How much data does Diablo III use?
Due to its digital rights management (DRM) policy, anyone playing Diablo III needs to be connected to the internet at all times, even when playing a single-player mode. This unpopular policy leaves some players worrying that the game will drain their limited internet data. Fortunately, Diablo doesn’t use as much data as many other online games, especially if you’re playing alone.
So exactly how much data do you use playing Diablo III? Let’s take a closer look at the data you use playing, updating, and downloading the game on Windows PC, Mac OS, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. To play this game without thinking about data use, switch to an unlimited installed 4G LTE connection.
How much data do you use downloading Diablo III?
Downloading the game uses much more data than playing the game. The size of game downloads increase often as developers release patches and updates, but here are the approximate recent file sizes for Diablo III on every platform.
| Platform | File size |
| Windows PC | <25 GB |
| Mac OS | <25 GB |
| Playstation 3 (Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition) | 14.77 GB |
| Xbox 360 (Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Ultimate Evil Edition) | 7.28 GB |
| Playstation 4 (Diablo III: Eternal Collection) | 27.99 GB |
| Xbox One (Diablo III: Eternal Collection) | 27.52 GB |
| Nintendo Switch (Diablo III: Eternal Collection) | 13.7 GB |
If you’re afraid your data plan won’t support the game download, there’s an easy way to avoid using a ton of data on the game download. Instead of downloading the game online, purchase the physical disk and install the game offline.
How much data do you use updating Diablo III?
From time to time, Blizzard Entertainment releases patches and updates for Diablo III, which you can keep track of in the Patch Notes. These downloads vary in size, but typically use more data than playing the game. If you’re worried about patches and updates pushing you over your monthly data limit, turn off auto-updates and manually install updates when you have extra data.
How much data do you use playing Diablo?
In single-player mode, Diablo III uses as little as 10 MB of data per hour, which is very low for online gaming. In multiplayer modes, though, the game uses up to 50 MB of data per hour. The exact amount of data you use playing the game depends on the number of players in the mode, your frame rate, and the tick rate of your server:
- The more players in a game, the more data your internet network has to communicate with other players’ networks to share information like stats and location. Up to four players can participate in a game of Diablo III together, which is a pretty small number. While playing with the maximum four players will increase your data use about five times over single-player, the game’s multiplayer modes use a relatively modest amount of data.
- A higher frame rate refreshes the game more often, which makes it run faster. A lower frame rate saves you data, but makes it harder for you to react quickly in the game. You can adjust your frame rate (measured in FPS) in your game settings. To change your frame rate, you’ll need to disable vertical synch (V-Synch).
- The tick rate of your server also affects your data use. A 128-tick server, which refreshes the game 128 times every second, uses about twice as much data as a 64-tick server, which refreshes the game 64 times every second. If you use a 64-tick server, you’ll save data, but have a harder time reacting quickly in the game.
Upgrade to unlimited 4G LTE
If you want to play Diablo III without thinking about data use, consider switching to an unlimited 4G LTE connection with no data cap and no bandwidth throttling.
