The case for offline gaming: It's not just about saving data

If you play Android games on a regular basis, there’s a decent chance you’ve discovered that many of them won’t work offline. Usually, that’s not an issue — when you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot, you’ve probably got 4G or 5G cellular to fall back on. You might even be wondering why you’d bother with offline games at all, considering how fun something like PUBG or Fortnite can be.

There’s a strong case to be made, though, for making most or even all the games you play ones that work offline. It’s not just about convenience — though, of course, that’s probably the largest factor. There’s more at stake, particularly if you care about the future of gaming. As I’ll explain in a moment, that’s not hyperbole.

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1 The freedom to play anywhere

You’ll go offline more than you think

When I first bought a smartphone, I was honestly floored by the idea that I could browse the web, get directions, and play games no matter where I was. In practice, though, that wasn’t entirely true — even within a big city like Austin, some places had a weak signal, and driving into rural Texas often meant losing signal entirely. On road trips, there was often nothing to do for long stretches but listen to music or podcasts while staring out the window.

There are other options for offline entertainment, naturally, such as ebooks or cached videos. But games tend to be more engaging, especially if you want to stay awake — as much as I like reading, even my favorite books will lull me to sleep in a comfortable space.

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2 Ditching a world of ads and in-app purchases

Remember what it’s like to just…play?

Apple

Since most people refuse to pay as much for a mobile game as they would for something on their console or PC, Android developers often turn to two strategies: advertising and in-app purchases. The first is disruptive at best, and harmful at worst, potentially luring people into scams like weight-loss pills. In-app purchases, meanwhile, can actually milk you out of hundreds of dollars if they’re used to gate things like in-game currencies and how often you can play.

Offline games will sometimes cost a chunk of change initially, but since they have few if any ads or in-app purchases, the experience is smoother — closer to what you’d get from a console game — and potentially less expensive in the long run. They may play better, too, since there’s no need to create arbitrary gameplay loops to support a business model. Civilization VI doesn’t make you wait a day between turns.

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3 A higher caliber of gaming

Don’t settle for match-3 clones

Playdead

I want to hammer on the topic of quality. Frankly, most mobile games seem to be low-effort affairs that exist solely to support ads and in-app purchases. Consider how many match-3 and other simple puzzle games there are on the Play Store — many of them are clones, and even if they play well enough, they can often become repetitive. Some of them use bare-bones sound and graphics, abandoning any pretense of passion.

When you pay for offline games, you’re not just avoiding arbitrary game loops — hopefully, you’re sending a message to the industry by supporting developers who actually care. You don’t ask for money upfront if the experience isn’t worth something. Indeed, there are games and entire genres that don’t mesh well with ads or in-app purchases, such as old-school RPGs and platformers. Would anyone care about Super Mario today if it had forced players to pay for fire flowers or invincibility just to make progress?

Limbo

Systems

Released

July 21, 2010

ESRB

T For Teen due to Animated Blood, Mild Violence

Developer(s)

Playdead

Publisher(s)

Playdead

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4 Saving money on carrier fees and travel packages

The rest of life is expensive enough

Kasa Fue / Creative Commons

If you only ever travel domestically, and have a generous data limit on your phone, you may not have to pay anything extra for the privilege of playing online beyond in-app purchases. Not everyone can afford unlimited data, however, and cellular isn’t an option on most airlines and cruise ships. That can mean paying for Wi-Fi packages, frequently in sums that are a naked cash grab. Even some landlocked hotels may charge you for usable Wi-Fi speeds.

When you’re traveling internationally, roaming rates apply if your regular carrier doesn’t have a deal with a local one. That can result in huge surcharges, and day passes aren’t much better. AT&T, for example, charges $12 per day outside of North America — that two-week trip to Europe might cost you over $168 if you don’t buy a local SIM card or eSIM. Offline games can help you get away with the cheapest possible travel plan, or no plan at all if you can depend on Wi-Fi and offline maps.

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