How much internet data does Hearthstone use?
While multiplayer mode adds an essential competitive dynamic to Hearthstone, playing the game with other people also takes up internet bandwidth. If you use an installed mobile broadband or mobile hotspot connection, playing online games in multiplayer modes can cut into your available online data and even push you over your monthly data limit.
To see if you’re in danger of using too much mobile data on Hearthstone, let’s take a closer look at the size of the game download, the size of game updates, and the amount of data you use per hour playing the game. As you calculate your data use, remember that the easiest way to stay under your monthly data limit is to switch from a limited to an unlimited mobile data plan.
Data use downloading Hearthstone
The initial game download uses much more mobile data than updating or playing the game. Here are the recent file sizes for Hearthstone on Windows PC, Mac OS, Android, and iOS. Keep in mind that the download size is smaller than the file size (since it’s compressed), but also that the file size of the game will increase over time as developers release patches and updates for the game.
| Platform | File size |
| Windows PC | <3 GB |
| Mac OS | <2 GB |
| Android | 39 MB (download size) |
| iOS | 1.6 GB |
If you’re worried that you don’t have enough mobile data to download the game on your current data plan, there’s an easy way to avoid using a lot of data on the download. Instead of downloading the game online, simply purchase the physical disk and install the game offline.
Data use updating Hearthstone
Blizzard occasionally releases patches and updates for Hearthstone, which you can keep track of in the patch notes. These updates vary in size, but typically have a download size of about 30 MB. If you’re worried about updates pushing you over your monthly data limit, then you can turn off auto-updates and manually install updates when you have extra data.
Data use playing Hearthstone
Hearthstone uses less than 1 MB of data per hour, which is much lower than average for an online game. The amount of data you use playing a specific online game depends on the number of players in your game 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. In Hearthstone, only two players can compete in the multiplayer modes, which keeps data use low.
- A higher frame rate refreshes the game more often, which makes it run faster. A lower frame rate saves you data, but consequently makes it harder for you to react quickly in the game. In Hearthstone, you don’t need to react as quickly as you do in, for example, a first-person shooter, which keeps data use low.
- 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. In Hearthstone, the tick-rate of the server has little effect on gameplay, so in other words, you can use a 64-tick server and save data.
Upgrade to unlimited 4G LTE
If you want to play Hearthstone without thinking about your mobile data use, consider switching to an unlimited 4G LTE connection with no monthly data limit and no bandwidth throttling (no matter how much data you use in a month).
Find out the hidden cost of online video gaming or compare data use for other popular games:
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