How to Change NAT Type on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC

To change NAT type, turn on UPnP in your router or forward your console’s ports to it, then run the console’s network test again. NAT Type 2 on PlayStation or Moderate on Xbox is what a working home router usually gives, and it is all most online games need; Type 3, Strict, or a low grade such as D to F on Nintendo Switch 2 is the result to fix.

You’re not the only one with this problem: Xbox and Nintendo both publish whole troubleshooting guides for NAT errors. If your console gets online through a laptop, Connectify Hotspot, a Windows app that shares your PC’s internet connection with your other devices over Wi-Fi, opens the ports PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Nintendo need with its free gaming mode. Download Connectify Hotspot free if that is your setup.

This guide covers the router fixes first, then the test screens and ports for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and Windows PCs, then the laptop hotspot case, restricted networks and GTA Online.

What NAT Type Means: Type 1, 2 and 3, Open, Moderate and Strict

Network address translation (NAT) is how your router lets every device at home share one public internet address. The router gives each device a private address and keeps a table of which outside connection belongs to which device. Your NAT type is your console’s report on how easily other players’ consoles can reach it through that table.

Each console uses its own labels:

• PS5 (Type 1, 2 or 3): Sony’s own definitions are short. Type 1 means the console is connected directly to the internet, with no router in between. Type 2 and Type 3 both mean it connects through a router. In practice Type 2 is the normal result for a home network, while Type 3 means the console has limited connectivity with other players, which can stop voice chat and hosting.
• Xbox Series X|S (Open, Moderate or Strict): Open can play with consoles on any NAT type. Moderate can play with Open and Moderate. Strict can only connect to Open, so matchmaking and party chat often fail.
• Nintendo Switch 2 (A to F): Nintendo grades the result from A, the best for direct connections between players, down to F, where those connections cannot be completed.

Changing NAT type means moving from Type 3, Strict or a D to F grade up to Type 2, Moderate or a higher letter. Two players on strict NAT types usually can’t connect to each other at all, so fixing yours also helps the friends you play with.

How to Change NAT Type on Your Router: UPnP, Port Forwarding and DMZ

Every console’s NAT type is decided by the router it sits behind, so these fixes come first. Microsoft and Nintendo both recommend testing the connection again after each change, before you move to the next step.

1. Turn on UPnP. UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) lets a console ask the router to open the ports it needs, so you don’t have to set them by hand. Sign in to your router through its app or the address printed on its label, find the UPnP setting and turn it on. If UPnP is already on, Microsoft suggests turning it off, restarting the router and console, then turning it back on to clear the router’s NAT table.
2. Update the router’s firmware. Router makers fix NAT and UPnP bugs in firmware updates. Check the router’s app or the maker’s support page.
3. Forward the console’s ports if UPnP is missing or does not help. First give the console a fixed address with your router’s DHCP reservation setting, so the rule keeps pointing at the right device. Then forward the ports listed for your console in the sections below.
4. Use DMZ only as a last resort. DMZ (Microsoft calls it a perimeter network) sends all unrequested incoming traffic to one device, which effectively moves that device outside the router’s firewall. The console needs a fixed address first. Microsoft warns not to combine UPnP, port forwarding and DMZ: use one method at a time, and turn DMZ off again if it does not help.

Double NAT and Carrier-Grade NAT: Starlink, 5G Home Internet and Mobile Data

If every setting above is right and the console still reports a strict NAT type, a second layer of translation is the likely cause.

• Double NAT at home. When your internet provider’s modem is also a router and you add your own router behind it, both translate addresses. Xbox reports this as “Double NAT detected.” The fix is to put the provider’s box in bridge mode, or connect the console straight to it.
• Carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT). Some providers share one public address between customers, so the outer layer of translation sits in the provider’s network, where no home setting can reach it. Starlink says its default service uses CGNAT, blocks incoming connections, and offers a public IPv4 address only on its Local Priority and Global Priority plans. 5G home internet services and mobile data plans often work the same way. One sign of CGNAT: the internet (WAN) address on your router’s status page starts with 100.64 to 100.127. Ask your provider whether a public IP address is available.

How to Check and Change NAT Type on PS5

1. On the PS5, go to Settings > Network > Connection Status > Test Internet Connection. The result shows your NAT type.
2. If it shows Type 3, turn on UPnP in your router, restart the router and the PS5, and test again.
3. If it still shows Type 3, forward the ports Sony lists for PS5: TCP 80, 443, 3478, 3479, 3480 and UDP 3478, 3479, 49152 to 65535.
4. Test again. Type 2 is the target for most players.

PlayStation Portal and Remote Play use the PS5’s connection, and Sony says Remote Play may not work when the network reports NAT Type 3, so fix the network the PS5 is on first. The Portal itself has no NAT setting to change. For the older console, see how to change NAT type on PS4.

How to Check and Change NAT Type on Xbox Series X|S

1. Press the Xbox button and go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Network settings. Your NAT type appears under Current Network Status.
2. Select Test NAT type after each change. Also look for “Double NAT detected” or “UPnP not successful” on the same screen: each points to one of the router fixes above.
3. If UPnP does not give you an Open NAT, forward the ports Microsoft lists for Xbox: UDP 88, UDP and TCP 3074, UDP and TCP 53, TCP 80, UDP 500, UDP 3544 and UDP 4500.
4. Run Test multiplayer connection and Test NAT type again.

With two Xbox consoles on one router, Microsoft notes that not every router can give both an Open NAT; the second console may need its own port, set with Alternate port selection in the console’s advanced network settings. See Xbox Support’s NAT troubleshooting guide for the full order of steps.

How to Check and Change NAT Type on Nintendo Switch 2

1. From the HOME Menu, open System Settings > Internet > Test Connection. The result shows a NAT type from A to F.
2. If the grade is low, turn off IPv6 on the console: System Settings > Internet > Internet Settings, select your network, then Change Settings and set IPv6 Connection to off. Nintendo suggests this step, then restarting the modem and router.
3. Turn on UPnP in your router, restart it and test again.
4. If the grade does not improve, give the Switch 2 a fixed address and forward UDP ports 1024 to 65535 to it, the range Nintendo lists for Switch 2.

How to Change NAT Type on PC

A Windows PC has no NAT type setting of its own: the router decides it, so UPnP and port forwarding work the same way as for a console. Forward the ports listed on the game’s own support page. Games that use the Xbox network on Windows also rely on Teredo, a networking protocol Windows uses to reach other players through NAT, and show “Teredo is unable to qualify” when it fails.

• Windows 10: go to Settings > Gaming > Xbox Networking and select Fix it.
• Windows 11: Microsoft’s first step is Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now, then a restart.
• On both, keep Windows Defender Firewall turned on and the IP Helper service set to Automatic: Microsoft lists both among the requirements for Xbox network multiplayer on Windows.

How to Change NAT Type When the Console Uses a Laptop Hotspot

When a console gets online through a PC’s hotspot, the PC translates addresses a second time, behind the router. That extra layer is a common cause of a strict NAT type even when the router is set up well. In Connectify Hotspot, the fix is free:

1. Download and install Connectify Hotspot on your 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC.
2. Open it and choose Wi-Fi hotspot.
3. Under Internet to share, pick the connection you want to share: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, a VPN or a phone plugged in with USB.
4. Set a password and click Start hotspot. Lite runs in 60-minute sessions; PRO removes the limit.
5. Connect the console to the hotspot from its own Wi-Fi settings.
6. Open the Clients screen, select the console and set its Gaming mode to PlayStation Network, Xbox Live or Nintendo, or leave it on Detect automatically. UPnP is on by default; keep Let apps open ports automatically (UPnP) on in Settings.

Run the console’s NAT test again. Gaming mode works for one console of each kind at a time, and it fixes only the layer the PC adds: a double NAT or CGNAT upstream still applies. If the console still reports a strict NAT type and the PC’s own connection is Wi-Fi or Ethernet, the next step is bridged mode, part of Connectify Hotspot MAX: devices on the hotspot get their addresses from your router, so only one layer of translation remains. No PC setting can guarantee an Open NAT. For more on UPnP over a hotspot, see how to enable UPnP on a mobile hotspot; for every cause of Type 3 in one place, see how to fix a strict NAT type.

Connectify Hotspot 27 runs on 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1703 or later) and Windows 11. On a Windows 7 or 8 PC, use Connectify Hotspot 2021 instead: see our Windows 7 and Windows 8 guides.

How to Change NAT Type on Campus, Office or Public Wi-Fi

On a network you don’t control, the owner sets the rules. Campus, office and public Wi-Fi often block the ports games use, and some don’t allow consoles at all. Start with the network’s rules: some universities run a separate gaming network or a device registration page for consoles, and the IT help desk can tell you what applies.

Where the network’s rules allow a VPN, a VPN such as Speedify carries all of the PC’s traffic through one encrypted tunnel, so the console’s traffic leaves from the VPN server instead of the restricted network:

1. Install Connectify Hotspot and Speedify on your Windows PC.
2. Open Speedify and connect to a server, usually the closest one. If you have more than one internet connection, Speedify can combine them and use them at the same time.
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 PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo console to the hotspot and set its gaming mode on the Clients screen. Depending on the network and the game, the console can then report a Moderate NAT type (Type 2).

The video below shows how to share a VPN connection over Wi-Fi with Connectify Hotspot. The app’s screens have changed since it was recorded, but the steps are the same.

GTA Online Strict NAT: Ports and Fixes

On GTA Online, connection problems show up as messages such as “Timed out locating session” or “Failed to find a compatible GTA Online session”, and Rockstar’s troubleshooting steps include checking your NAT type. Rockstar uses the same Open, Moderate and Strict classes as Xbox: a Strict NAT can only connect to players on an Open NAT.

1. Check the Rockstar Games service status first to rule out an outage.
2. Fix your console’s NAT type with the steps above for PS5, Xbox Series X|S or PC.
3. If you forward ports, add the ones Rockstar lists for GTA Online: UDP 6672, 61455, 61456, 61457 and 61458, on top of your console’s own ports.

This guide does not cover Grand Theft Auto VI: check Rockstar Support for its connection advice.

Console on a laptop hotspot with a strict NAT type? Download Connectify Hotspot free, set gaming mode for the console, and test again.