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Multiplayer gaming server issues

Anonymous
2024-11-20T00:38:46+00:00

I recently ran Cat6 ethernet to my gaming computer from my router and everything was going well until I noticed that I cannot load into multiplayer matchmaking with 2 of my current games when I'm on ethernet. If I disconnect the ethernet and get on Wifi, I load in without issue.
The games are Phasmophobia and Outlast Trials.
Its frustrating because it wasn't a problem a few weeks ago when I first connected to ethernet, and I'd rather play on ethernet because the speeds are that much better.

Any ideas on why this is happening? Or what I could do to fix it?
I have tried a multitude of things:

  • I've ensured the games are allowed as an exception in the Windows Defender Firewall
  • Netsh winsock reset, Reboot
  • Checking that UPnP is already enabled in my ISP account settings
  • Changing my ethernet network connection from Private to Public
  • Resetting my ISP router settings completely
Windows for home | Windows 11 | Internet and connectivity

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-11-21T07:55:52+00:00

    Hi Rachel Collier

    Welcome to Microsoft Community.

    Based on your description, I understand that you replaced a Category 6 cable to connect to Ethernet but found that you were unable to load multiplayer matches in both games, which would have been fine if you had used WiFi, and I understand very well how you feel!

    You have tried very many solutions and commend you on your problem solving skills and thinking!

    This is indeed a strange issue, I've personally replaced Category 5, Ultra 5, Category 6 and even Category 7 cables, but I've never encountered such an issue, and from a networking perspective, replacing cables is unlikely to affect the network environment, only the network transfer rate.

    I will give you some options and hopefully solve your problem successfully! However, this first reply may not be able to solve your problem due to the lack of information and the fact that this issue requires different aspects to be troubleshooted, so please understand and provide more information (pictures would be great!) in your reply. Thank you very much!

    Option 1: We tried testing different online multiplayer games to see if the problem is limited to Phasmophobia and Outlast Trials, or if other games are also affected.

    This step mainly helps us narrow down what is causing the problem.

    Because some games test our network environment before multiplayer, although normally the act of changing the cable won't modify the network environment, there will be some changes.

    1. IP address changes, sometimes changing cables or networks can cause our automatically acquired IP address to change.
    2. NAT types of different networks may affect your connection quality and visibility in multiplayer games.
    3. different networks may have different firewall rules and security settings, which may affect the connection for online gaming.
    4. Some games may use specific network protocols.

    So if there are only certain games that have this problem, I doubt if it could be caused by what I described above.

    Option 2: Let's try plugging into a different port on the router to see if the problem persists.

    Some routers will have ports with different rates such as GBytes, MBytes, etc.

    Option 3: We try to update the network driver or replace the driver to improve compatibility.

    1. Update through Device Manager.

    Open Device Manager with “WIN + x” -> Find your NIC device -> Right click and select “Update Driver” -> “Automatically search for updated driver”.

    1. We can also try to install the driver manually.

    The driver involves the following scenarios:

    (1) If you have a laptop, you can download the driver for the corresponding laptop model from the brand's official website.

    (2) If you have a desktop computer, you can download the driver for the corresponding NIC model through the motherboard's official website.

    (3) You can also download the Bluetooth driver for the corresponding model through the official website of the brand of the network card.

    Let's try the latest version of the driver first, and assuming the problem still exists, let's try some older and more compatible versions.

    Some of the older and more compatible versions may be more suitable for our actual usage environment.

    Option 4: Disable IPv6, sometimes IPv6 can cause some connectivity problems.

    Go to Network Adapter Settings -> Right-click on the Ethernet connection and select “Properties” -> Then uncheck the “Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6)” checkbox

    Option 5: Incorrect Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) settings can cause problems with online play. You can try adjusting the MTU size on your router or computer. Common MTU sizes for games are 1472 or 1500.

    Option 6: We tried temporarily disabling and turning off the firewall and anti-virus software to see if the problem persists.

    Sometimes it is possible that certain policies of the firewall or anti-virus program may be causing the problem.

    Disclaimer: Temporarily turn off antivirus protection. However, keep in mind that if you do so, your device may be vulnerable to threats. on immediately once issue fixed.

    Option 7: If the router has Quality of Service (QoS) settings, make sure they are configured correctly. Sometimes QoS prioritizes traffic, which can affect game performance.

    I sincerely hope that the above solution will solve your problem. Please feel free to contact me if you have any problems or still can't solve them. (Photos related to the question would be great!).

    I look forward to hearing back from you. 

    Best Regards

    Arthur Sheng | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

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