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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOpen NAT is generally best for Xbox and PC gaming, while NAT Type 2 is usually the best practical result on PlayStation. These settings give games the best chance of connecting you to friends, party chat, and peer-to-peer multiplayer. Strict NAT and PlayStation Type 3 are the results most likely to cause matchmaking, hosting, voice-chat, or connection problems.
That does not mean Open NAT makes your internet faster or automatically lowers ping. NAT mainly affects reachability: whether devices can establish particular connections. If your games, chat, and friends’ sessions work normally, Moderate NAT may be perfectly adequate.
Best NAT type by platform
| Platform or label | Best practical result | Usually acceptable | Most problematic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox | Open | Moderate | Strict or unavailable |
| PC games using NAT labels | Open | Moderate | Strict |
| PlayStation | Type 2 | Type 1 can work, but is usually unnecessary | Type 3 |
| Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 | The most permissive lettered result, commonly A | Less-permissive results may work | The strictest result, commonly F |
These labels are not one universal scoring system. Xbox and many PC games commonly use Open, Moderate, and Strict, while PlayStation uses Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3. Nintendo uses lettered results. The terminology and exact tests can also vary by game and console generation. Activision explains the platform differences, while Nintendo documents compatibility between its NAT categories.
What NAT does
Network Address Translation, or NAT, lets multiple devices in your home share one public IPv4 address. Your router tracks connections from consoles, PCs, phones, and other devices, then routes returning traffic to the correct device.
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This usually works without any special setup when a game connects every player through a dedicated server. NAT becomes more important when a game needs direct or peer-to-peer communication, such as player-hosted matches, party chat, remote play, or certain friend-to-friend connections.
An Open or more permissive NAT gives a device more options for accepting the connections that a game requests. It does not guarantee that the game’s servers, your Wi-Fi, or another player’s connection will perform well.
Open, Moderate, and Strict NAT
Open NAT
Open NAT is normally the preferred result on Xbox and in PC games that use these labels. It generally offers the fewest restrictions for joining multiplayer sessions, hosting, party chat, and peer-to-peer connections.
Open NAT is not a speed rating. It does not inherently increase download speed, frame rate, resolution, or baseline latency.
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Moderate NAT
Moderate NAT is often good enough for normal online play. Many players can use it without noticing any problem. Restrictions are more likely to appear when a game relies heavily on peer-to-peer networking, you try to host, you connect to another player with Strict NAT, or several consoles compete for the same automatic port mappings.
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Do not treat Moderate NAT as a failure if your games, voice chat, and friend connections work as expected.
Strict NAT
Strict NAT is the result most worth troubleshooting. It can cause long matchmaking times, failed party-chat connections, difficulty joining friends, inability to host, or disconnects when particular players join. These symptoms are not guaranteed: a dedicated-server game may work normally even when the console reports Strict NAT.
Bungie’s networking guidance describes how restrictive NAT can limit connections between players, especially in multiplayer situations that require peer connectivity.
PlayStation Type 1 vs. Type 2 vs. Type 3
PlayStation’s numbered NAT results should not be treated as interchangeable with Open, Moderate, and Strict.
- Type 1: The PlayStation is connected directly to the internet without a router performing NAT.
- Type 2: The PlayStation is behind a router but can still communicate with the services and players needed for normal online gaming.
- Type 3: The network is more restrictive and may interfere with multiplayer, voice chat, matchmaking, or other online features.
Type 1 may sound best because it is the most direct, but it is not the recommended target for most home users. A normal router provides useful firewalling and allows the rest of your household devices to share the connection. For most PlayStation homes, Type 2 is the sensible goal. Do not remove your router or expose a console directly to the internet merely to chase Type 1.
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For current PS5 connection setup, use Settings > Network > Settings > Set Up Internet Connection, select the wired or wireless connection, and run Test Internet Connection. Sony notes that PS5 supports IPv6 connections but does not support an IPv6-only router configuration, so IPv4 must remain available. See Sony’s current connection guidance.
Does NAT affect ping, lag, or download speed?
NAT affects whether certain connections can be established; it does not automatically determine how fast or responsive those connections are.
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- Joining friends’ sessions
- Hosting player-to-player matches
- Party or voice chat
- Remote-play and similar inbound connections
- Access to some peer-to-peer lobbies
NAT does not inherently determine:
- Download or upload speed
- Frame rate or graphics quality
- Baseline ping
- Packet loss, jitter, or Wi-Fi interference
Lag and NAT problems can happen at the same time because both may result from a poor router, congested Wi-Fi, bufferbloat, ISP routing, or an overloaded game server. Changing from Moderate to Open NAT will not automatically fix those issues.
How to check your NAT status
Use the network settings on the platform rather than relying only on a game’s in-game label. The exact wording can change with console software updates and game versions.
- Xbox: Open the console’s network settings and check NAT type and multiplayer connectivity. Microsoft provides troubleshooting for unavailable NAT, Xbox Live network ports, and party chat.
- PlayStation: Run the internet connection test from the network settings. The reported information and labels can differ between PlayStation generations and software versions.
- Nintendo Switch and Switch 2: Use the console’s internet connection test and consult Nintendo’s NAT troubleshooting flow.
- PC: Check the affected game’s own network or account settings. Windows and your router may not display the same NAT result as the game.
How to improve Strict NAT or Type 3 safely
Make changes in this order. Stop when the problem is solved; a more permissive NAT is not automatically better if your games already work.
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1. Restart the equipment
- Close the game.
- Restart the console or PC.
- Restart the modem and router.
- Wait for the internet connection to return.
- Test NAT and multiplayer again.
This can clear stale automatic port mappings and temporary router state, but it is not a guaranteed fix.
2. Check for a game or service outage
If only one game is affected, check that publisher’s service status and connectivity guide. NAT status does not explain every matchmaking or chat failure.
3. Fix double NAT
Double NAT occurs when two devices in sequence both perform routing and NAT. Common examples include an ISP gateway connected to your own router, a mesh system behind a modem/router, or a private apartment, dorm, hotel, or campus network.
Look for a second router and choose one of these approaches:
- Put the ISP gateway into bridge or passthrough mode.
- Put your personal router into access-point mode.
- Forward traffic through both devices if bridge mode is unavailable.
- Ask the ISP to change the gateway configuration.
A WAN address in a private range such as 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, or 192.168.0.0/16 can indicate another NAT device upstream. The range 100.64.0.0/10 is commonly associated with carrier-grade NAT. Ubiquiti’s port-forwarding guidance explains these upstream-network issues and bridge-mode options.
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4. Enable UPnP when appropriate
Universal Plug and Play, or UPnP, allows a console or game to ask the router to create port mappings automatically. It is often the simplest way to move from Strict toward Moderate or Open, especially in a changing household network.
UPnP has trade-offs:
- It is easier than maintaining manual rules.
- Its behavior varies by router model and firmware.
- Devices on the local network can request mappings.
- Multiple consoles can still conflict.
- It cannot bypass double NAT or ISP-level CGNAT.
On a trusted home network with an updated router, UPnP can be a reasonable convenience choice. If you want tighter control, use targeted manual forwarding instead. Neither option should be described as universally safe or universally dangerous.
5. Use targeted port forwarding
- Give the console or PC a consistent local address with a DHCP reservation.
- Get the required TCP and UDP ports from the platform or game publisher.
- Create only those rules and forward them to the reserved address.
- Restart the game and test NAT again.
- Remove obsolete, duplicate, or conflicting rules if nothing improves.
There is no universal gaming port list. Ports vary by platform, game, service, and sometimes console generation. Activision, Bungie, and Xbox publish platform- or service-specific guidance; ports for one game should not be copied to every other game.
6. Investigate CGNAT
Carrier-grade NAT, or CGNAT, means the ISP shares one public IPv4 address among multiple customers. Your home router may therefore have no genuinely public IPv4 address, preventing ordinary port forwarding and UPnP from creating a direct inbound path.
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CGNAT is more likely when:
- Your router WAN address is in
100.64.0.0/10. - The WAN address is private.
- Your router’s WAN address differs from the address shown by an external IP-checking service.
- Correct port forwarding never works.
- Your connection is cellular, fixed wireless, or another service commonly using provider-level NAT.
Ask the ISP whether it can provide a public IPv4 address or remove the connection from CGNAT. A public dynamic IPv4 address may be enough; a static IP is not automatically required for gaming. Ubiquiti’s CGNAT guidance covers identifying the issue and requesting public access.
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- Using DMZ as the first fix: A router’s DMZ or exposed-host setting may make NAT appear more open by exposing the selected device to unsolicited inbound traffic. Targeted forwarding or correctly configured UPnP is preferable.
- Buying a faster router immediately: New hardware cannot bypass ISP CGNAT. It also will not fix double NAT unless the network is configured correctly.
- Assuming one port rule serves every console: A given external port normally maps to one internal device, so multiple consoles can conflict.
- Leaving the console’s IP unreserved: Forwarding can stop working when DHCP assigns a new local address.
- Mixing UPnP and manual rules: Automatic mappings and fixed rules can compete for the same ports.
- Using a VPN as a universal NAT fix: A conventional VPN can add latency, create another NAT layer, interfere with matchmaking, or make inbound connections harder. Consider one only if the provider explicitly supports suitable port mapping, your ISP cannot provide public IPv4, and the game permits the setup.
- Ignoring the game’s architecture: NAT matters more to peer-to-peer and player-hosted games than to games using dedicated servers.
- Confusing public and static IP addresses: Public means reachable on the internet; static means the address does not change. Gaming generally does not require a static address.
- Assuming IPv6 solves everything: Platform, game, ISP, and router support all matter. PS5 supports IPv6 but not an IPv6-only router configuration.
Should you buy a gaming router or VPN?
Usually, no—not before diagnosing the cause.
- If Moderate NAT works normally, buy nothing.
- If you have double NAT, reconfigure the existing gateway before buying a router.
- If CGNAT is confirmed, ask the ISP for public IPv4 service first.
- Consider a new router only when the current equipment lacks reliable UPnP, DHCP reservations, bridge/access-point options, or useful diagnostics.
- Treat a VPN as a last-resort workaround, not a guaranteed upgrade to Open NAT.
A better router may improve Wi-Fi coverage, congestion handling, or configuration control, but those benefits are separate from NAT. A router cannot create a public address that the ISP does not provide.
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