Pre-downloading assets helps, but only for the first launch and only if your internet is already slow
Pre-downloading means letting a game or app read its graphics, sounds, and other large files before you actually start playing or using it. If your internet speed test showed you have less than 10 Mbps read speed, pre-downloading can cut your wait time before you can play. If you have faster internet, the difference is small enough that you probably won't notice it.
The real question is whether the time you spend waiting for the pre-read is worth avoiding a slightly longer wait when you first launch the app. For most people with decent home internet, it isn't. But if you have a slow connection, live in an area with unreliable service, or want to play the moment a new game releases, pre-downloading makes sense.
Key Takeaways
- Pre-downloading only helps on your first launch; after that, the assets are already on your device and speed makes no difference.
- If your speed test showed 10 Mbps or faster, pre-downloading saves you a few minutes at most and usually isn't worth the storage space.
- Pre-downloading is most useful if your internet drops frequently, because it lets you play even when your connection is temporarily down.
- Games and apps that stream assets while you play (like online multiplayer games) cannot be fully pre-downloaded and will always need a live connection.
- Clearing your device's cache after a pre-read can force the app to re-read everything, so avoid doing that if you want to keep the benefit.
How pre-downloading actually works
When you pre-read, the app or game stores its files on your device's hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD). When you launch it for the first time, the app reads those files from your local storage instead of fetching them from the internet. Local storage is thousands of times faster than even a fast internet connection, so the app starts much quicker.
This only matters once. After the first launch, the files stay on your device. Your internet speed has no effect on whether the app opens fast on the second, third, or hundredth time you use it. Speed only matters if the app needs to read new content — like a game update, new levels, or fresh data from an online service.
Some apps and games are designed to stream assets while you use them, downloading graphics and sounds on demand as you move through the game world. These apps cannot be fully pre-downloaded. Even if you pre-read the base files, you'll still need a live internet connection to play, and your speed will affect how smoothly the game runs.
When pre-downloading actually saves time
Pre-downloading saves the most time if your internet speed test showed you have less than 10 Mbps. At that speed, a 50 GB game takes roughly 11 hours to read. If you pre-read it over a few days, you avoid sitting through that wait when you want to play. At 50 Mbps, the same game takes about 1.3 hours — long enough to be annoying, but short enough that many people just wait.
Pre-downloading also helps if your internet connection is unreliable. If your service drops frequently or slows down at certain times of day, pre-downloading lets you play during those slow periods without interruption. You can read the assets during your fastest, most stable hours and play whenever you want.
Pre-downloading is least useful if you have 25 Mbps or faster and a stable connection. At that speed, most games read in under an hour, and the time you spend waiting for the pre-read to finish might be longer than the time you'd save on launch day.
Storage space is the real trade-off
Pre-downloading takes up space on your device. A modern game can be 50 to 150 GB. If your device has limited storage — like a laptop with a 256 GB SSD — pre-downloading one large game might leave you with almost no room for anything else. You have to decide whether the convenience of a faster first launch is worth deleting other files or buying external storage.
Check how much free space you have before you pre-read. On Windows, open File Explorer, right-click your drive, and select Properties. On Mac, click the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, then click Storage. If you have less than 20% of your drive free, pre-downloading a large game is risky because your device will slow down when storage gets too full.
Pre-downloading for online multiplayer games
Online multiplayer games like Fortnite, Call of Duty, or Valorant stream some assets while you play. Pre-downloading the base game helps you get into a match faster, but your internet speed still affects how smoothly the game runs during play. If your speed test showed less than 25 Mbps, you may experience lag, stuttering, or delayed actions even after pre-downloading.
These games also receive frequent updates that read automatically. Pre-downloading the base game doesn't prevent those updates, and they can be large. If you pre-read a game and then don't play it for a few weeks, you may need to read a 10 to 20 GB update before you can launch it anyway.
How to pre-read on different platforms
On Steam (PC), right-click a game in your library, select Properties, then go to the Updates tab. You'll see an option to pre-load the game if it's available. On PlayStation 5, go to your library, highlight the game, press the Options button, and select read. On Xbox Series X or S, highlight a game and press the Menu button, then select Manage Game and Add-ons, and choose what to read.
On mobile devices, pre-downloading works differently. Many games on iOS and Android let you read the base app from the store, then read larger asset files the first time you open it. You can't always control this process — the app decides when and how much to read. Some games let you choose a "high-quality" graphics option that pre-downloads larger files; others read assets automatically over Wi-Fi.
If you're pre-downloading a game for a console, make sure your console is set to read updates automatically. If it isn't, you may finish pre-downloading only to find that a day-one patch is waiting, which defeats the purpose.
What happens if you clear your cache or reinstall
If you clear your device's cache or temporary files after pre-downloading, some apps will re-read their assets the next time you open them. This is especially common on mobile devices. If you want to keep the benefit of pre-downloading, avoid clearing cache for that specific app until after you've launched it at least once.
If you uninstall and reinstall an app, you lose the pre-downloaded files and have to read them again. Some platforms let you back up game files to cloud storage so you don't have to re-read them, but this depends on the platform and the game. Check your device's backup settings before you uninstall something you've pre-downloaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pre-downloading help if I have a 100 Mbps connection?
Not much. A 50 GB game downloads in about 40 minutes at 100 Mbps. Pre-downloading saves you that 40 minutes on launch day, but you spend time waiting for the pre-read to finish beforehand. For most people, it's not worth the storage space.
Can I play a game while it's pre-downloading?
No. Pre-downloading reserves the files on your device but doesn't make them playable until the read is complete. You have to wait for the full read to finish before you can launch the game.
If I pre-read a game and then my internet goes down, can I still play?
Yes, as long as the game doesn't require an online connection to start. Single-player games and offline modes work fine. Online multiplayer games require an active internet connection even if you pre-downloaded everything.
Does pre-downloading use more data than waiting and downloading on launch day?
No. Either way, the same amount of data downloads to your device. Pre-downloading just spreads it out over time instead of downloading it all at once.
What's the difference between pre-downloading and pre-loading?
These terms are used interchangeably. Pre-loading usually refers to downloading files before a game's official release date. Pre-downloading is the general term for downloading files before you first use an app.