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Can't join friends on Starlink? Peer-to-peer games and what a shared address does
Most big online games run on the publisher's servers and don't mind a shared address. Games that run on a player's console are different, and the host is where it breaks.
- On Starlink Residential, IPv4 addresses are shared and incoming IPv4 connections are blocked, so a console can join others but struggles to host.
- Microsoft says a Strict NAT can only play with Open players and can't be chosen as host; a Moderate NAT normally won't be chosen as host.
- Games that run on the publisher's servers are barely affected; games where one player's console hosts the session are the ones to check.
- IPv6, one router and a wired console help on your side, but only Starlink's Priority plans include a public IPv4 address.
Games that run matches on a player’s console instead of the publisher’s servers are the ones a shared Starlink address can block. On a Residential plan you can usually join other people, but hosting, and some invites, may fail.
That’s a narrower problem than it sounds. Most big online games never ask your console to host, and they play the same on Starlink as on any connection with similar ping. The check below matters only if your group plays games where one person’s console runs the session.
Server games and peer-hosted games
An online match gets built one of two ways, and the difference decides everything on a Starlink home plan.
| Server-hosted | Peer-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs the match | The publisher’s data center | One player’s console or PC |
| Who connects to whom | Every player connects out to the server | The other players connect in to the host |
| Effect of a shared Starlink address | Little: your console starts every connection | The host must accept incoming connections |
| Where you’ll find it | Most big shooters and online role-playing games | Some co-op, sports and fighting modes |
That’s our summary of common designs; publishers don’t all describe their games this way.
Starlink’s help center (read Nov 3, 2026) explains its side. On the default IPv4 setting, Residential customers sit behind carrier-grade NAT, so the home router doesn’t get a public IPv4 address of its own, and in Starlink’s words, “The ‘default’ IPv4 CGNAT policy does not allow inbound traffic.” Joining works because your console starts the connection. Hosting needs the opposite: other players’ consoles starting a connection to yours.
Some games mix the two. Matchmaking, progress and chat run on the publisher’s servers, while the match itself runs on one player’s console. In those games you’ll be fine most of the time and run into trouble only when the game picks you as the host.
Which games use player hosting
Publishers rarely state their hosting model plainly, so this list is short on purpose and names only games with a written source:
- GTA Online (GTA V). Vendor claim: Boosteroid, a company that sells cloud gaming, tells its users on its help page that a strict NAT type can break GTA V online sessions. That’s a third party’s statement, not Rockstar’s, so treat it as a hint rather than the publisher’s word.
- Borderlands games. Gearbox’s networking help describes sessions in which one player’s game hosts and the others connect to it.
For any other game, search its publisher’s support site for “NAT type”, “host” or “peer-to-peer”. If the help page tells you to open ports or get an Open NAT so you can host, that game uses player hosting at least some of the time (our reading). The NAT type guide has a table of the common connection styles by genre.
Join versus host on Starlink Residential
Console makers define what each NAT result allows. Microsoft’s definitions (Xbox support, read Nov 3, 2026):
- Open: “You’re able to play and host multiplayer games with people who have any NAT type on their network.”
- Moderate: “You might not be able to play multiplayer games with some people, and normally you won’t be chosen as the host of a match.”
- Strict: “You’re only able to play multiplayer games with people who have an OPEN NAT type. You can’t be chosen as the host of a match.”
Microsoft adds that if your provider gives your router a private address, Open NAT isn’t possible without a public IP from the provider or a different provider. Sony’s PS4 user’s guide says that with Type 3, communication with other consoles “might be impossible,” or the console’s network features might be limited.
Put together, here’s what to expect in peer-hosted games on a Residential plan (our reading of the Starlink, Microsoft and Sony pages above):
| Situation | Likely result |
|---|---|
| You join a friend on cable or fiber who has Open NAT | Usually works |
| You host for friends | Often fails over IPv4: friends can’t connect in |
| Two Starlink players, one hosts | Can fail: the host can’t accept the other |
| A friend invites you into their session | Usually works if they have an open connection |
| You invite friends into your session | May fail if the game sends them to your console |
| Matchmade sessions on the publisher’s servers | Works like any connection |
Settings that help on your side
None of these opens the shared address at Starlink’s end, but each removes a problem you control:
- Leave IPv6 on. Starlink provides native IPv6 on every router, kit version and plan. Microsoft recommends IPv6 because it “removes the need for Network Address Translation (NAT),” as long as both router and provider support it. Sony says PS5 supports IPv6 but not IPv6-only connections, so PlayStation still leans on IPv4.
- Make sure only one router does NAT. Starlink warns about double NAT when its Wi-Fi router is mixed with another router. If you add your own, use bypass mode; the console setup guide walks through it.
- Switch on UPnP in your own router, if you use one. It tidies NAT inside the house. It can’t open the shared IPv4 address at Starlink’s end, so it may lift Strict to Moderate but won’t reach Open over IPv4 (our reading).
- Wire the console. A cable doesn’t change the NAT type, but it removes Wi-Fi drops that make joining time out.
- Let the friend with the open connection host. By Microsoft’s definitions, even a Strict player can play with an Open host.
If voice is what breaks rather than the session, the party-chat checks are different; start with the console’s NAT test and the Teredo setting on Xbox.
What a Priority plan changes
One line, because plan choice is a bigger question than one game: Starlink offers a public IPv4 address only on its Local Priority and Global Priority plans, not on Residential, and it says port forwarding needs that public address plus a third-party router, because Starlink’s own routers don’t forward ports.
What stays blocked on a home plan
- No inbound IPv4 on Residential. Hosting peer sessions over IPv4 fails, whatever your settings.
- No port rules on Starlink’s routers. Even with your own router, opening ports needs a public IPv4 address, which only the Priority plans include.
- Inbound IPv6 is unclear. Starlink doesn’t say whether unrequested incoming IPv6 reaches devices behind its own router.
- PS5 can’t run IPv6-only. PlayStation hosting still depends on the shared IPv4 address.
- A better NAT result doesn’t fix spikes. Satellite switches, obstructions and busy evenings cause short spikes whatever your NAT type; see the lag guide.
- Changes have no date. Starlink says customers may see publicly routable addresses and non-CGNAT setups as it upgrades its network, but it gives no date or plan list. Don’t order expecting it.
Who should hold off
- You host sessions for a regular group in a peer-hosted game, and nobody else in the group can host.
- Your main game is peer-hosted on PlayStation, which still needs IPv4.
- Your whole group would be on Starlink Residential, so nobody has an open connection to host from.
- Cable or fiber reaches your address: a wired line usually comes with fewer NAT problems.
If none of those describes you, the fit check weighs ping, NAT and streaming for your household before you decide.
Sit this one out if…
- fiber or cable already reaches the house: for online play a wired line is normally the lower-ping pick
- you run game servers or need an open NAT in every title: home plans sit behind shared IPv4 addresses (see NAT type)
- the plan is a few months of internet, one tournament weekend or a single trip
- you’d keep it only if month one is flawless: Starlink’s referral terms are written for customers who intend to stay, so make the call before ordering
What gamers and cord-cutters ask
Why can't my friends join my game on Starlink?
To join you, their consoles must open a connection to yours. Starlink's default setting on Residential plans allows no inbound IPv4 connections, so in games where your console hosts, friends often can't get in.
Can I join a friend's game if they host?
Usually, if their connection is open. Microsoft says even a Strict NAT can play with players on Open NAT, so a friend on cable or fiber with an open connection makes the best host.
Does GTA Online work on Starlink?
Rockstar's description of how its sessions connect isn't in the sources this guide uses. In a vendor claim on its help page, the cloud-gaming company Boosteroid says a strict NAT type can break GTA V sessions, so test with the friends you play with.
Will IPv6 fix hosting on Starlink?
It can help on Xbox, where Microsoft recommends IPv6 because it removes the need for NAT. PS5 still needs IPv4, and Starlink doesn't say whether unrequested incoming IPv6 reaches devices behind its own router.
Sources
- What IP address does Starlink provide? (Starlink help center) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- Can I port forward with the Starlink router? (Starlink help center) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- Troubleshoot NAT errors and multiplayer game issues (XBOX Support) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- IPv6 on XBOX (XBOX Support) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- Test Internet Connection, PlayStation 4 User's Guide (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- How to connect your PlayStation console to the internet (PlayStation Support) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- Boosteroid help center: strict NAT type (vendor claim) (retrieved Nov 4, 2026)
- DHCP Configuration (Starlink help center) (retrieved Nov 3, 2026)
- General Networking Troubleshooting (Gearbox Software support) (retrieved Nov 4, 2026)
Every figure keeps the date we last looked it up; our fact rules say how. When one turns out wrong or stale, the fix is dated on the corrections page.