NAT type explained: Open, Moderate and Strict

A Strict NAT type (Type 3 on PlayStation) means your router is blocking incoming connections that your console or PC didn't start, so you can only connect with players who have Open NAT. That's why party chat goes silent and matchmaking takes forever. The usual fix is to turn on UPnP in your router and make sure only one device in your home is acting as a router. If that doesn't work, forward the ports your platform lists.

NAT type has nothing to do with speed. A 1 Gbps plan can still show Strict, and a slow line can show Open.

What NAT actually does

Your ISP gives your home one public IP address. Your router gives every phone, laptop and console its own private address, and swaps between the two as traffic goes in and out. That swap is network address translation (NAT). If you want the full picture of public and private addresses, read the IP address guide.

Outgoing traffic is easy: the router remembers which device asked for what and sends the replies back to it. Incoming traffic is the hard part. When another player's console tries to reach yours without being asked, the router has no record of it and drops it by default. Online games and party chat often need those unrequested connections, especially when your console is hosting a match or joining peer-to-peer voice.

What Open, Moderate and Strict mean

Xbox and PC use names. PlayStation uses numbers. The rules about who can connect to whom are the same, as publishers like Activision explain:

Xbox / PC	PlayStation	Can connect with	What you notice
Open	Type 1	Everyone	Nothing. This is the goal on Xbox and PC.
Moderate	Type 2	Open and Moderate	Sometimes can't join a friend or hear some players
Strict	Type 3	Open only	Party chat fails, long matchmaking, "can't host" errors

On PlayStation, Type 1 generally means the console is connected to the internet with no router in between. Most homes have a router, so most PS5s show Type 2, which works with the large majority of players. Type 3 is the one to fix.

How to check your NAT type

• Xbox: press the Xbox button, then go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Network settings. The Xbox NAT troubleshooting page says to check the NAT Type field there and also look for "Double NAT detected" or "UPnP not successful".
• PS5: go to Settings > Network > Connection Status and choose Test Internet Connection, as described on PlayStation's support site. The results include the NAT type.
• PC: many games show it in their network settings, and the Xbox app's network settings report it for Xbox games on Windows.

Recheck after every change below so you know which step fixed it.

Fix Strict NAT, in this order

1. Restart, then turn on UPnP

Restart the router and the console. Then open the router's admin page and make sure UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) is on. With UPnP, the console asks the router to open the exact ports it needs, for as long as it needs them. This fixes most Strict and Moderate results, and it handles two consoles in one house better than manual rules.

2. Get rid of double NAT

Double NAT happens when you plug your own router into an ISP box that's also a router. Now there are two translations, and UPnP on your router can't open anything on the ISP box. This is the most common reason UPnP "doesn't work". Either put the ISP box in bridge or modem-only mode, or skip your own router and use the ISP's. If the two boxes confuse you, read modem vs router first.

3. Forward the platform's ports

If UPnP is off for a reason, or still fails, give the console a reserved IP address in the router's DHCP settings and forward the ports manually:

• Xbox: Microsoft's list of required ports includes UDP 88, UDP and TCP 3074, UDP and TCP 53, TCP 80, UDP 500, UDP 3544 and UDP 4500.
• PS5: PlayStation's error code help lists TCP 80, 443, 3478, 3479 and 3480, and UDP 3478, 3479 and 49152–65535.

A forwarding rule points to one device. If a second console needs the same ports, it will stay Moderate. Leave UPnP on for that case.

4. Use DMZ only as a last resort

DMZ (or "exposed host") sends every unrequested connection to one device. Xbox lists it as a fallback step. It works, but it removes the router's filtering for that device, so never put a PC there. Only use it for the console.

When nothing in your router can fix it

Some ISPs share one public IPv4 address between many customers. This is called carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT), and it's common on mobile data, 5G home internet and some fiber and satellite plans. Your router is then behind the ISP's NAT, and no setting at home can open ports through it.

To check, compare the WAN or internet IP on your router's status page with the address on what is my IP. If they're different, or the router's address falls between 100.64.0.0 and 100.127.255.255 (the range RFC 6598 sets aside for CGNAT), you're behind CGNAT. Ask the ISP for a public IPv4 address. Some provide one free and some charge for it. A phone hotspot will almost always show Strict for the same reason.

A VPN can cause the same problem, because you end up behind the VPN provider's shared NAT. Turn it off while you test. The VPN slowdown guide covers the other side effects.

What NAT type doesn't fix

Open NAT gets you connected, but it doesn't make the connection good once you're in. Lag, rubber-banding and voice that cuts out come from ping, jitter and packet loss. A speed test can measure ping and jitter. It can't show your NAT type, and SpeedMetric doesn't test packet loss. If your NAT is Open and matches still feel bad, compare your numbers with good ping for gaming and work through packet loss and lag.