How we actually test a game offline

Every game we cover gets the same basic treatment, and the most important step is the one with airplane mode switched on.

We install the game, let it do its first-run setup, then cut the connection and keep playing. We note anything that breaks: a feature that greys out, a save that won't load, an ad that can't fill and hangs the screen.

Then we check storage use and battery drain over a couple of sessions, because an offline game you play on the move needs to be kind to your phone.

Only after all that do we talk about whether the game is actually fun. A title can pass every technical test and still be dull, and we'll say so. The point is to give you the full picture before you download.