diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
index 4db770315c4..b12fe3a73ba 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
@@ -532,7 +532,7 @@ KUBE_PROXY_DAEMONSET=${KUBE_PROXY_DAEMONSET:-false} # true, false
 # as an addon daemonset.
 KUBE_PROXY_DISABLE="${KUBE_PROXY_DISABLE:-false}" # true, false
 
-# Optional: Change the kube-proxy implementation. Choices are [iptables, ipvs].
+# Optional: Change the kube-proxy implementation. Choices are [iptables, ipvs, nftables].
 KUBE_PROXY_MODE=${KUBE_PROXY_MODE:-iptables}
 
 # Will be passed into the kube-proxy via `--detect-local-mode`
diff --git a/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh b/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 5d1271d166a..168115a4424
--- a/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/gci/configure-helper.sh
@@ -1753,24 +1753,35 @@ function prepare-kube-proxy-manifest-variables {
   if [[ -n "${FEATURE_GATES:-}" ]]; then
     params+=" --feature-gates=${FEATURE_GATES}"
   fi
-  if [[ "${KUBE_PROXY_MODE:-}" == "ipvs" ]];then
-    # use 'nf_conntrack' instead of 'nf_conntrack_ipv4' for linux kernel >= 4.19
-    # https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/70398
-    local -r kernel_version=$(uname -r | cut -d\. -f1,2)
-    local conntrack_module="nf_conntrack"
-    if [[ $(printf '%s\n4.18\n' "${kernel_version}" | sort -V | tail -1) == "4.18" ]]; then
-      conntrack_module="nf_conntrack_ipv4"
-    fi
 
-    if sudo modprobe -a ip_vs ip_vs_rr ip_vs_wrr ip_vs_sh ${conntrack_module}; then
-      params+=" --proxy-mode=ipvs"
-    else
-      # If IPVS modules are not present, make sure the node does not come up as
-      # healthy.
-      exit 1
-    fi
-  fi
-  params+=" --iptables-sync-period=1m --iptables-min-sync-period=10s --ipvs-sync-period=1m --ipvs-min-sync-period=10s"
+  case "${KUBE_PROXY_MODE:-iptables}" in
+    iptables)
+      params+=" --proxy-mode=iptables --iptables-sync-period=1m --iptables-min-sync-period=10s"
+      ;;
+    ipvs)
+      # use 'nf_conntrack' instead of 'nf_conntrack_ipv4' for linux kernel >= 4.19
+      # https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/70398
+      local -r kernel_version=$(uname -r | cut -d\. -f1,2)
+      local conntrack_module="nf_conntrack"
+      if [[ $(printf '%s\n4.18\n' "${kernel_version}" | sort -V | tail -1) == "4.18" ]]; then
+        conntrack_module="nf_conntrack_ipv4"
+      fi
+
+      if ! sudo modprobe -a ip_vs ip_vs_rr ip_vs_wrr ip_vs_sh ${conntrack_module}; then
+        # If IPVS modules are not present, make sure the node does not come up as
+        # healthy.
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      params+=" --proxy-mode=ipvs --ipvs-sync-period=1m --ipvs-min-sync-period=10s"
+      ;;
+    nftables)
+      # Pass --conntrack-tcp-be-liberal so we can test that this makes the
+      # "proxy implementation should not be vulnerable to the invalid conntrack state bug"
+      # test pass. https://issues.k8s.io/122663#issuecomment-1885024015
+      params+=" --proxy-mode=nftables --conntrack-tcp-be-liberal"
+      ;;
+  esac
+
   if [[ -n "${KUBEPROXY_TEST_ARGS:-}" ]]; then
     params+=" ${KUBEPROXY_TEST_ARGS}"
   fi
diff --git a/pkg/features/kube_features.go b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
index 07cc6e29097..fcc7cb5c93f 100644
--- a/pkg/features/kube_features.go
+++ b/pkg/features/kube_features.go
@@ -525,6 +525,7 @@ const (
 	// owner: @danwinship
 	// kep: https://kep.k8s.io/3866
 	// alpha: v1.29
+	// beta: v1.31
 	//
 	// Allows running kube-proxy with `--mode nftables`.
 	NFTablesProxyMode featuregate.Feature = "NFTablesProxyMode"
@@ -1131,7 +1132,7 @@ var defaultKubernetesFeatureGates = map[featuregate.Feature]featuregate.FeatureS
 
 	NewVolumeManagerReconstruction: {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.GA, LockToDefault: true}, // remove in 1.32
 
-	NFTablesProxyMode: {Default: false, PreRelease: featuregate.Alpha},
+	NFTablesProxyMode: {Default: true, PreRelease: featuregate.Beta},
 
 	NodeLogQuery: {Default: false, PreRelease: featuregate.Beta},
 
diff --git a/pkg/proxy/apis/config/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/proxy/apis/config/validation/validation_test.go
index f3e07e16278..cfeb5ccf57f 100644
--- a/pkg/proxy/apis/config/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/proxy/apis/config/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ func TestValidateKubeProxyConntrackConfiguration(t *testing.T) {
 func TestValidateProxyMode(t *testing.T) {
 	newPath := field.NewPath("KubeProxyConfiguration")
 	successCases := []kubeproxyconfig.ProxyMode{""}
-	expectedNonExistentErrorMsg := "must be iptables, ipvs or blank (blank means the best-available proxy [currently iptables])"
+	expectedNonExistentErrorMsg := "must be iptables, ipvs, nftables or blank (blank means the best-available proxy [currently iptables])"
 
 	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
 		successCases = append(successCases, kubeproxyconfig.ProxyModeKernelspace)