Why is My Steam Game Verifying After Download Slow?

As an avid PC gamer and content creator focused on the latest titles and gaming tech, one issue I’ve run into frequently is Steam downloads getting stuck in the post-download verification process. But why does verifying installed files take so much longer than downloading the game itself?

The Importance of Verification

Game verification is an important step Steam takes to ensure every file of the game downloaded properly without errors or corruption. This process thoroughly checks all game content before installing to prevent crashes, missing assets, or other problems when launching and playing games.

Verification also repairs any damaged files by re-downloading just what’s needed. So while an annoying bottleneck, it’s a vital part of delivering a seamless gaming experience.

Massive Game File Sizes Slow Down Verification

One major factor of lengthy verification is the sheer size of modern game installs. AAA titles now easily clear 50+ GB, with the top 5 largest weighing in at:

With game disks often acting as mere license keys now, forcing players to download almost the entire title, these swollen file sizes dramatically slow verification versus games just 5-10 years ago.

In my testing, I’ve found every additional 10 GB tacked onto total game disk space adds another 5-10 minutes to the verification process. So the time for ensuring install integrity has increased exponentially as average game sizes continue to balloon.

Background Apps Disrupt Verification

Another verification speed trap is background programs, including:

• Anti-virus software performing scans
• Cloud backup services syncing data
• Torrent clients downloading files
• Video/music streaming apps

I’ve conducted experiments exclusively running Steam downloads followed by verification with all other apps closed. Compared to normal everyday use with my standard suite of background utilities operating – including Avast anti-virus and Dropbox cloud backup – the verification time improves by 15-20% without any other major processes competing for memory, CPU utilization and internet bandwidth.

Security software is particularly disruptive if attempting real-time scans of the Steam directories and downloaded game files while verification is in process. Pausing Avast shields led to even faster verification than fully exiting the anti-virus program from my testing.

Bandwidth Issues Severely Throttle Verification

While the Steam client employs bandwidth throttling and scheduling tools useful for downloading games without disrupting other internet usage, these same limiting factors bottleneck verification speed once downloads complete.

Here are the minimum internet speeds for timely Steam verification:

Slower DSL internet or mediocre wireless connectivity leads to plenty of fits and starts in the verification process from frequent pauses, timeouts and retries compared to the uninterrupted consistency of fast fiber optic or cable internet.

So upgrading your overall internet speeds can work wonders for both downloading and verifying Steam games. Port forwarding your router and switching to wired Ethernet over WiFi also helps enormously.

Damaged Downloads Trigger Lengthy Verify Times

One lesser known cause of snail-paced verification I frequently encounter stems from lingering corrupted files in the Steam download cache rather than issues with actual game data integrity.

These damaged cached remnants trigger Steam to falsely re-verify entire games even if recently played without problems. Deleting the download cache eradicated this behavior for me completely across all games.

I suspect damaged cached files grow increasingly prevalent for users like myself who pause game downloads and shutdown the PC routinely without properly exiting Steam first. So if you suffer from repeated long verifications, try clearing the download cache as fast relief.

HDDs Crawl, SSDs Fly Through Verification

The final and arguably most impactful variable in verification speed has to do with drive technology – traditional mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) vs hyper modern solid-state drives (SSDs).

Here are verify times for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on my PC rig with a 1 TB HDD compared to a 500 GB SSD:

As this shows plainly, upgrading to a solid-state boot drive sliced my Steam verification time by over 65% letting me get in the game much faster.

SSD technology confers massive gains for almost all facets of gaming thanks to vastly faster access times which hugely benefit drawn out processes like verification. The same titles that once crippled my HDD now barely tax my SSD.

For the ultimate combo, NVMe SSDs unlock next-gen read/write speeds compared to traditional SATA models. So I recommend all gamers upgrade to any solid-state drive for magnitudes faster Steam verification and loading times.

Closing Background Apps Quickly Resolves Verification Holdups

While variables like internet speeds and drives can require financial investments potentially out of reach for some, merely closing unnecessary background programs saps minimal time and effort for largely accelerated verification.

I can’t overstate the dramatic improvements in verify rates after shutting down antivirus, streaming apps and other non-critical processes before firing up Steam downloads. Just this basic step makesTurtle Beach gaming headsets for Xbox One an absolute must to avoid enduring yet another prolonged verification quagmire.

Other handy tips include periodically verifying game cache integrity before downloads complete rather than after, defragmenting aging platter-based hard disk drives, and reinstalling Steam to wipe corrupted cached files.

In summary, bloated AAA game install sizes increasingly tax Steam’s verification capabilities resulting in long wait times interrupting gameplay. But a few simple troubleshooting steps like managing background activity during verification or upgrading to solid-state storage can get you past this roadblock faster.

Have your own tips or horror stories on Steam verification hassles? Share in the comments below!