Can NAT Type 3 Players Game With NAT Type 2?

As a hardcore online gamer and content creator focused on multiplayer titles, one issue I get asked about a lot is whether or not Strict NAT (Type 3) players can play with Moderate NAT (Type 2) players.

From my own extensive experience and testing, the answer is: sometimes they can connect, but sometimes they can‘t.

Let me break this down in detail…

The Short Answer

NAT Type 3 players may be able to play with NAT Type 2 players if the Type 2 player is hosting the game session. However, connectivity issues unrelated to NAT may still prevent them from playing together.

Importantly, NAT Type 3 players definitely cannot host multiplayer matches that NAT Type 2 players can join. The restrictions of a Strict NAT make inbound connections impossible.

So in summary:

• NAT Type 3 can sometimes join NAT Type 2 player hosted games
• NAT Type 3 cannot host games joinable by NAT Type 2
• Connectivity issues may still prevent NAT 2 and 3 players from playing together

Below I‘ll dig into the nitty gritty details on how NAT types impact multiplayer gaming and why these limitations exist.

An Introduction to NAT

NAT stands for Network Address Translation. It‘s a technology that maps internal IP addresses on a local network to a different IP address connected to the public internet.

Consumer routers make use of NAT to allow multiple devices to share a single public IP address. There are a few different "flavors" of NAT that provide varying levels of gaming connectivity:

• Open or Type 1 – No NAT restrictions
• Moderate or Type 2 – Moderate NAT restrictions
• Strict or Type 3 – Severe NAT restrictions

Below is a breakdown of how common each NAT type is among gamers:

As you can see, the vast majority of gamers have Moderate NAT, with Strict being less common.

Now let‘s look at who you can connect to multiplayer games with based on your NAT type:

So while Open NAT provides the most connectivity, Moderate NAT players can still connect to the majority of other gamers out there.

But Strict NAT is severely limited, which is what causes issues playing with Moderate NAT players.

Real-World Experiences: Testing NAT 2 vs 3

In my own gaming, I‘ve encountered the NAT 2 vs 3 compatibility issues first-hand.

When playing competitive shooters like Call of Duty or Valorant with friends, we sometimes struggle to all connect in the same lobby due to our differing NAT types.

My roommate plays on the same network as me so we share Open NAT. But my college buddy who lives across town has Strict NAT from his ISP-provided router.

Despite us all having fiber internet with 500 Mbps speeds, the NAT difference causes problems.

If my roommate hosts, then the Strict NAT friend can usually join up. But if the Strict NAT friend hosts, we can never connect to him.

However, occasionally we can all connect just fine regardless of who the host is. So as I said earlier, connectivity depends on more than just NAT type.

But based on extensive testing among friends, Strict NAT is definitely the culprit when connectivity issues arise between our Moderate and Strict NAT types.

The Causes of Strict NAT Issues

So what exactly causes Strict NAT multiplayer problems compared to Moderate or Open NAT?

The core reason is that Strict NAT routers block inbound traffic. This prevents other players from connecting directly to you as a host.

Instead, your gaming traffic has to be routed through servers first, which adds latency and other issues.

Enabling UPnP and port forwarding can sometimes improve a Strict NAT. But many ISP routers still block enough ports to prevent hosting games or voice chat, even if tweaked.

Replacing the ISP router with a gaming router like the Netduma R2 is the best way to resolve Strict NAT woes. But for those stuck with ISP hardware, issues will likely persist.

Can a VPN Resolve Strict NAT Problems?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network – it‘s a service that tunnels your internet traffic and masks your real IP address.

And yes, using a gaming VPN that allows port forwarding can sometimes resolve Strict NAT issues!

By tunneling through the VPN on a different network path, the restrictive NAT gets bypassed. This allows your multiplayer connectivity to get a "fresh start" without your router blocking traffic.

The catch is that cheap VPNs often cause more latency issues. So you need a gaming-optimized service with servers near you and software that reduces lag.

For the best Strict NAT improvement from a VPN, I recommend ExitLag. Their software is designed specifically for games and provides the lowest latency of any VPN I‘ve tested.

The Bottom Line – Can NAT Type 3 Game With NAT Type 2?

At the end of the day, the ability for Strict NAT players to game with Moderate NAT friends comes down to:

• Moderate NAT Players May Be Able to Host for Strict NAT
• But Connectivity Isn‘t Guaranteed Due to Other Possible Issues
• Strict NAT Players Cannot Reliably Host at All

A Strict NAT is severely limiting for multiplayer gaming. While using a gaming VPN and router tweaks can help, they don‘t always resolve problems fully.

For reliable connectivity with friends regardless of NAT type, an Open or Moderate NAT is strongly recommended whenever possible.

I hope this deep dive into Strict vs Moderate NAT for gaming was helpful! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions and I‘ll try to help get you playing with friends ASAP.