NAT type is a label that describes how easily your device can connect to other devices over the internet when it is behind a router doing Network Address Translation (NAT).

Quick meaning of NAT and NAT type

  • NAT (Network Address Translation) is a process on your router that lets many devices in your home share one public IP address on the internet.
  • A NAT type is a simplified way (used especially in gaming and chat apps) to describe how “open” or “restricted” those connections are.

In plain terms: NAT type tells you whether your console/PC is easy for others to connect to online, or if firewalls and translation rules are making that harder.

Common NAT types (gaming / apps)

Most consoles and many PC games show one of three NAT types:

  • Open NAT (Type 1 / Open)
    • Your device can connect to others freely and host games or voice chats with few issues.
* Best for multiplayer gaming and party chat stability.
  • Moderate NAT (Type 2 / Moderate)
    • Can connect to most players, but may have trouble with people who are on Strict NAT.
* Usually okay for everyday gaming, but you might see occasional join/voice issues.
  • Strict NAT (Type 3 / Strict)
    • Heavily restricted; you often cannot host, and may fail to join certain lobbies or voice chats.
* Often caused by closed ports, double NAT (two routers), or aggressive firewall settings.

Why NAT type matters to you

When you see “what does NAT type mean?” on forums, people are usually talking about:

  • Matchmaking and lobbies
    • Strict NAT can make it hard to join friends or find games, especially in peer‑to‑peer multiplayer.
  • Voice chat and party stability
    • Open or Moderate NAT tends to give more reliable voice and party connections.
  • Hosting and latency
    • Open NAT makes it easier to host sessions and reduces connection negotiation issues, which can indirectly help with lag and disconnects.

Very high-level technical view

  • Your home devices use private IP addresses that are not visible on the public internet.
  • The router uses NAT to translate those private addresses into one public IP when talking to servers or other players.
  • How the router handles incoming connections and port mappings (plus firewall rules) is what results in an Open, Moderate, or Strict NAT type label in games.

If you’re troubleshooting NAT type

If your real goal is to fix a Strict or Moderate NAT, common approaches people use include:

  1. Enabling UPnP on the router so ports open automatically for games.
  1. Setting up port forwarding or a DMZ entry for the console/PC.
  1. Avoiding double NAT (for example, by putting the ISP modem in bridge mode).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.