GameRanger connection issues

Every single time I try to host or join a match, I get hit with this exact message. It’s like I’m locked out of everything. Is there some port setting I gotta mess with? I honestly have no clue what I'm doing. Here’s what pops up:
Microsoft NAT Router
Your internet connection is sitting behind a Symmetric NAT Modem/Router. This is gonna stop you from hosting games and joining any peer-to-peer matches.

To fix this, you’re gonna have to dive into your router settings. Usually, you can get into it through a web page built right into the hardware. You might be able to access yours through this link.

A lot of newer routers come with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). If this is turned on, GameRanger can handle most of the heavy lifting for you. Just make sure it's enabled so GameRanger actually has permission to change things. Keep in mind, not all routers play nice with UPnP, so that might not even solve it.

If that fails, your only move is to go into your router manually and set up port-forwarding for UDP 16000. Give your ISP a call or dig through your router's manual if you need help with that.

Basically, port-forwarding tells your router, "Hey, send all this game data straight to my PC." When you get to the port-forwarding page, it’ll ask for a public and a private port. Set both of those to 16000. Sometimes, instead of individual ports, it asks for a range (like, say, Start Port and end port). In that case, set The start and end to 16000. It’s also gonna want your computer's IP address—look for whatever they call it, like LAN IP, Local IP, or Private IP. Use 192.168.1.22 for that. If it asks for the protocol, pick UDP.

Look, I can't give you a step-by-step guide because every single router is built differently.

If you're trying this on a corporate network at work or some campus Wi-Fi at a university, you're probably stuck. You won't be able to fix it yourself; you'll have to bug the network admin to forward UDP 16000 to your machine.

I'm using a Thompson router, but I'm just a standard user, not the admin. I have no idea where to even go to fix this port issue. Do I actually need admin credentials to change this stuff? Because when I try to log in, it just says "user" instead of "admin," even though I'm just on my home connection at home.🙏

feralmarlin8 said:Every time I try to host or join a game, I get this error message, and it's always right. I can't connect to everyone... do I need to mess with some port settings? I have no clue how. Here’s what it says:
Microsoft NAT Router
Your internet connection is behind a Symmetric NAT Modem/Router that will prevent you from hosting all games, and from joining peer-to-peer games.

The solution to this problem will involve you configuring your router. Most routers are configured through a web page built into them. You may be able to reach yours here.

Many recent routers support a feature called Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). This feature will allow GameRanger to do most of the configuration required. You will need to enable it to allow GameRanger to make changes. Not all routers support UPnP correctly, however, so that may not be enough.

The alternative is to manually configure your router to do port-forwarding for UDP 16000. Ask your ISP (Internet Service Provider) or refer to your router's instruction manual for assistance here.

Port-forwarding tells the router to send the game communication data to your computer. The port-forwarding configuration page will ask you for a public port and a private port. Set both of those to 16000. In some cases, instead of asking for a public port, it will ask for a port range (eg. Start Port, End Port). set The start and end to 16000. It will also ask you for the IP address of your computer that the data should be sent to. It may call this the LAN IP, Local IP, or Private IP. This should be set to 192.168.1.22. If it asks you for the protocol or type, set it to UDP.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to offer step-by-step instructions here as every router is different.

If you are at work on a company network or at a university, you may not be able to fix the problem yourself. Instead you may have to ask the network administrator to how to port-forward UDP 16000 to your computer.

I've got a Thompson router. I'm just a user, not the admin, so I don't know where to go to fix that port thing. Do I even need admin access to change it? When I log in, it says "user" instead of "admin"... though it's just my home connection.🙏

A buddy of mine has that same router and he finally got in by entering those numbers under something like "game sharing"... if I remember right, it worked... he also switched the protocol from TCP to UDP like the manual said... peace.

lol after six whole months, someone actually decided to show up 😂

So, did you get that sorted out? I ran into the exact same issue myself. All you have to do is hop into your router settings and open UDP 16000.

I installed this specifically to play Need for Speed: Most Wanted online.
But I can't join a single server to save my life.
Now, even with GameRanger running, I can't even get into the game at all.
The intro splash screen pops up, then everything goes black before the game just crashes entirely.
Tried doing the same with Call of Duty 2, but it’s the exact same story.
It hits a black screen, kicks me back to the desktop, then hits another black screen... it's just stuck in this endless loop. Everything works perfectly fine on Discord, though.

Anyone have any clue how to fix this?😢