The joy of games that work without a connection

There's a special kind of relief in a game that just works offline. No login screen, no 'reconnecting' spinner, no losing progress because a tunnel ate your signal. We flag offline support in every review because it matters more than people admit.

On a recent flight I went through my test list and half of them refused to even launch without a connection. The ones that did — a couple of sims and an adventure title — made the trip fly by.

Offline play usually means better battery life too, since your phone isn't hammering its radio. It's a quiet double win that rarely makes the marketing bullet points.

If you commute underground or travel often, filter your library for offline games. Your future self, stuck without signal and bored, will thank you.