No distance limits.
Just LAN games with friends.
LAN Play creates a private virtual local network. Everyone who joins your room appears on the same subnet, so any game with LAN multiplayer sees them as machines in the next room — no port forwarding, no dedicated server, no accounts to buy.
Everything a LAN night needs, minus the cables
Play from anywhere
Friends in another city show up as if they were on the same switch. The game can't tell the difference.
Lower ping to the host
Traffic goes through the fastest node we measure right now, not the default route your provider picked.
Nothing opened on your PC
No port forwarding, no router settings. Firewall rules apply only to the LanOrbit adapter and the people in your room.
A guide for every game
Host and join steps, the right firewall exception and the usual traps, written and tested per title.
How LAN Play works
Download LanOrbit
Install it, sign in and leave it running in the tray. It sets up the virtual network adapter on its own.
Open or join a room
Pick the game and the number of slots, and add a password if you want it private.
Invite your friends
Send the invite link. They click it and land in the same room, with their ping shown next to their name.
Launch the game on LAN
Host as you always did, or follow the guide for your game. The others see it in the LAN list and join.
Why LanOrbit for LAN Play?
full comparison| LanOrbit | Generic VPN tools | Mesh networks | Port forwarding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free for LAN games | ✓ up to 8 players | ✓ small networks | ✓ free tier | ✓ if you own the router |
| Route picked by ping | ✓ measured continuously | — whatever the internet gives | — direct or relay | — direct only |
| Firewall handled for you | ✓ per room, per game | — manual | — manual | — manual, per game |
| Guides per game | ✓ written and tested | — forums | — forums | — you're on your own |
| Invite links | ✓ one click | — network name + password | — network ID | — your IP address |
| Live connection check | ✓ ping per player | — | — | — |
Step-by-step guides per game
all supported gamesEvery game hosts and joins a little differently. These walk through both sides, with the exact menus and the usual firewall traps.
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soonNo guide matches that search yet. Ask for one.
Supported games — LAN wiki
21 gamesEvery game below has LAN multiplayer and works in a LanOrbit room. Click one for its requirements, open rooms and how to play it over LAN. Games in blue have a full step-by-step guide.
- A
- Age of Empires II HDguide
- C
- Call of Duty8p
- Call of Duty 264p
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare64p
- Call of Duty: United Offensive32p
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 28p
- Counter-Strikeguide
- Counter-Strike: Condition Zero32p
- Counter-Strike: Source32p
- D
- Day of Defeat32p
- Diablo II8p
- H
- Half-Life32p
- Heroes of Might and Magic 38p
- L
- Left 4 Dead 22p
- Q
- Quake III Arena16p
- S
- Starcraft16p
- T
- Team Fortress Classic32p
- U
- Unreal Tournament 200432p
- W
- Warcraft III: Reforged12p
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos12p
- Warcraft III: The Frozen Throneguide
That game isn't in the list yet. Request it and we'll build its network profile.
Questions about LAN Play
Is this a VPN?
Technically it's a virtual network adapter, like a VPN, but it only carries traffic between people in your room. Your browsing doesn't go through it and your normal internet is untouched.
Do we all need the same game version?
Yes. LAN discovery in most old games breaks between patch levels, and that has nothing to do with the network. Each guide lists the version we tested.
Can I close the app once the game starts?
No. The virtual network exists only while the app runs. Closing it drops everyone out of the room, usually mid-match.
Why does Windows Firewall keep blocking the game?
Windows often classifies the virtual adapter as a Public network, and most games are only allowed on Private. Allow the game's executable for Public networks once and it stops happening.
What IP addresses do we get?
Everyone in a room gets an address in 10.60.0.0/16. That range is private, so it won't clash with your home network.
One player lags and the others don't. Why?
Their route to the host is the problem, not the host. Check the ping next to their name in the room: if it is much higher than the others, switching them to another node in settings, or moving them off Wi-Fi, fixes most cases.
Everyone in one room, whatever the map says
Open a room, send the link, launch the game on LAN. That's the whole thing.