PS4 NAT Type Failed: How to Fix It at Home and on a Laptop Hotspot

PS4 NAT Type Failed: What It Means and How to Fix It

Using your PlayStation 4 to play games online is one of the most popular ways to relax. When the connection test says NAT Type Failed, the PS4 could not complete the check that tells it how reachable it is, which usually means something between the console and the internet is blocking it.

The short answer: restart the router and PS4, then turn on UPnP or forward the PS4’s ports on your router. If the PS4 connects through a Windows PC’s hotspot, Connectify Hotspot, a free Windows app that turns a PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot, has a gaming mode that forwards the ports PlayStation Network needs, in every edition. Download Connectify Hotspot free if that is your setup.

If you’re a student, you know the other common case well: campus Wi-Fi networks often don’t allow game consoles at all. Sometimes the router or other network equipment is causing the issue, and it comes down to network address translation (NAT) settings.

Strict NAT, explained

Why your game console gets Strict NAT on a PC hotspot, and how Connectify Hotspot fixes it

Strict NAT is what breaks party chat, matchmaking and hosting. The usual cause is a console sitting behind two layers of address translation instead of one, and a PC hotspot in its default mode adds the second layer.

ROUTED, NO PORT FORWARDING NET ROUTER NAT 1 YOUR PC NAT 2 STRICT console BRIDGED MODE (MAX) NET ROUTER NAT 1 YOUR PC PASS THROUGH OPEN console

Your router already translates one public address into addresses for everything at home. When a PC shares a connection in the normal way, the PC translates a second time, and the console ends up two levels deep. Game services see a connection they cannot reach back into and report Strict NAT.

The free fix: gaming mode. In Connectify Hotspot 27, every edition, including the free Hotspot Lite, forwards the ports PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Nintendo need through that second layer. Open Clients, select the console and set Gaming mode to its network (or leave Detect automatically), and keep Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on in Settings. Most games only need a Moderate NAT (Type 2 or B).

For hosting, Bridged mode removes the second layer. Devices on the hotspot get their addresses from the router instead of from the PC, so only one layer of translation remains and the console sits on the home network like anything plugged directly into the router.

FREE Gaming mode works in every edition, including Hotspot Lite. Bridged mode is a MAX feature.

Worth knowing

Gaming mode and Bridged mode only fix the layer the PC adds. If the router itself sits behind another router, or the internet provider uses carrier-grade NAT (common on mobile data, 5G home internet and Starlink), a layer remains outside the house and the console can still report Strict NAT. Only one console of each kind gets gaming mode at a time.

Download Connectify Hotspot See what MAX adds

What is NAT? Why the PS4 Says NAT Type Failed

Network Address Translation (NAT) is a method used by routers to translate a public IP address (used on the Internet) into a private IP address (used on your home network) and vice versa.

On PlayStation, there are three NAT types:

  • Type 1 (Open): all is permitted. The PS4 can connect to anyone’s games and host games. This usually means it is connected directly to the Internet with no router or firewall.
  • Type 2 (Moderate): the PS4 can connect to other players, but some functions are limited. A properly configured router gives you this type, and it is all most games need.
  • Type 3 (Strict): the PS4 has limited connectivity with other players, and others cannot join the games you host.

Failed is not a fourth type: it means the test itself did not get through. The causes overlap with a strict NAT: blocked ports, a double NAT, a restrictive network, or a temporary PlayStation Network problem.

How to Fix PS4 NAT Type Failed at Home

  1. Check PlayStation Network status on PlayStation’s website, then restart the router and the PS4 and run Settings → Network → Test Internet Connection again.
  2. Turn on UPnP in your router’s settings.
  3. Forward the PS4’s ports if UPnP is missing or does not help: give the PS4 a fixed address on the router and forward the ports listed on PlayStation’s support site.
  4. Remove a double NAT by putting your provider’s modem in bridge mode if you also run your own router.
  5. Check for carrier-grade NAT on mobile, 5G home internet or Starlink connections: no home setting can open it.

How to Fix PS4 NAT Type Failed on a Laptop Hotspot

  1. Download Connectify Hotspot and install it on your 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC.
  2. Open it, choose Wi-Fi hotspot, pick the PC’s connection under Internet to share, set a password and click Start hotspot.
  3. Connect the PS4 to the hotspot.
  4. Open Clients, select the PS4 and set Gaming mode to PlayStation Network (or leave Detect automatically). Keep Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on in Settings. Then test the PS4’s connection again.

Gaming mode is free in every edition. It fixes the layer the PC adds, not one set upstream by your router or provider.

Below is a video that illustrates how to share a VPN connection via Wi-Fi with Connectify Hotspot, used in the next section:

Fix PS4 NAT Type Failed on a Restricted Network: Speedify with Connectify Hotspot

On campus Wi-Fi, office networks or a mobile hotspot, ports are often blocked upstream and no setting on your PC can open them. One way around it is a VPN such as Speedify, which carries all of the PC’s traffic through one encrypted tunnel, so the PS4’s traffic leaves from the VPN server instead of the restricted network:

  1. Download and install Connectify Hotspot and Speedify on your Windows PC.
  2. Open Speedify and connect to the fastest server. If you have multiple Internet connections from different networks, you can combine and use them at once with Speedify.
  3. Open Connectify Hotspot, choose Wi-Fi hotspot, select the Speedify connection under Internet to share, set a password and click Start hotspot.
  4. Connect your PS4 to the hotspot and test its connection. Depending on the network and the game, this can give it NAT Type 2 (Moderate).

Fix PS4 NAT Type Failed with Connectify Hotspot, and add Speedify only if your network needs it.

Free, PRO or MAX

Which version of Connectify Hotspot you need

FREE Hotspot Lite. Share Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a VPN or a USB-tethered phone, with gaming mode and ad blocking. Runs in timed sessions. Download → PRO No time limit. Share 4G and 5G USB modems, share through your PC's Ethernet port, and give your network any name. Buy PRO → MAX Everything in PRO, plus Wi-Fi repeater mode and Bridged mode. Recommended Buy MAX →

Hotspot Lite, the free edition of Connectify Hotspot, covers the setup in this guide. It runs in timed sessions: when one ends, start it again with one click.

Recommended: MAX adds Wi-Fi repeater mode and Bridged mode, for extending your Wi-Fi or putting consoles and casting devices on your home network.

Download Connectify Hotspot

For 64-bit Windows 10 and 11