Is restrictive NAT the reason you can’t join friends?
Most gaming connectivity problems are either Strict NAT / CGNAT (PS5 NAT Type 3, Xbox Strict/Moderate NAT, Nintendo NAT Type D), which breaks party chat, invites and hosting, or non‑NAT issues (outages, Wi‑Fi quality, subscriptions). This page helps you figure out which one you have — before you buy anything.
Quick symptoms check (optional)
If you already see Strict NAT / NAT Type 3 / NAT Type D on your console, tick that and you’re basically done. Otherwise, pick what matches.
Select symptoms and click “Score My Symptoms”.
If your main problem is “slow downloads” or “internet drops completely”, it’s usually not NAT — it’s Wi‑Fi/line quality/congestion. NAT problems usually look like: parties, invites, joining friends, or hosting.
Automatic network check (recommended)
Click the button and we’ll check if your network behaves like “Strict NAT” for peer‑to‑peer gaming. This runs in your browser.
Click “Run Free NAT Test”.
Privacy: this check runs locally in your browser. We don’t upload or store your IP.
What to do next
After Step 1 (and optionally Step 2), we’ll recommend either StrictNATFix or the common non‑NAT fixes.
If it’s NOT NAT, it’s usually one of these
PS Plus / Game Pass, sign‑in issues, parental controls, bans.
PSN / Xbox Live or game server downtime can look like “connection failed”.
Packet loss/jitter breaks voice and matchmaking. Ethernet helps a lot.
Try 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 and reboot console/router.