Many players download and install games, such as Fortnite, from Epic Games. However, sometimes Epic Games downloads can take far too long with slow download speed errors. For example, one Epic user said, “My downloads through the Epic Games Launcher were excruciatingly slow.” Excessively slow download speeds can be more problematic for games like Fortnite that often have big updates. These are some ways you can fix Epic Games download speed slow errors.
Check the Epic Games Server Status
First, check if there are any server-side issues that might be affecting the Epic Games downloads. To do that, open this Epic Games status page. Click the Epic Games Store category there to see if that shows any server-side issues. If there are, try waiting a day or so before downloading anything again.
Deselect Limit Downloads
Some players confirm that unselecting the Limit Download Speeds option fixes slow Epic Games download speed issues. Unselecting that option can free up network bandwidth. This Epic help page provides instructions for how users can deselect Limit Download Speeds.
The Limit download speeds option
Clear Epic’s Cache
Old Epic Games Launcher cache data can slow or interrupt downloads, including 0 Mbps drops. Clearing the cache removes those temporary files and can make downloads more stable. You can clear Epic’s cache by deleting the webcache folders as instructed on this support page.
The webcache folder
Set a Google DNS
Your PC has a default DNS server that isn’t necessarily the most efficient for game downloads. Setting a Google DNS alternative is a viable potential fix for Epic Games download speed slow issues because that might enable your PC to connect to Epic’s content delivery network faster.
Open your network adapter settings, set the preferred DNS to Google DNS, save the changes, and test the Epic download again. This Bethesda page provides full details for how players can set a Google DNS alternative.
The Google DNS settings
Flush DNS
Epic’s support service recommends players flush the DNS cache to fix Epic Games download speed slow errors. Flushing the DNS can enhance your Epic server connection. Go through these steps to flush the DNS:
- To access the search tool, press the Windows logo + S key combination.
- Enter cmd into the file search box.
- Right-click the Command Prompt in the search results and select Run as administrator.
- Type ipconfig /flushdns into the Command Prompt and hit Enter to execute.
The ipconfig /flushdns command
Utilize a Free VPN
Some players have fixed Epic Games download speed slow errors by utilizing VPNs. This can be an effective resolution because VPNs bypass ISP throttling. A VPN is worth testing if your ISP is throttling or routing Epic downloads poorly. Try a free option such as WARP while downloading a game or update, then compare the speed with and without the VPN.
Set High Priority for Epic Games
As a final Windows-side test, raise the Epic Games process priority in Task Manager. This gives the launcher higher system priority while the download is running. You can set a High priority for Epic Games like this:
- Start the Epic Games program.
- Right-click a part of the taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Select the Details tab to view it.
- Right-click the Epic Games process and select Set priority > High.
The Set priority > High option
The troubleshooting methods above are the best ways to fix the Epic Games download speed slow gaming issue. Applying those potential fixes has boosted Epic Games download speeds for many users. So, try applying them yourself to see what difference they make.
Start with the quickest checks first: confirm Epic’s server status, turn off download limits, and clear the launcher cache. If downloads are still slow, try the DNS, VPN, and Task Manager priority fixes to see which one improves your connection.
