You just kicked off your shoes after a long day, grabbed your favorite energy drink, and fired up your PC to grind some Valorant ranked with your squad. The Riot Client loads, and then you see it: a tiny, creeping update bar that’s moving so slow you could watch an entire Agent select screen playlist while it progresses. If you’ve ever sat staring at that bar wondering why is Valorant updating so slow, you’re far from the only player dealing with this frustration. This guide breaks down all the common causes of sluggish Valorant updates, plus simple fixes you can use to get in game faster.
Common Reasons Why Is Valorant Updating So Slow
If you’re trying to figure out why is Valorant updating so slow, the first thing to rule out is issues on your own device or network, not Riot’s servers. Most slow update issues stem from simple, easy-to-fix problems on your end that you can resolve in a couple of minutes. The most common causes include bandwidth limits set on the Riot Client by default, background apps or devices eating up your internet bandwidth, corrupted download cache in the Riot Client, outdated network drivers, or temporary glitches with your home internet connection.
I’ve noticed that even if you have fast gigabit internet, a single background cloud backup running in the background can drop your Valorant update speed to a fraction of what it should be, without you even noticing it’s running. Another common overlooked cause is a full hard drive, since updates require extra temporary space to unpack and install files before they replace old game data. If your drive is at 95% capacity or higher, you’ll almost always run into slower update speeds, even if your internet is working perfectly.
Quick Fixes to Speed Up Your Valorant Update
Most slow update issues can be fixed in less than five minutes with these simple steps, no technical expertise required. Run through these fixes in order, and you’ll likely see your download speed jump immediately:
- Pause any other downloads or streaming services running on your network, including Netflix, Twitch, or cloud backups that might be eating up bandwidth.
- Clear your Riot Client download cache by opening the client settings, scrolling to the “Downloads” tab, and selecting “Clear Download Cache.”
- Adjust the Riot Client bandwidth limit to remove restrictions: go to client settings > downloads, and uncheck the “Limit download bandwidth” box if it’s toggled on.
- Restart your router and Riot Client to reset any temporary connection glitches that are slowing your download.
- Switch to a wired ethernet connection if you’re on Wi-Fi, as wireless connections often have more lag and inconsistent speeds for large downloads.
Don’t forget to check if other devices on your network are using bandwidth too – your sibling streaming a 4K movie, your smart TV running updates, or even your smart speaker syncing data can all cut into your available download speed for Valorant. Avoid downloading updates during peak hours if you can – most major Valorant patches drop around 1PM ET, when millions of players across North America are trying to download the update at the same time. Waiting even an hour after the patch goes live can help you avoid the worst of the server congestion and get much faster speeds.
When Slow Updates Are Caused By Server-Side Issues
Sometimes, the problem isn’t anything on your end, and it’s just a case of Riot’s servers being overwhelmed by player demand. This almost always happens when a major patch drops, especially if it includes a new Agent, a reworked map, big competitive balance changes, or a new battle pass. In these cases, there’s not much you can do to speed up your download besides wait, since the server is already operating at maximum capacity to serve as many players as possible.
If you’ve tried all the fixes on your end and speeds are still crawling, check official Riot Games social media channels for server status updates – they usually post within minutes if there’s a widespread download issue affecting players across multiple regions. If you live in a region with fewer local Riot update servers, you might also experience slower average update speeds than players in North America or Western Europe, since your download has to travel a longer distance to reach your device. Some players try using VPNs to get around this, but that’s a hit-or-miss solution. Only use a VPN for updates if you’re sure your ISP is throttling your gaming traffic, otherwise connecting to a faraway VPN server will almost always make your download speed even slower.
Long-Term Adjustments to Prevent Future Slow Valorant Updates
If you deal with slow Valorant updates every time a new patch drops, there are a few permanent changes you can make to eliminate this frustration for good. First, make sure you have enough free storage space on the drive you have Valorant installed on. Updates require temporary space to unpack and install files, and if your drive is almost full, the update process will slow down drastically or even fail entirely. Keep at least 30GB of free space on the drive you have Valorant installed on to avoid this issue entirely.
Next, install Valorant on an SSD instead of a traditional HDD if you haven’t already. Even if your download speed is fast, the unpacking and installation part of the update can take 10 times longer on an HDD, because HDDs have much slower read and write speeds. You can also turn on background updates in the Riot Client settings, so it will automatically download new updates when you’re not using your PC, so you never have to wait for an update when you’re ready to play. It’s also a good idea to clear your Riot Client download cache every couple of months, to prevent corrupted leftover files from slowing down future updates.
At the end of the day, if you’re frustrated by why is Valorant updating so slow, the issue is almost always either a quick fix on your end or temporary server congestion that will clear up in a few hours. You don’t need to be a tech expert to speed up your downloads, just run through the simple fixes we covered, and you’ll be back in your ranked queue before you know it. If you still have issues after trying all these steps, you can reach out to Riot support for further help, but 9 times out of 10, one of the fixes we listed will get your update moving again so you can get back to playing.
