How we test whether a game really works offline

A lot of games label themselves offline and then quietly need a connection for saving, unlocking, or even launching. We test for this before any game earns a recommendation.

The first thing we do is install the game while online, close it, then switch the phone to airplane mode and try to play from scratch. If it stalls on a loading screen or hides half its content, that goes straight into the review.

We also play across several days to catch the sneaky stuff, like features that only break after you've progressed a bit. Some games run fine for an hour and then demand a check-in. We note exactly where that happens.

Battery and storage get tested too. A game that drains your phone in forty minutes isn't great for the long offline sessions people actually want. We mention it when it matters.

None of this is fancy. It's just the kind of testing any careful player would do, done every time so you don't have to.