How to Fix Strict NAT Type on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC: Port Forwarding, UPnP, and DMZ Explained

If you’ve ever struggled to join a friend’s game, landed in empty lobbies, or experienced constant lag in peer-to-peer titles like Call of Duty or GTA Online, your NAT type is likely the culprit. NAT — Network Address Translation — controls how your gaming device communicates with other players on the internet. A strict or moderate NAT type puts a firewall between you and everyone else. This guide walks through every method to fix it, from the easiest one-click solution to the nuclear option.

What Are NAT Types?

Your router shares one public IP address among all the devices in your home. NAT is the mechanism that translates traffic to and from each device. How “open” or “strict” that translation is determines which other players you can connect to:

• Open NAT / Type 1: No restrictions. Your device can connect to any other player regardless of their NAT type. Type 1 technically means you’re connected directly to the internet with no router in between — uncommon for home users.
• Moderate NAT / Type 2: Your device is behind a router but the router allows the necessary gaming traffic through. You can connect to Open and Moderate players. This is the ideal target for most home users — it balances full gaming connectivity with firewall protection.
• Strict NAT / Type 3: Your router is blocking gaming traffic. You can only join games hosted by Open NAT players, matchmaking pools shrink dramatically, and you’ll often see connection errors in party chat and co-op sessions.

PlayStation uses the Type 1 / 2 / 3 numbering. Xbox uses Open / Moderate / Strict labels. They mean the same thing.

Method 1: Enable UPnP (Easiest Fix)

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) lets your gaming console automatically tell your router which ports to open. When it works, you get Moderate or Open NAT instantly without touching any port forwarding rules.

1. Log into your router’s admin panel (typically 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1)
2. Look under Advanced or WAN settings for a UPnP toggle
3. Enable UPnP and save
4. Restart your router and your gaming console
5. Check your NAT type in the console’s network settings

UPnP works for most users, but some security-conscious routers disable it by default. If enabling UPnP doesn’t change your NAT type within a few minutes, move to port forwarding.

Method 2: Port Forwarding (Most Reliable)

Port forwarding manually tells your router to send specific traffic directly to your gaming device. Before you set up any rules, assign a static local IP address to your console via DHCP reservation in your router settings — otherwise the port forward will silently break when your console gets a new IP address.

PS5 Port Forwarding

Forward the following ports to your PS5’s static IP address:

• TCP: 80, 443, 1935, 3478–3480
• UDP: 3074, 3478–3479

After saving the rules, go to Settings → Network → Connection Status → View Connection Status on your PS5. NAT Type 2 confirms success.

Xbox Series X Port Forwarding

Microsoft recommends these ports for Open NAT on Xbox Series X and Series S:

• TCP & UDP: 3074
• TCP: 53, 80
• UDP: 88, 500, 3544, 4500

Port 3074 alone fixes the majority of cases. Check your NAT status at Settings → General → Network settings → Test NAT type.

PC (Steam, Xbox App, Battle.net)

On PC, NAT type is shown in Xbox Game Bar network stats or in individual game clients. The ports depend on the platform: Steam uses UDP 27015–27030 and 27036–27037; Xbox network on PC uses the same ports as Xbox Series X above. For Battle.net, forward TCP/UDP 1119 and UDP 3724. Enabling UPnP is usually enough for PC gaming.

Method 3: DMZ (Last Resort)

Placing your console in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) tells your router to forward all unsolicited inbound traffic directly to that device, guaranteeing Open NAT. Find the DMZ setting under your router’s firewall or advanced tab, enter your console’s static IP, and save.

Important: DMZ removes all router-level firewall protection for that device. It is safe for dedicated gaming consoles with locked-down operating systems (PS5, Xbox) but should never be used for a Windows PC, which can run untrusted software that a firewall would otherwise block.

Double NAT: The Hidden Cause of Permanent Strict NAT

If you’ve tried all of the above and still can’t escape Strict NAT, you may have a double NAT situation — two routers in series on your network, each running its own NAT. This is common when an ISP-provided modem/router combo is followed by your own router. Run a speed test and check your router’s WAN IP address: if it starts with 10.x.x.x or 192.168.x.x, you have double NAT.

The fix: put your ISP modem/router into bridge mode (also called IP passthrough or modem-only mode) so your router gets the real public IP. Check your ISP’s support documentation for the exact steps — the setting is usually in the ISP gateway’s admin panel under “Connection” or “Firewall.”

Checking Your NAT Type

• PS5: Settings → Network → Connection Status → View Connection Status
• Xbox Series X: Settings → General → Network settings → Current network status
• PC: Xbox Game Bar (Win + G) → Widget menu → Network, or check in-game network diagnostics

Which Method Should You Try First?

Start with UPnP. If your router supports it and it works, you’re done in two minutes. If UPnP is unreliable or your router doesn’t support it, use port forwarding with a static IP reservation — it’s the most stable long-term solution. Reserve DMZ for consoles only, and only after port forwarding fails. If nothing works, investigate double NAT before buying new hardware.

For a faster connection overall, see our guide on how to reduce WiFi latency for gaming, and check our picks for the best routers for gaming in 2026.