How much data does online gaming use?

Online gaming is often blamed for using up a lot of data, and slowing down everyone else's connection because of how much speed it needs. In reality, though, online gaming uses much less Internet than an HD Netflix stream.

Online gaming doesn't use that much

The exact amount of data will vary depending on the game, but playing a game online uses less data than many other common activities. The most data-heavy games use somewhere in the realm of 300MB per hour, but many other games use 100MB per hour or less.

To put this in perspective, here's how an hour of data-intensive gaming compares to other online activities:

So you won't be able to get as many hours of gaming out of your data as you would if you were streaming tunes, but it's really not a huge amount of data comparatively. Keep in mind that 300MB/hr figure is on the heavier end of the scale - most games won't even come close to using this much.

How much data does online gaming use per hour?

While it depends on the game, here are some approximate data figures for a few popular games:

Gaming downloads eat up your data

In contrast to playing a game, the actual process of installing a game – downloading it, patching it and installing extra content – can use up an extraordinary amount of data. Some game files can reach 90GB or more in size, though this is hardly the norm. The vast majority will be smaller if you play on consoles like the Nintendo Switch (most less than 10GB).

Here's the file size of some common games on PC:

• Fortnite: 26GB
• League of Legends: 8.2GB
• Destiny 2: 105GB
• Overwatch: 30GB
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: 200+GB

Thankfully, nearly all NBN plans these days come with unlimited data so you shouldn't have to worry about how much data you're consuming from your online gaming.

What uses more data: Gaming or streaming?

Gaming itself uses very little data when you're actually playing, somewhere between 20-100MB/hr in most cases.

Streaming, on the other hand, can chew through loads and loads of data, all the way up to about 7GB at 4K resolution. This depends on a number of factors including:

• Bitrate. Bitrate is a measure of how much data is being processed every second. A higher bitrate means higher image quality, but also higher data usage.
• Resolution. The better your resolution, the crisper your stream will look. Higher resolutions will consume more data, assuming the picture quality remains unchanged.
• Compression. Many streaming sites, such as Twitch, will automatically compress your stream data so that it doesn't need as much data. Uncompressed video can be several times more data-intensive than the same video, compressed.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a good amount of GB for gaming?

  A good amount of GB for gaming depends on the amount of time you pay and the types of games you play. For casual gamers, 100 GB per month should be sufficient. If you download games or play frequently, 200-500 GB is recommended to ensure you do not run out of data.

• Does online gaming use a lot of internet data?

  Online games typically use more data than games you play offline: some of the most popular online games consume around 100 Megabytes (MB) of data per hour, though it can vary from 40MB to 300MB per hour. This number can vary, based on your game's settings and graphics quality. You can find specialised broadband plans for gamers to suit your needs.

• How long will 100GB of internet last?

  With 100GB of internet, you can enjoy hundreds of hours of online gaming. For example, if a game uses 100MB per hour, you could play for 1,000 hours before hitting your limit. However, activities like downloading games and updates could reduce this significantly. You can use our data usage calculator to estimate your data usage more accurately.

• Is 200 GB internet enough for gaming?

  Yes, 200GB is usually more than enough for online gaming. It allows for extensive gameplay, downloading new games, and installing updates without worrying about exceeding your data limit. You can explore more options by comparing broadband plans to find the best one for your needs.

Written by

Sam Baran

Writer

Sam Baran is a writer for Finder, covering topics across the tech, telco and utilities sectors. They enjoy decrypting technical jargon and helping people compare complex products easily. When they aren't writing, you'll find Sam's head buried in a book or working on their latest short story. Sam has a Bachelor of Advanced Science from the University of Sydney. See full bio