The best games you can play offline

Your internet connection isn't something you give a lot of thought to until it stops working. I mean, sure, your internet is probably fine right now, but there are other circumstances where offline games are useful: visiting friends and family with dodgy wi-fi, moving house and waiting for a new connection, and the classic example of plane flights.

Whatever the reason, it's not a bad idea to make sure you have a couple of games installed that will work offline just in case. And when you know you're going to be away from a reliable connection, it's worth preparing for the worst.

Most launchers have an offline mode, allowing you to start them without internet access, but many modern games will still need to be launched at least once with a connection present to work. Also, for games that receive regular updates, it's obviously worth making sure these have finished being downloaded and installed before trying to play them offline.

Heroes of Might & Magic 3

Release date: 1999 | Developer: New World Computing | GOG

Feel like some offline multiplayer? The Heroes of Might & Magic games are legends of turn-based hotseat gaming, letting the whole family take their goes one by one. They're not too shabby as singleplayer games either, letting you sink hours into building up your cities and clearing the map of resources. Grab the complete edition on GOG to get all the expansions and randomized maps, which are missing from the HD edition available elsewhere.

Read more: Heroes of Might and Magic 3, specifically, has a board game adaptation

Hades

Release date: 2020 | Developer: Supergiant | Steam, Epic

Something as simple as an internet connection—or lack of—is not going to stop the Immortal Prince of the Underworld. Good news if you fancy jumping into this fast-paced action roguelike.

Read more: A journey through early access helped make Hades a masterpiece

Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Square Enix | Steam

Final Fantasy 12 moved away from the turn-based combat of previous games and opted for the love-it-or-hate-it Gambit system. Set in the world of Ivalice, you'll soon be taking on the Archadian Empire with Balthier, Fran, and others in an effort to save the world.

Read more: 15 years on, Final Fantasy 12's combat system is still the best

Don't Starve

Release date: 2013 | Developer: Klei | Steam, GOG

Don't worry about not earning achievements by playing Klei's classic survival game Don't Starve offline: it hasn't got any. (Same goes for other excellent Klei games like Invisible Inc.) Then, when you're back online, you'll be enough of an expert to jump into Don't Starve Together with a friend.

Read more: Don't Starve: hands-on with the cartoony and macabre survival game

Grim Dawn

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Crate Entertainment | Steam, GOG

If you're after a top-down ARPG to get stuck into, Grim Dawn could be your answer. While Path of Exile and Diablo 4 won't work offline, Grim Dawn allows you to smash demons in the face without a connection. Alternatively, the original Diablo complete with the Hellfire expansion is available on GOG.

Read more: Daring to care about the denizens of Grim Dawn

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Release date: 2017 | Developer: Larian Studios | Steam, GOG

If you've never found the time to strike this from your backlog, now might be it. This vast, story-rich RPG should keep you busy for however long you need—though you might find it difficult to tear yourself away once you've started.

Read more: Great moments in PC gaming: Playing with fire in Divinity: Original Sin 2

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Release date: 2015 | Developer: CD Projekt Red | Steam, GOG

You'll be pleased to know that there's no such thing as playing The Witcher 3 too many times. So why not jump back into the beloved open-world RPG that gave rise to PCG's obsession with Tub Geralt?

Read more: I got drunk trying to take Geralt on a pub crawl in The Witcher 3

Crusader Kings 3

Release date: 2020 | Developer: Paradox | Steam

You might have been put off playing this historical grand strategy game from Paradox because of its complexity, but if you've got time to kill, it's well worth jumping into. You'll be guiding your medieval dynasty through peasant revolts and Viking invasions in no time.

Read more: Crusader Kings 3 players have eaten 1.5 million prisoners

Dishonored 2

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Arkane | Steam, GOG

If you fancy your chances as a stealthy supernatural assassin, whiling away the hours with whalepunk murder schemes, taking down targets in Dishonored 2 is a great way to pass the time.

Read more: I judged every citizen of Karnaca in Dishonored 2

Monster Hunter: World

Release date: 2018 | Developer: Capcom | Steam

Capcom's monster-slaying RPG may not seem like it would work offline, but it does. Of course, you'll have to take monsters down without the help of friends, but if nothing else, it's an excellent way to vent some of that frustration at your connection woes.

Read more: Nothing beats the feeling of cracking skulls with my big hammer in Monster Hunter: World

Stellaris

Release date: 2016 | Developer: Paradox | Steam, GOG

Like CK3—and pretty much any Paradox title—Stellaris has a pretty steep learning curve. But once you're past that, mining planets for resources, fending off hostile fleets, and generally expanding your empire makes this space-based strategy game incredibly satisfying.

Read more: Planet destroyers and diplomacy: the expanding universe of Stellaris