With millions of paid users and just as many free users, Crunchyroll has quickly risen to become one of the world’s largest anime streaming sites. From anime shows, fan merch, online manga, games, and even a huge online forum, Crunchyroll has it all. However, one of the biggest complaints about the site is that it can sometimes be slow.
So, why is Crunchyroll slow for some users?
The most common reason why Crunchyroll is slow is that your personal internet connection may be slow or experiencing high volume. However, the problem could also be caused by your desktop plugins or your browser’s memory cache being too full.
In today’s post, I’m going to give you all of the tips that I’ve used over the past couple of years to help troubleshoot slow playback speeds. I’ll also help clear the air and answer some other questions I’ve received about slow Crunchryoll speeds. It’s time to get you back to A1-streaming quality!
How To Troubleshoot Playback Issues On Crunchyroll
It’s the perfect evening… You just got home from a long work shift and sat down on the sofa with your favorite Japanese snacks or miso ramen which is Naruto’s top choice. Then you open Crunchyroll to catch up on an anime series that you’re following with passion and dedication (for instance, you want to watch Ergo Proxy fillers you might’ve missed). Some peace and chilling at last dubbed in your language, right?
However, as soon as your show starts to play, the screen randomly freezes and you experience Crunchyroll buffering for an indefinite time. You pause it and let it sit for a minute to allow everything to catch up, but it’s still slow. But why is Crunchyroll so slow?
If you’re experiencing slow playback speeds, you’re not alone. Crunchyroll is a truly awesome platform, but with so many users streaming at the same time, sometimes streaming irregularities pop up and Crunchyroll keeps buffering instead of playing videos. So, that being said, I’m going to take a few minutes and show you exactly how to fix them!
How To Speed Up Crunchyroll Playback On Desktop
In addition to Crunchyroll, I’ve also experienced some of these same problems while watching Hulu on my desktop. Whether you’re watching Crunchyroll or Hulu, the root cause of the slow playback speeds is almost always the same – your internet connection speed.
The first thing you should try is to move your desktop closer to your router or turn off some of the other devices that use up valuable internet data. If that doesn’t work, then you can also try rebooting your router.
If it’s not the internet connection, it will most likely be your flash player plugins. Crunchyroll’s streaming service still uses Adobe Flash Player, which is somewhat “ancient” technology by today’s standards. As such, it can cause some annoying playback issues. In this case, your best bet is to update your Adobe Flash Player plugin or uninstall and re-install it.
How To Speed Up Crunchyroll Playback On Mobile
The other day, I was catching up on the latest chapter of Boruto on my iPhone and I started experiencing slow buffering and playback. So why does Crunchyroll buffer so much on the phone, then? While this can sometimes be caused by slow internet, it could also just be the application itself.
This means the easiest solution to slow playback on the mobile and console app is to completely shut down the app and restart it. This will usually reset whatever glitch was causing the slow playback. If that doesn’t work, you can also change the streaming video quality through the on-screen settings. This uses much less of your data and should help with playback speeds.
Clear the Cache on Your Device
Other issues might be resolved in a simple manner. If you want to watch your favorite anime on a tablet or a phone, you might be wondering why is Crunchyroll so laggy. This might be the issue because of the cache on the device, and it can be the culprit that slows down the app as well. Clearing the cache of the device you’re using will have an overall positive impact not only on the phone or tablet but also on the playback quality of the video.
Try Using the VLC Media Player
You’re perhaps still wondering why is Crunchyroll buffering so much, although you’ve tried every one of these previous tips. If you’re not in on one secret about a player that can allow you to resume watching with ease, I’ll share it with you. The most efficient and probably most lightweight media player out there is VLC Media Player, and you can easily use it to watch Crunchyroll anime streams. It’s simple to use, just follow these steps:
- Download the VLC Media Player for free (it’s open-source,)
- Install it on your desktop or device,
- Right-click the media file,
- Choose “Open with VLC Media Player.”
Do Free Users Have Slower Playback Speeds?
Before I started my premium subscription, I just had a basic Crunchyroll free account. It’s a common misconception that Crunchyroll purposefully slows down free users’ speed to give premium users a better viewing experience. However, this simply isn’t true. The only difference between free and premium streaming accounts is that you’ll be able to skip ads with a premium account.
Is Crunchyroll Slower When Dubbed In Another Language?
The other day, somebody asked me whether the fact that they’ve been watching Crunchyroll dubbed over in another language may be causing slow playback speeds and Crunchyroll buffering in 2022. While this can temporarily slow down your playback speeds while the new episode loads, it shouldn’t last for more than 20 or 30 seconds. If it continues, Crunchyroll lagging is probably caused by another issue, and the answer to your question “why does Crunchyroll keep buffering” lies somewhere else.
Final Tips
It’s never fun when your favorite show starts to buffer and freeze in the middle of an episode. It’s even worse when it happens during an important or dramatic scene. Sometimes it can ruin the entire experience! However, if you follow all of the steps that I’ve outlined in this guide, then you should be able to troubleshoot your issues and restore your streaming quality to 100%.