If you're having difficulty downloading worlds or avatars that aren't already in your cache, you may have a network issue that's affecting your ability to download content like Worlds and Avatars, but that may still allow you to enter instances and see other users.
First, run through all the troubleshooting steps for your device's platform in the article Troubleshooting Connection Issues with VRChat. In particular, we've seen the steps related to Disabling IPv6 and Cloudflare WARP (if you're on a PC) to be successful in fixing this issue for users.
- Make especially sure to disable or uninstall any software that may be applying traffic shaping, including "network optimization" utilities. We've found that these applications can cause issues when downloading content from VRChat.
- If you're on a PC that uses Killer Networking hardware, such as an Acer, Dell, or Alienware gaming laptop or other prebuilt system, make sure to disable or completely uninstall any Killer software, such as Killer Intelligence Center or Killer Networking.