How we test whether a game is truly offline

People ask how we verify the 'offline' label, so here's the actual process. It's not glamorous, but it's consistent, and it's caught a lot of games that bend the truth.

First, we install the game with a connection, open it once, and close it. Then airplane mode goes on and stays on for the whole test. If the game refuses to launch past the splash screen, it's out immediately.

Next we play for real, usually an hour minimum, watching for stalls. Loading screens that spin forever, daily rewards that won't unlock, or 'please reconnect' banners are all red flags. A truly offline game shouldn't notice the signal is gone.

Finally we check the save system. We force-close the app, reopen it offline, and make sure progress survived locally. Only games that pass every step get the offline badge on their review.