The best option is still... host your own server. If you can't join each other then that implies that your Internet router doesn't allow incoming data. You may want to read up on "port forwarding" which can make that happen.

When hosting your internet server, try enabling UPNP, which was designed to help eliminate the need for port forwarding:

https://i.imgur.com/6w2v4xf.png

Most modern routers should support UPNP by default. If it doesn't work out of the box, you will need to log into your router and either 1) enable UPNP, or if that isn't on option 2) port forward ports 2302 and 2303 to your machine's IP address.

In lieu of UPNP or port forwarding, you would indeed need to use some kind of VPN software like Tungle or Hamachi or whatever people use nowadays to create a virtual LAN.

Radmin VPN is the best virtual LAN. And its free and easy to use.

Ya just setup your own server on the internet, and then just give your friends the name and or password. answers above will help if you're having problems with this.

Listen, i'll drop this info here because I spent weeks looking around and everybody's fix is always "just host your own server" (which is as pleasant as shoving a pineapple up your back hole, it's extremely complex and time consuming, and extremely prone to stupid small errors because of "profiles" or mods or the way you setup your folders, ArmA is not user friendly at all), or "use X, Y or Z software/app to make a VPN/LAN" which is plausible, but also stupid because you'll need to install/use additional software (and your friends too).

So, the most important thing when hosting a mission for your friends (Multiplayer > Server Browser > Host Server) to join is to check the "UPnP" box. Give your session a name, a password, and make sure it is set to "Internet" not "LAN".

BUT, ArmA's UPnP resolving (which is critical for online play) is stupid and very badly coded (as the entire rest of the "game"), so there's 2 critical things that WILL make it not work most of the time, and your friends will not be able to see or join your hosted session:

1 - The ArmA executable (arma3.exe / arma3_x64.exe) MUST be allowed through the Windows Firewall to have Inbound AND Outbound internet access. I'll not teach how to do it here, Google or any other search engine can teach anyone how to get to the windows firewall advanced settings to allow inbound/outbound rules.

2 - If number 1 do not solve your hosting problem (and you don't get any "UPnP Failed" messages when creating the session), and your friends can't still see/join you hosting a multiplayer mission, then the problem can be your internet provider uses shared IP. That is not easily solvable, you'll need to contact your internet provider to question them on that.

If both are solved (you get no UPnP Failed message nor have shared IP), THEN and only then, you should resort to using a software for VPN/LAN or going the mind numbing, exhausting, stupid and badly implemented archaic process of renting/hosting a dedicated server.

As always, ArmA will make your life miserable if you only wish to have fun alone/with a few friends. It's almost as if who coded and decided the user experience of the "game" made sure at every step for it to be NOT as user friendly as possible... then there's who coded the engine's use of hardware capabilities, which is another entire post-worthy rant.

Hope this helps someone in the future, because UPnP is essential for ArmA multiplayer, and I spent a lot of time thinking the game was allowed through the firewall, when in truth it required me to manually allow it in inbound/outbound rules for it to finally work.

Originally posted by Akira:

Listen, i'll drop this info here because I spent weeks looking around and everybody's fix is always "just host your own server" (which is as pleasant as shoving a pineapple up your back hole, it's extremely complex and time consuming, and extremely prone to stupid small errors because of "profiles" or mods or the way you setup your folders, ArmA is not user friendly at all), or "use X, Y or Z software/app to make a VPN/LAN" which is plausible, but also stupid because you'll need to install/use additional software (and your friends too).

So, the most important thing when hosting a mission for your friends (Multiplayer > Server Browser > Host Server) to join is to check the "UPnP" box. Give your session a name, a password, and make sure it is set to "Internet" not "LAN".

BUT, ArmA's UPnP resolving (which is critical for online play) is stupid and very badly coded (as the entire rest of the "game"), so there's 2 critical things that WILL make it not work most of the time, and your friends will not be able to see or join your hosted session:

1 - The ArmA executable (arma3.exe / arma3_x64.exe) MUST be allowed through the Windows Firewall to have Inbound AND Outbound internet access. I'll not teach how to do it here, Google or any other search engine can teach anyone how to get to the windows firewall advanced settings to allow inbound/outbound rules.

2 - If number 1 do not solve your hosting problem (and you don't get any "UPnP Failed" messages when creating the session), and your friends can't still see/join you hosting a multiplayer mission, then the problem can be your internet provider uses shared IP. That is not easily solvable, you'll need to contact your internet provider to question them on that.

If both are solved (you get no UPnP Failed message nor have shared IP), THEN and only then, you should resort to using a software for VPN/LAN or going the mind numbing, exhausting, stupid and badly implemented archaic process of renting/hosting a dedicated server.

As always, ArmA will make your life miserable if you only wish to have fun alone/with a few friends. It's almost as if who coded and decided the user experience of the "game" made sure at every step for it to be NOT as user friendly as possible... then there's who coded the engine's use of hardware capabilities, which is another entire post-worthy rant.

Hope this helps someone in the future, because UPnP is essential for ArmA multiplayer, and I spent a lot of time thinking the game was allowed through the firewall, when in truth it required me to manually allow it in inbound/outbound rules for it to finally work.

Ey...? I never had any such issues tho I do know some who have but it's not as hard as your making out.

Explicitly allowing the Arma 3 executable through the firewall isn't a bad suggestion. I haven't personally had to mess with that in about a decade (it was more of an issue on Windows 7; I use Windows 10 now), but it definitely used to be one of the go-to things to check when trying to host online multiplayer games.

Originally posted by Akira:

Listen, i'll drop this info here because I spent weeks looking around and everybody's fix is always "just host your own server" (which is as pleasant as shoving a pineapple up your back hole, it's extremely complex and time consuming, and extremely prone to stupid small errors because of "profiles" or mods or the way you setup your folders, ArmA is not user friendly at all), or "use X, Y or Z software/app to make a VPN/LAN" which is plausible, but also stupid because you'll need to install/use additional software (and your friends too).

So, the most important thing when hosting a mission for your friends (Multiplayer > Server Browser > Host Server) to join is to check the "UPnP" box. Give your session a name, a password, and make sure it is set to "Internet" not "LAN".

BUT, ArmA's UPnP resolving (which is critical for online play) is stupid and very badly coded (as the entire rest of the "game"), so there's 2 critical things that WILL make it not work most of the time, and your friends will not be able to see or join your hosted session:

1 - The ArmA executable (arma3.exe / arma3_x64.exe) MUST be allowed through the Windows Firewall to have Inbound AND Outbound internet access. I'll not teach how to do it here, Google or any other search engine can teach anyone how to get to the windows firewall advanced settings to allow inbound/outbound rules.

2 - If number 1 do not solve your hosting problem (and you don't get any "UPnP Failed" messages when creating the session), and your friends can't still see/join you hosting a multiplayer mission, then the problem can be your internet provider uses shared IP. That is not easily solvable, you'll need to contact your internet provider to question them on that.

If both are solved (you get no UPnP Failed message nor have shared IP), THEN and only then, you should resort to using a software for VPN/LAN or going the mind numbing, exhausting, stupid and badly implemented archaic process of renting/hosting a dedicated server.

As always, ArmA will make your life miserable if you only wish to have fun alone/with a few friends. It's almost as if who coded and decided the user experience of the "game" made sure at every step for it to be NOT as user friendly as possible... then there's who coded the engine's use of hardware capabilities, which is another entire post-worthy rant.

Hope this helps someone in the future, because UPnP is essential for ArmA multiplayer, and I spent a lot of time thinking the game was allowed through the firewall, when in truth it required me to manually allow it in inbound/outbound rules for it to finally work.

So in the advanced settings of firewall should Arma 3 inbound/outbound rules be ticked ON or OFF?
Also, does everyone need to do this or just the host?

Originally posted by Ant1-Chr1st:

Radmin VPN is the best virtual LAN. And its free and easy to use.

Second this. A group of us used it this weekend. Simple and effective.

Originally posted by Akira:

Listen, i'll drop this info here because I spent weeks looking around and everybody's fix is always "just host your own server" (which is as pleasant as shoving a pineapple up your back hole, it's extremely complex and time consuming, and extremely prone to stupid small errors because of "profiles" or mods or the way you setup your folders, ArmA is not user friendly at all), or "use X, Y or Z software/app to make a VPN/LAN" which is plausible, but also stupid because you'll need to install/use additional software (and your friends too).

So, the most important thing when hosting a mission for your friends (Multiplayer > Server Browser > Host Server) to join is to check the "UPnP" box. Give your session a name, a password, and make sure it is set to "Internet" not "LAN".

BUT, ArmA's UPnP resolving (which is critical for online play) is stupid and very badly coded (as the entire rest of the "game"), so there's 2 critical things that WILL make it not work most of the time, and your friends will not be able to see or join your hosted session:

1 - The ArmA executable (arma3.exe / arma3_x64.exe) MUST be allowed through the Windows Firewall to have Inbound AND Outbound internet access. I'll not teach how to do it here, Google or any other search engine can teach anyone how to get to the windows firewall advanced settings to allow inbound/outbound rules.

2 - If number 1 do not solve your hosting problem (and you don't get any "UPnP Failed" messages when creating the session), and your friends can't still see/join you hosting a multiplayer mission, then the problem can be your internet provider uses shared IP. That is not easily solvable, you'll need to contact your internet provider to question them on that.

If both are solved (you get no UPnP Failed message nor have shared IP), THEN and only then, you should resort to using a software for VPN/LAN or going the mind numbing, exhausting, stupid and badly implemented archaic process of renting/hosting a dedicated server.

As always, ArmA will make your life miserable if you only wish to have fun alone/with a few friends. It's almost as if who coded and decided the user experience of the "game" made sure at every step for it to be NOT as user friendly as possible... then there's who coded the engine's use of hardware capabilities, which is another entire post-worthy rant.

Hope this helps someone in the future, because UPnP is essential for ArmA multiplayer, and I spent a lot of time thinking the game was allowed through the firewall, when in truth it required me to manually allow it in inbound/outbound rules for it to finally work.

Thank you bro almost gave up it was just the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ firewall...

so listen too this guy he knows what's up