The PlayStation 4 is a great option for console gamers looking for excellent games and stunning graphics. You can also connect with other players online. However, doing anything online with a PS4 takes data – there’s no way around that.
Online gaming with a PS4 uses anywhere from 30-250 MB per hour. Things like downloading and updating games take a lot more data. You could play online for 2 years with the data it takes to download one game! The average PS4 game download size is 13.08GB.
Data usage doesn’t have to be an issue as long as you take steps to monitor it and avoid doing things that will use too much while you play. This article includes all the best tips and tricks to help you save data on your PS4.
How to Check Data Usage on Your PS4?
When you play online games, you should watch your data usage. One of the benefits is that you’ll know how much data you have left in the month to play your games.
It’s possible to exceed your PS4 data plan limit earlier than you expect if you don’t monitor your data usage. You may be charged overage fees by your gaming carrier if this happens.
How do you find out how much data you’re using? Just check your console’s Network Setting. We’ve explained how to do it in the list below. Note that checking “bandwidth usage” just means “data usage.”
- Press and hold the PS4 button.
- Select “System” and then “Settings.”
- Select “Settings,” “Network,” and “Troubleshooting” from the “Settings” menu.
- There will be a drop-down menu on the right-hand side of the screen. There, you can select the “Bandwidth usage” option.
Then, you can see the amount of data you use per hour over a 24-hour period. Furthermore, it will keep track of how much data you have used since you first got your PS4.
With this log, you can see how much data you use currently, how it affects your monthly data limit, and how it has affected your usage in the past.
Average Data Usage for Popular Online Games
Playing online games isn’t possible without using data. However, contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually need a lot of data to play some of the most popular online games. Some of these games only use about 40MB to 300MB per hour.
However, if you’re an avid gamer, you might end up using more data. Knowing how much data you expect to use when playing would be a good idea.
Here’s a table showing how much data per hour various Titles
| Game Titles | Data Per Hour |
| Overwatch | 135MB |
| League of Legends | 45MB |
| Fortnite | 100MB |
| Call of Duty: World War II | 40MB |
| Battlefield V | 100MB |
| Monster Hunter: World | 30MB |
| Grand Theft Auto V Online | 60MB |
| Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout | 70MB |
| Rainbow Six Siege | 70MB |
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 250MB |
You can see that most of these games don’t use up as much data as some would expect. Now downloading the games is a completely different story. The downloads for these games can be anywhere from 15GB to 60GB.
Why is Your PS4 Using So Much Data?
Online games are so addictive that you can play them for hours, even days at a time. You’ll have more fun if the internet connection is smooth, especially if it’s 4G LTE. Despite the fact that online games do not consume much data, you might find that your PS4 is still using a lot of it. Why?
Even though gameplay doesn’t hog your data, other factors can contribute to extreme data consumption. Here are a few:
- Online game downloads: It’s easy to consume a lot more data than you expect when you download online games. The amount of data you use simply downloading one game is the same amount you would use to playing games online for two years. To avoid this, don’t download games unless you absolutely need to.
- Game updates: Game updates also make your PS4 use data. The amount of data needed to update a single game is equivalent to the amount of data you would need to play online games for about 12 hours. You cannot opt-out of these game updates if your console is not portable. Some players update their games by connecting to an unlimited internet connection, similar to one found at the library.
- The Number of Players: There’s no question about it – the more players on the game, the more data you use. Your network needs this data to send and receive information from other players. This could be the stats and scores of the players.
- Voice Chat: Once you’re on a voice chat while playing, you’ll definitely use up more data.
These are several factors that contribute to your PS4 using more data. You can reduce your data consumption by avoiding or reducing some of these factors.
Can You Play PS4 On a Hotspot?
A smooth internet connection is one of the most important elements of an enjoyable online gaming experience. Unfortunately, you can’t always have a great connection, and the internet in your house might not be fast enough for you.
You can always use your phone when this happens. Thank goodness! Using the in-built hotspot feature on your phone, you can connect your PS4 console to your phone and play your game instantly. This is especially helpful for playing online games with your friends or colleagues. There will be no network interference.
It’s easy to connect your console to your mobile device using a hotspot. To do this, simply create a hotspot connection on your phone and find your console’s access point, which is in the “Settings” app.
Locate your phone’s hotspot by going to “Settings” and then “Network.” To access the internet, enter the hotspot password on your phone. It’s that easy. You can now use your phone’s hotspot with your PS4 console.
This should work the same on any mobile device with a mobile hotspot feature, whether iOS or Android. You just need to make sure you have sufficient data on your phone. If not, it makes no sense to connect your console to your mobile device.
Conclusion
It’s important to understand how much data you’re using so you won’t get charged for overuse. While online gaming doesn’t use up a ton of data, things like downloading and updating games certainly do. If you notice that your PS4 is using up too much data, look through our list above and stop doing anything that’s too data-intensive.