Last week, I helped my 16-year-old cousin set up Valorant for the first time. His first question, before asking about agent picks or ranked rules, was simple: how long does Valorant take to download? He had a ranked match planned with his friends in an hour, and he was panicking he’d miss the queue. If you’re in the same boat, or just planning to install the game ahead of a gaming session, this guide breaks down everything you need to know about download times, speed issues, and quick fixes.
How Long Does Valorant Take to Download on Common Connection Types
First, it’s important to note that the base Valorant install size sits at roughly 31GB as of the latest patch, including all core game files, agent assets, and map packs. That size doesn’t count future updates, which usually range from 1GB to 5GB depending on the patch content. Your actual download time will depend almost entirely on your internet connection speed, but we’ve tested average times across the most common connection types to give you a clear baseline.
1Gbps fiber or high-speed 5G connection: 3 to 5 minutes. This is the fastest you can get right now, and it’s common in most urban areas with fiber coverage. You might wait a few extra minutes for post-download installation, but the actual file download will be done before you can make a snack to eat while you play.
100Mbps cable or standard 5G connection: 35 to 50 minutes. This is the average connection speed for most households in the US and Europe. If you don’t have any other devices using bandwidth, you’ll be able to jump into a match in under an hour. But if you have family members streaming Netflix or downloading other files at the same time, that time can double easily.
10Mbps DSL or rural internet connection: 6 to 8 hours. If you live in an area with limited broadband access, you’ll want to start your download well before you plan to play. I’ve seen rural users leave their download running overnight to avoid waiting around during the day. For a quicker option, you can always use a 5G mobile hotspot if you have strong cell service near your home.
Key Factors That Slow Down Your Valorant Download
Even if you pay for high-speed internet, you might notice your Valorant download taking way longer than the baselines we listed above. That’s because several common issues can throttle your download speed without you even noticing. Most of these are easy to fix once you know what to look for.
The most common causes of slow Valorant downloads include:
- Background bandwidth usage from streaming, other game updates, or cloud backup syncs
- Poor Wi-Fi signal strength or outdated network router firmware
- Overly strict antivirus or firewall settings that throttle Riot Client connections
- Peak server hours between 6PM and 10PM local time when most players are logging on
- Outdated hard drives with slow write speeds that can’t keep up with download rates
So many people ignore the last point on that list, and it’s one of the biggest hidden causes of slow installs. A traditional HDD only has a write speed of 50MB/s to 150MB/s, while a modern SSD can write at 500MB/s to 7000MB/s. That means even if you have 1Gbps internet, a slow HDD will slow your install to a crawl because it can’t save the files as fast as you download them. Upgrading to an SSD is one of the best investments you can make for faster game installs overall.
Easy Fixes to Speed Up Your Valorant Download
If you’re staring at a slow download bar and panicking about missing a game with friends, you don’t have to just sit and wait. There are a handful of quick fixes you can try that will usually cut your download time in half or more, no technical expertise required.
First, close all background programs that use bandwidth. That means pausing Steam updates, closing Netflix or YouTube tabs, and pausing any cloud backup services like Google Drive or Dropbox. I once cut my own Valorant download time from 40 minutes to 18 minutes just by pausing a Windows 11 update that was running in the background.
Next, switch to a wired Ethernet connection if you can. Wi-Fi is convenient, but it’s almost always slower and less stable than a wired connection, especially if you’re far from your router. Even a cheap Ethernet cable can boost your download speed by 30% or more compared to Wi-Fi. If you can’t use a wired connection, move your laptop or PC as close to your router as possible to get the strongest signal.
You can also try switching your Riot Client download region to a server closer to your physical location. The Riot Client usually picks the closest server automatically, but it can sometimes default to a distant server if the local one is overloaded. You can find this setting in the Riot Client settings menu under the “Download” tab. Temporarily disabling your antivirus or firewall while the download runs can also help, as long as you remember to turn it back on once the install is complete.
What to Do If Your Valorant Download Gets Stuck Mid-Install
Nothing is more frustrating than watching your download hit 90% and then stop completely. A lot of people panic and force close the Riot Client when this happens, but that’s usually the worst thing you can do, because it can corrupt the download files and force you to start over from scratch.
First, wait 2 to 3 minutes before taking any action. Most of the time, a “stuck” download isn’t actually stuck at all – the client is just unpacking and installing the files it already downloaded, and the progress bar doesn’t update during this step. Do not force close the client repeatedly if the progress bar pauses for a few minutes, as this can damage your game files.
If it’s still stuck after 5 minutes, try restarting the Riot Client first. Make sure you close it completely from the system tray, not just the main window. If that doesn’t work, check to make sure you have at least 10GB of extra free space on your hard drive, beyond the 31GB required for the base game. The client needs extra space to unpack files during installation, and running out of space will cause the download to stop.
If all else fails, you can clear the Riot Client cache. You can find steps for this on the official Riot support site, and it only takes a minute or two to complete. This fixes almost all stuck download issues that don’t relate to your internet connection or hard drive space. You won’t lose any partial download progress when you clear the cache, so it’s a low-risk fix to try.
At the end of the day, the answer to how long does Valorant take to download depends almost entirely on your internet connection and setup. With a fast fiber connection, you can be in a game in 5 minutes, but if you have slower rural internet, you’ll want to plan ahead. Try the quick fixes we listed if you run into slow speeds, and don’t panic if your download pauses for a few minutes during installation. Once you’re in the game, you’ll be glad you waited to jump into the action.
