How we actually test whether a game works offline

People assume 'offline game' is a yes-or-no label, but it's messier than that. Some games run offline yet lose progress. Others work but hide half their content behind a connection. So we test deliberately.

First we install with a connection, then switch to airplane mode and launch cold. We note whether the game opens, whether it complains, and whether saves survive a force-close. Neon Drift Rally passed this easily; a few games we didn't review failed instantly.

Then we play a real session — at least thirty minutes — to see if anything breaks later. Some titles are fine for ten minutes then stall at a loading screen that wants the internet.

Only after that do we write. It's a small process, but it's the whole reason the site exists: so you don't download something on a trip and find out at the worst moment that it needs Wi-Fi.