Five games that don't need a connection

Nothing's worse than opening a game on a flight and hitting a loading spinner that never resolves. So I keep a small rotation of games that work fully offline, and I've been refining that list for years.

Greenfield Depot is the current standout. It's a railway sim that runs entirely on-device with no timers forcing you to wait, which makes it perfect for a long trip. You set your own pace.

Hollow Lantern also makes the cut — a short atmospheric adventure that doesn't phone home at all. I finished most of it on a single train journey.

The common thread is that these games respect your attention instead of mining it. No forced connections, no daily-login guilt. Just a game you can open anywhere.

Before any trip, I'd genuinely check whether your favourites still work in airplane mode. A lot of them don't anymore, and it's worth knowing before you're stuck.