Xbox Open NAT: How to Fix Strict or Moderate NAT on Xbox Series X

Why Your NAT Type Is Ruining Your Games

If you’re seeing Strict or Moderate NAT on your Xbox Series X, you’re already at a disadvantage. In games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Halo Infinite, and Destiny 2, Strict NAT means you can barely connect to lobbies, your matchmaking takes forever, and you’re often blocked from joining friends entirely. Moderate NAT is slightly better but still limits who you can play with and causes erratic ping spikes — jumping from 40ms to 180ms mid-game.

Open NAT is what you want. It means your Xbox can communicate freely with game servers and other players with no firewall interference. This guide will get you there with specific settings, exact values, and no fluff.

Step 1: Check Your Current NAT Type

Before you change anything, confirm what you’re actually dealing with.

• Press the Xbox button on your controller
• Go to Profile & System > Settings > General > Network Settings
• Select Test NAT type

You’ll see one of three results: Open, Moderate, or Strict. If you’re on Strict, you need to fix this immediately. If you’re on Moderate, the fixes below will still apply and will noticeably improve your connection stability.

Step 2: Enable UPnP on Your Router (Do This First)

UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) allows your Xbox to automatically negotiate open ports with your router. This is the fastest fix and works for most people without any manual port forwarding.

• Open a browser and type your router’s IP address — usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1
• Log in (default credentials are often admin/admin or printed on your router’s label)
• Find the UPnP setting — it’s usually under Advanced, WAN, or NAT sections depending on your router brand
• On ASUS routers: go to WAN > Basic Config > Enable UPnP > Yes
• On Netgear routers: go to Advanced > Advanced Setup > UPnP > Turn UPnP On
• On TP-Link routers: go to Advanced > NAT Forwarding > UPnP > Enable
• Save and reboot your router

After your router restarts, go back to your Xbox and run the NAT test again. Many users go from Strict to Open in under 5 minutes with just this step.

Step 3: Manually Forward Xbox Ports

If UPnP didn’t fix it, you need to manually open the ports Xbox uses. This requires giving your Xbox a static local IP address first so the port forward doesn’t break after a reboot.

Assign a Static IP to Your Xbox

• Go to Settings > General > Network Settings > Advanced Settings
• Note your current IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS
• Select IP Settings > Manual
• Enter an IP in your router’s range but outside the DHCP pool — for example, if your router assigns 192.168.1.100–192.168.1.200, use 192.168.1.50
• Enter your subnet mask (usually 255.255.255.0), gateway (your router IP), and DNS (8.8.8.8 for Google or 1.1.1.1 for Cloudflare)

Forward These Specific Ports

Log back into your router’s admin panel and create port forwarding rules pointing to your Xbox’s static IP. Use both TCP and UDP for each port range listed:

• Port 88 (UDP)
• Port 3074 (UDP and TCP)
• Port 53 (UDP and TCP)
• Port 80 (TCP)
• Port 500 (UDP)
• Port 3544 (UDP)
• Port 4500 (UDP)

On most routers, you’ll find port forwarding under Advanced > Port Forwarding or NAT > Virtual Server. Set the external and internal port to the same number, point it to your Xbox’s static IP (e.g., 192.168.1.50), save, and reboot.

Run the NAT test again on your Xbox. This method reliably produces Open NAT for most router and ISP combinations.

Step 4: Put Your Xbox in the DMZ

If manual port forwarding still gives you Moderate NAT, the nuclear option is placing your Xbox in the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone). This exposes your Xbox directly to the internet with no firewall filtering — which is fine for a dedicated gaming console.

• In your router admin panel, find DMZ — usually under Advanced, Security, or NAT
• Enable DMZ and enter your Xbox’s static IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.50)
• Save and reboot your router

This virtually guarantees Open NAT. Xbox consoles don’t run services that create meaningful security risks, so DMZ is an accepted workaround used by serious competitive players.

Step 5: Switch to a Wired Connection

If you’re on Wi-Fi and getting Strict NAT, wireless interference can compound the problem. A direct ethernet connection to your router or modem removes signal instability, reduces latency by 5–20ms on average, and eliminates the packet loss spikes you often see on wireless — sometimes as high as 3–8% packet loss on 2.4GHz congested networks.

The Xbox Series X has a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port. Use a Cat 6 cable and plug directly into your router. Your ping in Warzone or Apex Legends will drop noticeably and hold steady.

Step 6: Change Your DNS Servers

Your default ISP DNS servers are often slow and poorly routed for gaming traffic. Switching to faster DNS can reduce connection establishment times and occasionally resolve NAT-related lookup issues.

• Go to Settings > General > Network Settings > Advanced Settings > DNS Settings > Manual
• Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare)
• Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare)

Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 typically responds in under 10ms and is the fastest DNS resolver for gaming in most regions.

Step 7: Check for Double NAT

Double NAT is one of the most common causes of permanent Strict NAT that resists all the fixes above. It happens when you have two devices acting as routers — for example, your ISP’s modem/router combo AND your own gaming router both performing NAT.

To check: log into both devices. If both show an IP address scheme like 192.168.x.x on their WAN side, you have double NAT.

The fix:

• Option 1: Put your ISP’s modem/router into Bridge Mode so only your own router handles NAT. Call your ISP or log into the device and look for Bridge Mode or IP Passthrough settings.
• Option 2: If your ISP’s device can’t go into bridge mode, put your personal router into your ISP device’s DMZ. This effectively removes one layer of NAT.

Resolving double NAT alone fixes Strict NAT in a significant number of cases — especially for gamers on cable ISPs that supply their own gateway hardware.

Step 8: Check Xbox Network Statistics for Real Numbers

After applying fixes, verify your actual connection quality:

• Go to Settings > General > Network Settings > Test network speed & statistics
• You want to see: Download 25 Mbps+, Upload 5 Mbps+, Packet Loss 0%, and Latency under 50ms to Xbox servers
• If you see packet loss above 1% or latency above 80ms consistently, the problem may be your ISP routing, not your local network

When Free Fixes Don’t Work: ISP Routing Is the Real Problem

You’ve done everything right. Open NAT is confirmed. Your ping still spikes to 120ms in ranked matches. You’re seeing rubber-banding in Halo Infinite and getting hit markers that don’t register in Call of Duty. The problem isn’t your NAT anymore — it’s the routing path between your network and the game server.

ISPs route your traffic based on cost, not speed. Your packets from Dallas to a game server in Chicago might route through Los Angeles and New York first. That adds 40–80ms of completely unnecessary latency.

This is exactly what WTFast solves. It routes your game traffic through dedicated gaming network nodes, bypassing the congested public internet paths your ISP uses. The result is consistently lower ping, fewer spikes, and less packet loss — the kind of stability that free fixes simply can’t provide when your ISP’s backbone is the bottleneck.

If you’ve exhausted the local fixes and you’re still dealing with inconsistent latency, start your WTFast free trial here and see what your ping actually looks like on an optimized route.

Quick Recap: NAT Fix Priority Order

• 1. Enable UPnP on your router
• 2. Manually forward Xbox ports to a static IP
• 3. Place Xbox in router DMZ
• 4. Use wired ethernet (Cat 6)
• 5. Switch DNS to 1.1.1.1 / 8.8.8.8
• 6. Resolve double NAT via bridge mode
• 7. Use WTFast for routing-level latency issues

While fixing your NAT type often resolves connectivity issues, persistent lag during gameplay usually requires additional network optimizations covered in our Console Lag Fix Guide.

If you’re also gaming on PlayStation and experiencing high ping issues, our PS5 High Ping Fix guide covers similar network optimization techniques that can dramatically improve your connection quality.

If you’re still experiencing connection issues after opening your NAT type, our Xbox Series X lag troubleshooting guide covers additional network optimizations that can help eliminate stuttering and improve your overall gaming performance.

If you’re also experiencing connection issues on other consoles, the same networking principles apply when troubleshooting lag problems on Nintendo Switch.

If you’re also dealing with NAT issues on your PlayStation 5, our PS5 NAT Type Failed: How to Get NAT Type 2 or Open guide walks through similar port forwarding and router configuration steps that work across gaming platforms.

A wired connection can also help stabilize your NAT type, so consider setting up an ethernet connection to your Xbox if you’re currently using Wi-Fi.

While Xbox and PlayStation have different networking systems, understanding what your connection speeds actually mean can help diagnose NAT issues, so you might find our guide on interpreting PS5 internet speed test results useful for getting the full picture of your network performance.

If you’re still experiencing NAT issues after trying these fixes, upgrading to a dedicated gaming router designed for consoles might be the solution you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Xbox Series X keep switching back to Moderate NAT after I fix it?

This usually happens because your Xbox is getting a new IP address from DHCP after a reboot, breaking your port forward rules. Assign a static local IP to your Xbox (e.g., 192.168.1.50) so the port forwards always point to the right device.

Does Xbox Series X Open NAT actually improve ping in online games?

Open NAT itself doesn’t reduce ping to game servers, but it removes connection restrictions that cause matchmaking failures and mid-game disconnects. Your ping is determined by your ISP routing. For lower ping, use a wired connection and consider a gaming VPN like WTFast to optimize your route.

Can I get Open NAT on Xbox Series X with a TP-Link or ASUS gaming router?

Yes. Both support UPnP and manual port forwarding. On ASUS routers like the RT-AX88U, enable UPnP under WAN settings. On TP-Link Archer models, go to Advanced > NAT Forwarding > UPnP. Either method typically produces Open NAT within minutes.

Is putting my Xbox in the DMZ safe?

For a gaming console like the Xbox Series X, yes. The DMZ removes the router firewall from the Xbox, but the console doesn’t run exposed services that attackers can exploit. Your PC and other devices remain protected behind the router. This is a standard fix used by competitive players.

Why do I have Strict NAT even with UPnP enabled on my router?

The most common cause is double NAT — two routers on your network both performing NAT, which UPnP can’t fully bypass. Check if your ISP’s modem is also acting as a router. Put it into Bridge Mode or use its DMZ to pass traffic directly to your own router, then re-enable UPnP.