How to tell if a game is really offline

'Offline' on a store page doesn't always mean what you hope. Plenty of games load fine at home and then stall the moment you lose signal. Here's how we verify it before writing a word.

First, install and open the game once on Wi-Fi to let it download assets. Then switch on airplane mode and relaunch. If the main screen loads and you can start playing, that's a good sign.

Second, play a full level and close the app. Reopen it still offline and check your progress saved locally. If it resets, the game is leaning on a server you can't reach.

Finally, watch for pop-ups asking you to 'reconnect to continue.' One of those mid-session and the game fails our offline test. Do these checks yourself and you'll never be stranded with a dead app again.