The seatbelt sign goes off, you open your favorite game, and it spins on a loading screen because it wants the internet. Plenty of games need no signal at all, and some refuse to start without one, so the trick is knowing which is which before the cabin door closes. The best offline games for flights are single-player games that download everything up front, from puzzle and strategy games to long story games you can sink a whole flight into. Below are the picks I would download, the free ones worth trying, and the four checks that keep a game from failing you at thirty thousand feet. Every one of the best offline games for flights here passes the same simple test, it plays with Airplane Mode on.
Key Takeaways
- Puzzle, strategy, card and story games usually play fully offline once installed.
- Games built on live matches, daily events or cloud saves often need a connection.
- Open every game once on Wi-Fi so it finishes downloading levels and art.
- Test each game in Airplane Mode at home before you trust it on the plane.
- Pack a power bank, because a bright screen drains the battery faster than reading.
What makes the best offline games for flights
A good flight game has three traits. It plays with no connection at all, it saves your progress often so a sudden landing announcement costs nothing, and it is deep enough to last hours without getting stale.
Paid games often win here. A one-time purchase usually means no ads, no energy timers and no store pop-ups that need a connection. Free games can work too, but many lean on online ads or daily rewards that break when you are offline. I would rather pay a few dollars for one great game than download five free ones that sulk without Wi-Fi.
There is one more trait people forget, and it is sound. A game that is fun with the sound off is a game you can play while the person next to you sleeps. Puzzle and strategy games pass that test easily. Rhythm games and story games with lots of spoken dialogue are better saved for when you have headphones in.
Games change with updates, so treat the picks below as a starting list and always run the airplane mode test further down. These are well known single-player games that have long been played offline on iPhone and Android.
Puzzle games that fill a quiet flight
Puzzle games are the safest pick for a plane. They rarely need a connection, they pause instantly when the drinks cart arrives, and they work just as well with the sound off.
The Room series is a set of beautifully made puzzle boxes, each a few hours long, full of hidden drawers and clever mechanisms. Monument Valley turns impossible architecture into calm, short levels that suit a takeoff or a landing. Threes! is a clever sliding number puzzle that is easy to learn and hard to put down. If you like brain teasers that change their own rules, Baba Is You will keep you busy for an entire ocean crossing.
My tip is to pick one puzzle game you have never played. The first few hours of a good puzzle game are the best part, and a flight is the perfect place to spend them.
Strategy games for long flights
Strategy games reward long, quiet stretches of time, which is exactly what a long-haul flight gives you.
Slay the Spire is a deck-building card game where every run is different, so it never feels the same twice. Mini Metro asks you to design a subway map as a city grows, in short, tense rounds that fit between meals. The Battle of Polytopia is a small civilization game you can play against the computer, with games that last about half an hour. Kingdom Rush is a classic tower defense series with plenty of levels to work through.
These games are also easy to stop and start. Most save after every turn or every round, so you lose nothing when the captain asks you to put devices away.
Story games that make the hours disappear
A long story game is the best way to make a long flight feel short. You stop checking the flight map because you want to see what happens next.
Stardew Valley lets you run a farm, fish, mine and befriend a whole town, and it is the kind of game where a nine-hour flight disappears. 80 Days is an interactive story about racing around the world, which feels fitting on a trip. Reigns has you rule a kingdom one swipe at a time, in short sessions that suit a bumpy flight.
Download the full game before you leave. Some story games fetch new chapters as you reach them, and that fetch will fail in the air.
Arcade games for short hops
On a one-hour flight you do not want a deep game. You want something you can pick up during taxi and put down at the gate.
Alto's Adventure and its sequel are calm snowboarding and sandboarding games with gorgeous scenery and simple one-touch controls. Endless runners and other arcade games make good filler between meals and naps, as long as they do not need an online leaderboard to start. Check that the game does not need to load ads before each round, because those ads are often what breaks a free arcade game offline.
Classic games that never need a signal
Solitaire, sudoku, crosswords, word searches and chess against the computer never need a signal. Most phones can download a dedicated app for each in a minute, and they are the most reliable choice for anyone who just wants something familiar.
They are also kind to the battery. A card game or a crossword uses far less power than a fast 3D game, so these are the games to switch to when your charge drops below half and the power bank is in the overhead bin.
Best free offline mobile games for flights
If you would rather not spend money, a few free games play well offline.
- Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a dungeon game with no ads that plays entirely on the phone. It is free on Android and costs a few dollars on iPhone.
- The Battle of Polytopia is free to download and plays offline, with extra tribes sold inside the app.
- Solitaire, sudoku and crossword apps are free in both app stores, though many show ads when online.
- Netflix games come with a Netflix subscription, with no ads or in-app purchases, and many of them play offline once installed.
Free games with ads usually still run offline, but some lock levels behind ads that cannot load. Run the airplane mode test on every free game you plan to rely on.
Games to play on a plane with kids
Kids need games that are simple, offline and free of surprise purchases. Drawing apps, sticker books, simple puzzles and story games for their age are the safest bets. Download a few new ones the night before, since a game they have never seen buys more quiet time than an old favorite.
Before you hand over the tablet, switch off in-app purchases. Our guide on how to turn off in-app purchases shows the exact settings for iPhone, iPad and Android, so a bored child cannot buy coins over the Atlantic.
Games to play on a plane with a friend
Traveling with someone? Many board and card games include a pass-and-play mode, where you take turns on one device. Chess, checkers and many card games work this way with no connection. See our list of 2 player games on one phone for the best ones to share across a tray table.
Open each game once before you board
Where to find it Each game > start a round on Wi-Fi
Many games download extra levels, art and sound the first time you open them. A game that looks installed may still need hundreds of megabytes before it can play. Open each one at home on fast Wi-Fi and start a round, so that download finishes before you leave.
While you are there, sign in to anything that asks, accept the updates and close any welcome screens. Every prompt you clear at home is one less prompt that needs the internet on the plane.
Test every game in Airplane Mode
Where to find it Control Center or Quick Settings > Airplane Mode
This is the check that matters most. Switch Airplane Mode on at home and open each game. If it plays, it will play at thirty thousand feet. If it asks to connect, swap it for something else before you leave.
Bluetooth can stay on in Airplane Mode, so wireless headphones and game controllers keep working. If a game needs in-flight Wi-Fi to start, you will know now rather than over the ocean.
Pack power and sound
Where to find it A charging cable or a power bank in your bag
A game with a bright screen drains the battery faster than reading. Many seats have a USB port, but not all of them work, so bring a cable and a small power bank in your carry-on. Turn the brightness down a little in a dark cabin, which saves power and is easier on your eyes.
Headphones matter too. Wired ones never need charging, and a small adapter may be needed for phones without a headphone jack. For more ways to stretch a charge, see our guide on how to make your phone battery last longer.
Free up storage before you download
Where to find it iPhone, Settings > General > iPhone Storage or Android, Settings > Storage
Big games are big downloads. A long story game or a 3D game can take several gigabytes once its extra levels and art arrive, and a phone that is nearly full will stall halfway through the download without much warning.
Check your storage a few days before the trip. Both screens above show which apps take the most space, and both offer to remove apps you have not opened in a while while keeping their data, so you can reinstall them later and pick up where you left off. Old videos and duplicate photos are usually the biggest wins. If you need a safe home for them first, our guide on how to back up photos walks through it.
Leave some room spare after the downloads. Games write save files as you play, and a phone with almost no free space can behave strangely when it tries to save in the middle of a level.
Update every game before you fly
Where to find it App Store or Google Play > your profile > updates
Install every pending update at home on Wi-Fi. A game that has an update waiting may ask to download it the next time it opens, and that request will fail in the air. Some games also check for the newest version when they start, and they behave better when they already have it.
Once everything is current, there is nothing left for a game to fetch. That is the state you want to board in. Then open each game one more time and start a round, so any new content the update brought finishes downloading too.
Is in-flight Wi-Fi worth it for games?
Many airlines now sell Wi-Fi, and some offer free messaging. It is tempting to rely on it, but in my opinion it is a poor plan for gaming.
In-flight Wi-Fi is shared by everyone on the plane, so it can be slow, and it often drops over oceans and remote areas. Online games need a steady, fast connection, and a lag spike in a live match is far more annoying than no game at all. Some airline plans also block large downloads or streaming, which can stop a game from fetching what it needs.
Treat in-flight Wi-Fi as a bonus for messages and email, never as the thing your entertainment depends on. Every game you plan to play should pass the airplane mode test first. That way a dead Wi-Fi connection costs you nothing at all.
Offline games the whole family can share
Some games work for every age in the row. Simple word games, sticker and drawing apps and gentle puzzle games keep a young child happy, while an older child or an adult can play the same game at a harder level.
If you are sharing a single tablet, pick games with separate save slots or profiles so siblings do not overwrite each other's progress. On iPhone and iPad, Family Sharing lets the family use many purchased games on each person's own device at no extra cost, and on Android, Google Play's family library does the same for apps that support it. Set that up at home, since adding a family member needs a connection.
A little planning here prevents the classic mid-flight argument about whose turn it is.
Best offline games for long flights
A long flight needs a mix. Pick one deep game you can play for hours, one quick game for short bursts between meals, and one calm game for the sleepy stretch. A story game, a puzzle game and a card game cover all three.
Spread the downloads across types so you do not get bored of one style halfway through. Download one more game than you think you need, too. The worst feeling on a long-haul flight is finishing your only game with seven hours left.
Ready for Takeoff
Download your games two nights before the trip, open each one on Wi-Fi, and run the airplane mode test. Pack the power bank and the headphones. That is the whole secret to a flight that feels shorter. The best offline games for flights are the ones you tested at home, and once you have done it once, it becomes part of packing.
FAQs about the best offline games for flights
- What games can I play on a plane without Wi-Fi?
- Single-player puzzle, strategy, card and story games usually play without Wi-Fi once installed. Test each one in Airplane Mode at home to be sure it does not need a connection.
- What are the best offline mobile games for flights that cost nothing?
- Shattered Pixel Dungeon on Android, The Battle of Polytopia, and solitaire or sudoku apps all play offline for free. Netflix subscribers can also download Netflix games, which have no ads.
- Do mobile games work in Airplane Mode?
- Many do, but not all. Games built around live matches, daily events, online ads or cloud saves may refuse to start, so open each one with Airplane Mode on before your trip.
- How do I make sure a game works offline?
- Open the game once on Wi-Fi so it finishes downloading, then turn on Airplane Mode and start a round. If it plays without asking to connect, it will work on the plane.
- Can I use Bluetooth headphones in Airplane Mode?
- Yes. You can turn Bluetooth back on after switching on Airplane Mode, and many phones keep it on automatically. Wireless headphones and game controllers will keep working.
- What games are good for kids on a plane?
- Simple offline puzzles, drawing apps and story games made for their age work well. Turn off in-app purchases first, and download a few new games so the novelty lasts.
- Do Netflix games work offline?
- Many Netflix games play offline after you download them, but some need a connection. Each game's page in the Netflix app notes whether it plays offline.
- How much battery do games use on a flight?
- Games with bright, fast graphics use more power than reading or music. Lower the brightness, use Airplane Mode, and carry a power bank for long flights.
- What are good offline games for long flights?
- Deep games like Stardew Valley or Slay the Spire last for hours. Pair one with a quick puzzle game and a calm card game, so you have something for every stretch of the trip.
- Is in-flight Wi-Fi good enough for online games?
- Usually not. In-flight Wi-Fi is shared by the whole plane, it can be slow and it often drops over oceans, so online matches tend to lag or disconnect. Download offline games before you board instead.
