GTA Online: How to fix Connection to the active session lost
We all know that GTA Online isn’t immune to the pesky errors and chances are you’ve encountered the infamous “Connection to the active session lost” while joining a public session or your friend’s closed party. Well, if you’re suffering due to this error right now, then we’ll walk you through some of the effective methods to fix this issue. Nevertheless, if your game is running absolutely fine, then we suggest remembering these ways if you ever run into the Connection to the active session lost error in GTA Online.
GTA Online Connection to the active session lost error fixes

Image Credits: Rockstar Games
This problem commonly appears when the GTA Online servers are offline, or your internet is experiencing technical difficulties. So, make sure to check the server status beforehand before performing any troubleshooting steps. If the server status is reporting anything unusual, then it’s best just to have a little patience and wait it out. Otherwise, you can follow these methods to easily fix GTA Online Connection to the active session lost error:
Restart GTA V
The first thing you should try is closing GTA V completely and then restarting it. It’s super easy – just right-click on your taskbar, select ‘Task Manager,’ find ‘GTA V’ in the ‘Processes’ tab, right-click on it, and choose ‘End Task.’ Then, simply restart the game and select the online multiplayer mode to see if the error is gone.
Check your NAT Type
NAT stands for Network Address Translation which essentially filters the incoming packets. You’ll generally find three NAT types in online games and GTA V is no different:
- OPEN: Can play games with any other NAT type.
- MODERATE: Can play games with open or moderate NAT types.
- STRICT: Can only play against open NAT types.
If your NAT Type is set to STRICT, then you’re more likely to encounter this error and GTA Online crossplay won’t work either. In such case, you can head to your router settings and change your NAT Type to either OPEN or MODERATE which will establish a seamless connection between your gaming machine and game’s servers.
Flush your DNS

Image Credits: Esports.net
The most effective way to get rid of this GTA Online error is to flush your DNS, which is a system that translates domain names into IP addresses. Sometimes, your DNS cache might get corrupted or outdated, which can cause network problems. Flushing your DNS will clear the cache and refresh your connection.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open the command prompt as administrator (type CMD in the search bar, right-click, and select “Run as administrator”).
- Confirm permission by clicking “Yes.”
- Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
- Verify the message “Successfully flushed the DNS resolver cache.”
- Close the window and check if the error persists.
Contact Rockstar support

Image Credits: Rockstar Games
If none of the above methods work, getting in touch with Rockstar Games support is your last hope of fixing the Connection to the active session lost error. The support team usually analyzes the log files to identify the exact cause of the problem. Therefore, they can guide you better than any other person in the world. All you need to do is raise a ticket on the official website. Then, chat with the support team until the error is fixed.