Why we test everything in airplane mode

Store pages love the word 'offline'. The reality is messier. Plenty of games boot fine on a signal and then quietly fall apart the moment you lose one.

Our fix is boring but effective. We install the game, open it once if it needs a first-time download, then switch the phone to airplane mode and try to play it like normal. Menus, saves, the whole flow.

You'd be surprised how many games fail. Some freeze on a loading screen. Some let you play but refuse to save your progress until you reconnect. Those get a clear note in the review.

This is also why we mention device specifics. A game that runs offline on my flagship might stutter on a three-year-old budget phone, so we keep a couple of older handsets around just to stay honest.

If you only take one tip from us, take this one: before a flight or a trip, test your games at home in airplane mode. Finding the faker on your couch is a lot better than finding it at 30,000 feet.