 photos in 5 seconds Download 10 TV episodes in 30 seconds Professional online gaming (except satellite) |
If there are a lot of people in your house gaming, streaming, or downloading content at the same time, your connection might not be strong enough. You can check how much speed your PS4 is getting by going to Settings > Network > Test Network Connection. Certain internet connection types are better for gaming because they have better upload speeds. For example, fiber is better than cable for gaming. If you upgrade to a faster plan or one with a better connection type, you’ll be able to download content faster and avoid lag and buffering. Use our search by zip code tool to see if your internet provider offers faster speeds, or if another provider in your area does.
Frequently Asked Questions About PS4 Connection Speeds
What's the best DNS setting for PS4?
The best DNS setting depends on your network and location, but popular public DNS servers like Google’s (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare’s (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1) often improve connection stability and speed. Test a few options to find the fastest and most reliable for your PS4.
How to clear PS4 cache?
The PS4 doesn’t have a direct Clear Cache button, but you can effectively do it by restarting your system. Turn off the PS4 completely (not rest mode), then unplug the power cord once the indicator light is off. Wait about 30–45 seconds before powering the device back on. This cleans temporary files, fixes errors, and can improve performance without deleting your games or data.
Can overheating cause PS4 performance issues?
Yes, overheating can cause lag, freezing, crashes, or even an automatic shutdown. Dust buildup, poor ventilation, or using the PS4 in a confined space can raise internal temperatures. Regularly cleaning vents, using the console in a well-ventilated area, and avoiding extended play sessions without breaks can help prevent overheating and maintain stable performance.
How do I know if my PS4 is going bad?
Signs of a failing PS4 include frequent crashes, freezing, loud fan noises, error codes, slow loading, or failure to read discs. Storage issues or corrupted files can also indicate problems. If you notice repeated hardware errors or the system won’t boot even after safe mode repairs, it might be time to have the system serviced, replace components like the hard drive or power supply, or upgrade to a newer system.
What's a normal connection speed for PS4?
For most PS4 online gaming, a stable download speed of 3–5 Mbps is sufficient, while 15–25 Mbps or higher is ideal for smooth multiplayer and streaming. Upload speeds around 1–3 Mbps work for gameplay, with higher speeds needed for streaming. Ping under 50ms is optimal.