Plutonium Port Forwarding: BO2, Moderate NAT & UPnP Fix
Complete Plutonium port forwarding guide for BO2 (T6), MW3 & WaW. Open ports 4976 & 3074 UDP, fix Moderate NAT, and play zombies with friends without router access.
Quick Answer: What Ports Does Plutonium Need for CoD?
Plutonium requires port 4976 UDP (gameplay and lobby discovery) for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (T6), Modern Warfare 3 (IW5), and World at War (T4). In addition, opening port 3074 UDP (Call of Duty matchmaking) and ports 27016-27017 UDP (Steam socket queries) prevents the common "plutonium nat type moderate despite port forwarding" error. If your NAT Type remains Moderate or Strict despite forwarding ports on your router, your ISP uses CGNAT or your firewall blocks the bootstrapper. Gamers who cannot access their router (such as in college dorms or apartments) can achieve an instant Open NAT and host private zombie lobbies using a gaming port-forwarding VPN like Proton VPN or PureVPN.
Plutonium Port Forwarding: BO2, Moderate NAT Fix & Co-op Server Setup
Few things are more frustrating on game night than booting up black ops 2 plutonium port forwarding to play Mob of the Dead, Origins, or Town co-op with your squad, only for friends to receive "Unable to join game session", "Server is not responding", or finding your connection locked at Strict NAT or Moderate NAT.
Whether you need the exact plutonium port forwarding rules for plutonium bo2 port forwarding, want to resolve plutonium nat type moderate despite port forwarding, ask "can I play zombies with friends without port forwarding?", or face campus dorm / CGNAT firewall blocks, this guide delivers the verified port matrix, firewall scripts, and an instant Open NAT bypass.
Plutonium requires port 4976 UDP for gameplay, party lobbies, and direct connections across Black Ops 2 (T6), Modern Warfare 3 (IW5), and World at War (T4).
To achieve an Open NAT Type and ensure friends can join seamlessly, forward UDP 4976, UDP 3074 (Call of Duty master matchmaking), and UDP 27016-27017 (Steam query). Note: Plutonium does NOT use port 25565 (which is for Minecraft).
Official Plutonium Network Port Matrix (T6 / IW5 / T4)
| Service / Role | Port Number | Protocol | Technical Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plutonium Game & Lobby Socket | 4976 | UDP | Core gameplay packets, party host broadcasts, and friend invites (BO2 T6, MW3 IW5, WaW T4) |
| Call of Duty Legacy Matchmaking | 3074 | UDP / TCP | Activision Demonware legacy lobby discovery and voice chat relay |
| Steam Socket / Master Query | 27016 - 27017 | UDP | Steam master server query port for custom server listings and direct connect queries |
| Secondary Game Port Offset | 4977 | UDP | Used if hosting a second server or if multiple PCs play on the same local network |
Plutonium Port & Windows Firewall Command Generator
Select your game, specify your port offset, and generate instant PowerShell rules to open Windows Defender Firewall and create connect strings for your party.
# Allow Plutonium Game Port (4976 UDP) in Windows Defender Firewall
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Plutonium Game Port (4976 UDP)" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 4976 -Protocol UDP -Action Allow
# Allow Call of Duty Master Port (3074 UDP)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Plutonium CoD Master (3074 UDP)" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 3074 -Protocol UDP -Action Allow
# Explicitly Allow Plutonium Bootstrapper
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Plutonium Bootstrapper" -Direction Inbound -Program "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Plutonium\bin\plutonium-bootstrapper-win32.exe" -Action AllowPress ~ in-game and type: connect YOUR_PUBLIC_IP:4976
Why Is Plutonium NAT Type Moderate Despite Port Forwarding?
The most prevalent issue reported across Reddit (r/techsupport, r/blackops2, and r/Plutonium) is: "plutonium nat type moderate despite port forwarding". You opened port 4976 on your router, yet Plutonium still reports Moderate or Strict NAT. Here are the four verified root causes and their solutions:
1. Windows Defender Firewall Blocking Bootstrapper
Even if port 4976 is forwarded on your router, Windows Defender Firewall automatically blocks plutonium-bootstrapper-win32.exe from binding sockets if your Windows network profile is accidentally set to Public Network instead of Private Network.
Fix: Set your Windows connection to Private, or run the PowerShell script above to explicitly allow the bootstrapper binary across both profiles.
2. Virtual Network Adapters (Hamachi / Radmin / VMware)
Plutonium queries the Windows routing table to bind its network interface. If you have virtual VPN adapters like LogMeIn Hamachi, Radmin VPN, ZeroTier, or Hyper-V virtual switches installed, Plutonium often binds to the virtual adapter rather than your physical Ethernet port.
Fix: Disable unused virtual network adapters in ncpa.cpl (Network Connections) before launching Plutonium.
3. UPnP Conflicts & Multiple PCs
If UPnP is enabled on your router, it may attempt to automatically assign a random internal port (e.g. 4977 or 51234) to Plutonium, conflicting with your manual port forwarding rule.
Fix: In Plutonium Game Settings, check whether UPnP is toggled On. If you use manual port forwarding, disable UPnP in the game options so Plutonium strictly uses port 4976.
4. Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT) on Your Home Internet
If your internet service provider places you behind Carrier-Grade NAT (RFC 6598), your home router does not possess a public IPv4 address. Unsolicited incoming packets from your friends are dropped before ever touching your router.
Verify whether you have CGNAT using our free online NAT Type detector.
Demystifying Plutonium Ports: What Is Port 3074? What Games Use 25565?
What is port 3074 and why does Plutonium use it?
Port 3074 UDP/TCP is the industry-standard port originally assigned to Xbox Live and used by Activision's Demonware networking engine across every Call of Duty title from Modern Warfare (2007) through Black Ops 2 and MW3. While Plutonium modernizes the netcode to use UDP 4976 for peer-to-peer gameplay, legacy lobby discovery, friend presence, and in-game voice chat still route through port 3074. Forwarding both 4976 and 3074 guarantees full matchmaking compatibility.
What games use port 25565? Does Plutonium use port 25565?
Port 25565 TCP/UDP is the default server port for Minecraft Java Edition. Many gamers searching for port forwarding tutorials mistakenly configure port 25565 on their router because of popular Minecraft guides. Plutonium does NOT use port 25565 under any circumstances. Forwarding port 25565 will have zero effect on your Call of Duty lobby status. Always forward UDP 4976 for Plutonium.
Can I Play Plutonium Zombies with Friends Without Port Forwarding?
As asked in high-engagement Reddit discussions ("Plutonium; Can I play zombies with friends without port forwarding?"), thousands of players live in university dorms, student housing, or apartments where router access is password-locked or UPnP is blocked.
The Answer: Yes, Using a Gaming VPN with Port Forwarding
If you cannot log into your router to forward ports, virtual LAN tools like Hamachi frequently fail due to high latency, driver conflicts, and packet encryption bottlenecks.
The only reliable, low-ping solution is using a Gaming VPN with Inbound Port Forwarding (NAT-PMP). By connecting to a VPN server that assigns you an open port, incoming connection requests from your friends bypass your local physical router entirely, delivering an instant Open NAT Type on PC!
Get Instant Open NAT for Plutonium BO2 & Stop IP Booting with a Gaming VPN
A gaming port-forwarding VPN solves the two biggest headaches in the Call of Duty PC community simultaneously: it gives you an instant Open NAT Type (Type 1) without touching router settings, and it shields your residential IP address from malicious booter attacks and IP pullers common in custom multiplayer lobbies.
This page contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them, NAT Checker may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Proton VPN
- 1-Click Inbound Port Forwarding generates instant open ports on Windows
- Instantly transforms Moderate / Strict NAT into Open NAT in BO2 & MW3
- Blazing-fast WireGuard protocol optimized for minimal packet loss and jitter
- DDoS mitigation protects your real residential IP from toxic lobby pullers
- Independently audited Swiss strict no-logs policy
PureVPN
- Dedicated IP add-on provides an unshared static IP for your server
- Web panel allows opening custom UDP port ranges (4976-4978)
- Bypasses campus dorm firewalls and restrictive apartment internet
- Works on Windows, Linux, and home routers
- Unconditional 31-day money-back guarantee
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