In today’s hyper-connected gaming landscape, sometimes you just want to shut the world out and play by yourself. Unfortunately, DRM and anti-cheat software sometimes get in the way of a good, unplugged gaming experience. Though many take it for granted, not every gamer has access to stellar internet service. Even though you don’t need tons of bandwidth for gaming, for some gamers, like those who live in rural areas with spotty internet access or somewhere devoid of internet access, offline gaming is a necessity. Here are a handful of games you can enjoy solo or with friends without being tethered to an internet connection.
‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’
The original “Super Smash Bros.” debuted almost 25 years ago, and the beloved fighting series has been going strong ever since. “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” won Best Fighting Game at the 2019 The Game Awards, where it was also nominated for Game of the Year. “Ultimate” further refines the chaotic brawler formula first introduced in the original “Super Smash Bros.” and, like its ancestor, features four-player local multiplayer – meaning you get to talk trash and beat up your friends from the same couch, hearkening back to a simpler time in multiplayer gaming.
“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” is available only for the Nintendo Switch.
‘Grand Theft Auto 5’
While you’ll miss out on the plethora of online missions and some serious multiplayer tomfoolery, “Grand Theft Auto 5” is still among the best games you can play offline. You’ll still have access to the massive story and everything the fictional San Andreas has to offer. “GTA 5” has been around for almost 10 years now and still boasts a massive player base.
“Grand Theft Auto 5” is pretty easy to find. You can play on Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.
‘Elden Ring’
Just because you want to play offline doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the latest and greatest in new games. FromSoftware’s “Elden Ring” takes the divisive “Dark Souls”-style gameplay and marries it with a massive open world called “the Lands Between.” Fans and critics alike have likened “Elden Ring” to Nintendo’s “Breath of the Wild” in terms of the sheer scope and size of the world. Couple this with punishing combat and an engrossing story (that you have to work yourself to piece together!), and you’re left with one of The Game Awards’ contenders for 2022 Game of the Year.
Playing offline means you’ll miss out on PvP shenanigans and the “helpful” messages left all around “the Lands Between.” After the third time you die reading a glorified troll post, you’ll probably want to play offline anyway.
You can play “Elden Ring” on PC, Steam Deck, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
‘Hades’
“Hades” is a dungeon-crawling roguelike action game from Supergiant Games. Players take control of Zagreus, the fictional son of the Greek god Hades, and follow his escape from the underworld his father rules. Find help from a massive cast of Greek mythological figures, from Demeter and Dionysus to Sisyphus and Orpheus, as you attempt to escape your father’s clutches.
“Hades” takes the classic roguelike formula and puts a revolutionary spin on it. This game won Best Indie Game and Best Action Game of the year at The Game Awards 2020, a Hugo Award for Best Video Game, and a Nebula Award for Best Game Writing. “Hades” is an entirely single-player romp through various dungeon rooms, and offline players won’t miss out on anything at all. Find “Hades” on the Nintendo Switch, macOS, Windows, Playstation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X/S.
‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’
In the same vein as “BioShock: The Collection,” we have “Halo: The Master Chief Collection.” This compilation includes all of your classic “Halo” favorites, like “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,” “Halo 2: Anniversary,” “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST,” “Halo: Reach,” and “Halo 4.” Each included game comes with support for modern graphics and frame rates.
While playing offline means you’ll miss out on the age-old “Halo” tradition of repeatedly crouching over the bodies of your slain enemies in multiplayer games, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S users can still gather around for local, split-screen multiplayer fun. The PC version of this collection doesn’t include local multiplayer functionality.
Find this remastered collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.
‘BioShock: The Collection’
It can be hard to find a good offline shooter these days. Lucky for us, 2K Games’ “BioShock” series is available as a compilation. “BioShock: The Collection” takes players through the original “BioShock,” “BioShock 2,” and “BioShock Infinite” – all with updated textures and support for modern displays and frame rates. “BioShock” was released in 2007, after all.
If you haven’t played the “BioShock” series before, or if you’re jonesing for a little pre-2010 nostalgia, “BioShock: The Collection” was released for Windows PCs, macOS, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
‘Hollow Knight’
Team Cherry’s “Hollow Knight” takes the “Metroidvania” genre, infuses it with a mild dose of “Souls-like” combat, and fills it with absolutely adorable bug characters. “Hollow Knight” was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign and has been almost universally acclaimed by critics, who praise the art style, atmosphere, world-building, and combat. In this side-scrolling action game, you control a nameless knight-errant who patrols and explores the underground world of Hallownest with a trusty nail for a sword.
Despite its cute, cartoony art style, “Hollow Knight” is challenging at times and outright brutal at others. Interested gamers can find it on PC for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Steam Deck.
‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’
If you need your offline gaming experience to include lightsabers, Storm Troopers, and droids, look no further than “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.” Take control of Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis (voiced and modeled after Cameron Monaghan of “Shameless” fame) while you attempt to elude Jedi hunters after the Great Jedi Purge and the rise of the Galactic Empire. Expect challenging combat, a classic “Star Wars” atmosphere, lightsaber customization, and a severe attachment to your droid companion, BD-1.
“Star Wars” fans can find “Star Wars Jedi: The Fallen Order” on Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PCs, and Steam Deck.
‘Crusader Kings III’
The latest addition to the classic empire-building and strategy role-playing franchise, “Crusader Kings III” is the most ambitious installment to date. Create your own noble ruler, sex-crazed despot, or syphilis-ridden warlord, and craft the story of their rise to and/or fall from power. The possibilities are nigh-endless, and it’s up to you, the player, to determine your character’s route through history.
Player characters can conduct a crusade or jihad on their enemies, change the religion of an entire empire, or just raid and pillage their way to an early (or late) grave. If you’ve always wanted to rule the world but find yourself lacking in royal countenance, “Crusader Kings III” will let you test your mettle as a monarch. Offline players will miss out on multiplayer functionality, but the single-player campaign is so robust you might not even miss anything.
Get “Crusader Kings III” for Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Linux, and macOS.
‘Borderlands 3’
If it weren’t for the “Borderlands” series, we wouldn’t have many of the popular “looter-shooters” that proliferate the gaming market today. “Borderlands 3” takes the original action-RPG-shooter formula fans love and presents players with a new cast of characters to love and villains to loathe.
The core “Borderlands” gameplay remains untouched, meaning the ridiculous dialogue, wacky character design, and meme-level weapon drops are all there in spades for anyone brave enough to boot up the game. Playing offline means you’ll miss out on online multiplayer, but you can still play two- or four-player split-screen games on consoles. Sorry, PC faithful.
If you play on Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, a Windows PC, or macOS, you can play “Borderlands 3.”
‘Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire’
Sometimes the old ways are the best ways, and that’s definitely the case with “Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.” This sequel to the original “Pillars of Eternity” was entirely crowdfunded and reached its funding goal on the first day. “PoE II: Deadfire” is an isometric-view party-based RPG where players can choose between real-time strategy or tactical turn-based combat as they take control of the Watcher of Dyrwood, an otherworldly character capable of communicating with the dead and looking into other people’s past lives.
Your Watcher is hot on the heels of once-dead god Eothas, the god of life and rebirth, and is in constant communication with a cast of other deities who wish to stop Eothas in his tracks. Traverse the entire Deadfire Archipelago, the fictional setting of this world, and break bread with pirates, privateers, greedy colonizers, and native tribes as you chase Eothas to the ends of the world and back.
For fans of traditional role-playing experiences, people who can’t get their D&D group to meet on a regular schedule, or tactical-RPG aficionados, there isn’t another game that can match everything that “PoE II: Deadfire” has to offer.
Find this title on Windows, Linux, macOS, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.