How we test whether a game is really offline

People ask how we decide a game is 'offline', so here's the honest process. It's not glamorous.

First we install and let the game do its initial download over Wi-Fi. Then we force-close it, switch the phone to airplane mode, and open it cold. If it complains, that's a red flag.

We play a full session offline — not two minutes, but a real chunk of time — and note anything that breaks: locked features, missing content, silent failures. Simulators and RPGs are where problems usually hide.

Only then does a game get a rating. If something works offline but loses half its features, we say exactly which half. That distinction matters more than a score.