This guide covers Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One - the menus are identical on all three. The setup is the same whether you play Warzone, Black Ops 6 or Black Ops 7.
You'll need a Lobby Max account with Activate already clicked and both DNS addresses copied. New to Lobby Max? Start with the Getting Started guide first.
⚠️ Important: Activation registers your network, not your device. Enter these DNS settings on an Xbox connected to the same internet you activated from.
Get Your DNS Addresses
Open the Lobby Max dashboard on a phone or PC on the same Wi-Fi your Xbox uses. Find the Set up your gaming device card and copy your Primary DNS and Secondary DNS.
Keeping the dashboard open on your phone helps a lot - entering IP addresses with a controller is slow, so having them on screen while you type beats switching back and forth.
Enter DNS on Your Xbox
On your Xbox:
- Press the Xbox button to open the guide
- Go to Profile & system → Settings → General → Network settings
- Select Advanced settings
- Select DNS settings
- Change to Manual
- Select Primary and enter your Primary DNS address
- Select Secondary and enter your Secondary DNS address
- Press B to save
⚠️ Important: Don't leave the Secondary field blank. If the primary is briefly unreachable, the console falls back to the secondary. Empty, it falls back to your ISP and the service stops working with no visible error.
Test the Connection
Run both connection tests:
- Test network connection - should pass
- Test multiplayer connection - should pass
Your NAT type should be unchanged - Lobby Max doesn't alter it. If NAT suddenly reads different, re-check the two addresses you entered.
Power Cycle Properly
A proper power cycle is essential - Xbox caches DNS aggressively and a partial restart often keeps the old results.
- Shut down the console (not standby)
- Unplug it from the wall
- Wait the full 30 seconds
- Plug it back in and power on
Don't use "Restart console" from the menu for this - it's a soft restart and frequently keeps the cached lookups that are the whole reason nothing changed.
Pick Your Region and Verify
Back in the Lobby Max dashboard, pick your region under Choose your server - your connection should show Active and the server Connected.
Then launch the game and confirm the matchmaker sees your chosen region. The definitive check is the in-game location readout - see Check Your Location for the exact steps.
💡 Tip: If the in-game location doesn't change, the first thing to check is IPv6 on your router - see Troubleshooting below before re-entering anything.
Troubleshooting
"Can't connect to Xbox network" after saving? Almost always a typo. Set DNS back to Automatic to restore the connection, then re-enter both addresses carefully.
Tests pass but the location doesn't change? Work through this order:
- Disable IPv6 on the router. The Xbox has no console-level IPv6 toggle - if your ISP forces IPv6, the console resolves through the ISP's resolver and we never see the query. It's usually a five-to-ten minute job in the router admin panel, and the menu varies by router brand. This is the most common fix on consoles
- Did you fully power cycle - unplugged from the wall for the full 30 seconds?
- Does the dashboard show Active?
- Are the phone/PC you activated from and the Xbox on the same network? A guest Wi-Fi will not be covered
Switching between Ethernet and Wi-Fi? Settings are stored per connection type - configure both, or the other connection silently stays on ISP DNS.
Worked before, not now? Your network likely changed. Open the dashboard and click Re-activate - your device settings stay valid.