I recently contacted Rockstar Support because I was constantly being placed into a GTA Online session alone. I am not the only person having this issue, this is what Rockstar Support said.

 

I'm sure that the issue I'm facing has to do with my port forwarding, which I don't have a damned clue as to what the hell that even is. I tried following the guide Rockstar Support has provided, but it's just too confusing, especially for someone who's new to all this. Is anyone familiar with what this even means?

 

Hello CriminalKillaz,

Thanks for contacting Rockstar support.

We'd like to provide assistance with any Online-related issues with our connection troubleshooting guide:

Check all the physical devices on your network to ensure they are plugged in and powered on.
Perform a connection test on each device connected to the network.
Xbox One Connection Troubleshooting Guide
http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/networking/network-settings

Note: In order to better understand your network and how it works please see the information below.

NAT Types
Open
Moderate
Strict

Open NATs can connect to any of the three types. --> Probably the least common type
Moderate can only connect to open and moderate. --> Probably the most common type
Strict can ONLY connect to open.
Strict NATs are a difficult problem with peer-to-peer games. Since most people don't have open NATs, the player with a strict NAT won't be able to find many joinable games.

Also, if the player with a strict NAT does manage to join a game, if another player with a moderate NAT joins later, the player with the strict NAT gets kicked out.

The problem is even worse since it is sometimes difficult for software (i.e. Games for Windows Live) to detect which NAT type it is running behind, and can often report that the player has a moderate NAT when they actually have a strict NAT.

Another problem is that sometimes the ISP (Internet Service Provider) is also NAT'd which often means even if you have a direct connection to the internet (without a router/firewall), the ISP still acts as a strict NAT.

Port Forwarding

The following ports are beneficial to have open for Online console gaming:

TCP: 53, 80, 443, 465, 983, 1863, 3074, 5223, 10070-10080
UDP: 53, 88, 500, 1863, 3074, 3478-3479, 3544, 3658, 4500, 10070

If you need assistance with opening these ports, please refer to the following website for more information (you will need to know your router brand and model, as the website guides are based on specific routers)

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm

Here are some additional tips that have helped many players improve their connectivity:

Make sure your router's firmware is upgraded the latest version (very important).
Unplug your router for 10 minutes and plug it back in. Some older routers degrade in performance over time until it is rebooted, similar to a PC.
Disable any firewall or other network filtering for the game.
Enable uPnP (universal plug and play) on your router.
If you don't care about security, enable DMZ (de-militarized zone) on your router for your PC's address. This turns off all of your router's firewall features for that specific PC.
Get a router that has the "Xbox LIVE compatible" or "Certified for Windows Vista" logo.
Contact your ISP and ask them what your DNS setting should be.
Direct Connection/Power Cycle

If you are still having issues connecting to the online servers after trying the above steps, try connecting your broadband modem directly to the console or PC on which you are playing this game. At this point, please disconnect your Broadband modem from power for Five (5) minutes. After this time has elapsed, plug the modem back into power and allow the normal power-up cycle to finish.

Information Needed to Move Forward

If this final step does not resolve your issue, please plug a PC directly into your modem and provide us screen shots from the following locations:

www.speedtest.net
www.whatsmyip.org
www.pingtest.net
ipconfig (Windows + R > type "cmd" without quotes > hit okay > type "ipconfig" without quotes > press ENTER )
How to Take A Screenshot

Windows Vista/7/8
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screen-shots

XP and Earlier
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-xp/help/setup/take-a-screen-shot

Best regards,

Tony C.

Rockstar Support

Edited January 1, 201511 yr by CriminalKillaz

Port forwarding can be done by accessing your router. This can be done by typing your default gateway into your browsers address bar. To do this, open your command prompt (cmd.exe) and type "ipconfig" and look for "Default Gateway". This number looks like this; "xxx.xxx.x.x" (X = number). Type this address into the address bar in your browser. From here, you can port forward because this allows you access to your router. You may need a username and password if your router is locked. Let me know if you need any help!

Edited January 1, 201511 yr by 1ian20