If you're as eager as everyone else to experience the newest Call of Duty release, then the last thing you want is to be thwarted by a Modern Warfare 2 slow download issue.
Given the huge Modern Warfare 2 file size, even if you have a decent download speed, it might take a while to get through the install. But the Modern Warfare 2 slow download issue adds a whole new layer of frustration.
Although a slow download is undesirable, it is not as bad as not being able to download the game at all. Anyway, we've rounded up a few top tips to help you speed up that download and get you into the action as quickly as possible.
How To Fix Slow Download Speed For Modern Warfare 2
There are a number of potentially effective ways to speed up your downloads, such as closing down other applications or checking that your router is working correctly.
Some will be applicable to consoles, some to PC, and some to both. So work your way through our suggestions, utilise the bits that apply, and ignore the bits that don't.
Check Your Internet Connection
First and foremost, ensure your internet connection is working as it should be. We suggest the following steps:
- Firstly, if you do find things seem ridiculously slow, try running a speed test. This will establish whether you are getting the speeds you would expect from your ISP. If you aren't, get in touch with your service provider.
- Close any other apps or devices that are competing for bandwidth. You want as little traffic on your network as possible.
- If you are using WiFi, if possible switch to a wired ethernet connection, as this will almost always provide you with greater stability.
- If you can't use a wired connection, try to get your device as close to the router as possible, to improve the connection. Try to minimise the number of barriers between the two devices as well.
- As a final step, sometimes restarting your router can help to refresh the network connection, and speed things up.
As an aside, you can also check the server status for the game on the Activision Online Services page. If the servers are down, this may be a complicating factor. So wait until the servers are back in action before trying again.
Close Other Games and Applications
We said this above, but it's really important not to clog up your bandwidth with other games and applications. You may be tempted to start watching a film or playing another game while you wait for the download to complete.
But this is madness. All it will do is take resources away from your download, as priority will be given to these active programs. Consequently, your download will be slower.
Use Rest Mode
A good option to consider on the console is to utilise Rest Mode. When your console is awake, it will be constantly looking for updates, and performing other background processes.
Rest Mode stops this from happening. And as long as you make sure that your console is set to Stay Connected to the Internet, then the download will chug merrily away in the background, and may well complete faster as a result.
Go Off Peak
This may seem obvious, and it may also be difficult if you are desperate to play at the same time as everyone else. But waiting until fewer people are online all trying to do the same thing is another method to speed up your download speed.
So if you know you aren't going to be able to play the game until the following day, for example, then you could consider downloading MW2 overnight, or after breakfast, when fewer people are likely to be trying to do the same.
Change Your DNS Settings
One final option which we know has worked on the previous Call of Duty games is to change your DNS settings.
- Go to Network Settings and choose to set up your DNS manually.
- Set the Primary DNS as 8.8.8.8 and the Secondary DNS as 8.8.8.4.
- This will connect you using Google's public DNS and help speed up your Modern Warfare 2 download.
Now that everything is sorted, have a look at the best controller settings for Modern Warfare 2 which can improve your accuracy. Also, see how to fix lag in Modern Warfare 2.
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