How we actually test whether a game works offline

People ask how we can claim a game is 'truly offline.' The short answer: we don't trust the store description. We test it ourselves, every time, before writing a word.

Step one is airplane mode from the very first launch. A lot of games seem fine until you try to open a menu and hit a spinning loading wheel that never resolves. That's an instant strike against them.

We also test on an older phone with limited storage. If a game demands constant downloads for new content, it isn't really offline, and it won't survive a long trip. Battery drain gets noted too.

Only games that pass all of this get our offline badge. It's a small thing, but it's the whole reason this site exists, so we take it seriously.