Best Offline Games for iPhone (No Wi-Fi Needed)

The best offline games for iPhone are Stardew Valley, Balatro, Mini Metro, Kingdom Rush, Monument Valley and Retro Bowl: each plays its main mode with no Wi-Fi or cellular data once it's installed. The parts that break offline are usually the extras: daily challenges, cloud saves and paid add-ons. Below are 20 picks: our own sea battle game first, then 19 more across seven genres, with the catch for each one.

I make Torpedo, a sea battle game for iPhone, so I spend a lot of time on how games behave with no signal. We make Torpedo, so we're biased: it's #1 here as our pick for offline play, and the other 19 are games I'd recommend to a friend about to board a plane.

1. Torpedo: our pick for offline play

#1 · Our pick

Torpedo: Sea Battle 2 Player

Free with optional purchases · iPhone, iPad & iPhone Duo · iOS 17 or later

Torpedo is a free sea battle game for iPhone and iPad, and every mode that doesn't need another person far away works in airplane mode. On a plane, Apple says you can turn Wi-Fi back on in airplane mode if the airline allows it, and that's all a Nearby game needs: two phones side by side, no plane Wi-Fi purchase.

Why it made the list

• Against the computer with no connection, at five levels from Beginner to an Expert that remembers where you tend to hide your fleet
• The Admiral's Campaign, 30 missions against 15 captains, also plays offline
• Two players on one iPhone or iPad, with a handoff screen so neither sees the other's ships
• Nearby links two iPhones or iPads over Wi-Fi, peer to peer, with no internet and no account

Keep in mind

• Online battles, battles by turns and SharePlay need the internet
• It shows ads; Remove Ads or the optional Admiral Club subscription turns them off
• It runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later
• It's brand new, so it has no App Store ratings yet

How we picked these offline games

An offline game, for this list, is one whose main mode starts and plays in airplane mode with Wi-Fi turned off. Every pick had to pass four tests:

On October 7, 2026, we also pulled up to 500 of the most recent US App Store reviews for each pick and read every one that mentions offline play, Wi-Fi, the internet or planes. That's where most of the caveats below come from. We haven't flown with all of them, so treat the caveats as reports from developers and players, and run the airplane-mode test at the end of this guide.

Quick picks: 20 offline iPhone games compared

Prices are US App Store prices on October 7, 2026.

Best offline puzzle and word games

Monument Valley 1, 2 and 3

Monument Valley is a series of short optical-illusion puzzles, and my pick for someone who doesn't usually play games. The first two cost $3.99 each. Monument Valley 3 is free to start with no ads, and one in-app purchase unlocks the rest. Recent reviewers of both older games call out "no Wi-Fi needed."

Offline caveat: buying the extra chapters needs a connection. A few reviewers hit "no connection" errors at checkout, so buy them at home.

Threes!

Threes! is the sliding-number puzzle that came before 2048, and still the better game. It's $5.99 for the buy-once version, with a free Freeplay version. Reviewers have played it on flights since 2015.

Offline caveat: one 2024 reviewer found a high score set in airplane mode never reached the Game Center leaderboard.

Wordscapes

Wordscapes builds crossword grids out of a wheel of letters, level after level. Apple included it in its The Best Offline Games App Store story.

Offline caveat: it's free and the ads are heavy. Several 2026 reviewers say they play in airplane mode to get fewer of them, and one says even that stopped working, so expect some ads either way.

Best offline strategy games

Mini Metro

Mini Metro has you draw subway lines across a growing city until the network jams. It's calm, quick to restart and $3.99, with no ads.

Offline caveat: the developer's privacy policy says the game requests the current Daily Challenge at startup, so that mode needs internet. Normal, Endless, Extreme and Creative modes don't.

The Battle of Polytopia

Polytopia is a pocket-sized civilization game: explore, expand and fight, with a 30-turn Perfection mode that fits a flight. The App Store listing says it allows offline play and includes Pass & Play. It's free; extra tribes cost money.

Offline caveat: online matchmaking needs internet. Matches against the AI and Pass & Play don't.

Kingdom Rush

Kingdom Rush is a tower defense game: you build towers along a path and hold off waves of enemies. The App Store listing says "PLAY OFFLINE!" in capitals, and recent reviewers back it up, including one who played three hours straight on a flight. It's free, with paid heroes.

Offline caveat: none reported in the reviews we read.

Plague Inc.

Plague Inc. puts you in charge of a disease trying to infect the whole world before humanity finds a cure. At $0.99 it's the cheapest paid pick here, and a 2026 reviewer recommends it for plane rides since it doesn't need internet.

Offline caveat: buy any extra scenarios or genes at home.

Best offline board and card games

Balatro

Balatro is a poker-based roguelike: you build hands, collect jokers that bend the rules, and try to beat a rising score target. It costs $9.99 with no ads or in-app purchases, and Pocket Gamer's review confirms it plays offline and online. Of its 500 latest App Store reviews, 18 bring up Wi-Fi or offline play: about half praise it for working without a connection, and most of the rest describe save problems.

Offline caveat: several early-2026 reviews report the "loading cloud save" screen freezing without a connection, or progress not saving after an offline run. Open it online right before you leave so it syncs.

Wingspan

Wingspan is the hit bird-collecting board game, and the app plays it with AI opponents or other people. Pocket Gamer lists single-player plus local or online multiplayer for up to five players. It's $9.99, with paid expansions.

Offline caveat: the reviewers who mention offline play mostly say it works, but one in 2025 had it hang on the title screen during a flight. Test it in airplane mode first.

Lichess

Lichess is a free, open-source chess app with no ads. Since a March 2026 update, it plays offline against the computer at 12 difficulty levels, and it has an over-the-board mode for two people on one phone.

Offline caveat: online games need internet. The listing mentions offline puzzles, but several 2026 reviewers say the new app dropped them.

Best offline roguelikes

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire is the card-battling roguelike that started a genre, and one run fills most of a short flight. It's $6.99.

Offline caveat: reviews are split. Recent reviewers play it on flights without trouble, but others since 2023 report the app hanging on "Syncing data…" with no connection. Its Daily Climb also needs internet. If you have Apple Arcade, Slay the Spire+ is the same game.

Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a fast 2D action roguelike with touch controls and controller support. It's $8.99, and its App Store page promises "no ads, no F2P mechanics." One 2026 reviewer played it through a nine-hour overseas trip.

Offline caveat: Playdigious's help center says DLC access needs your Apple account signed in and a steady connection, so start your DLC content once at home.

Brotato

Brotato is a short-session arena shooter starring a potato with six weapons. The free version has ads; Brotato:Premium is $4.99. The developer's App Store listing says offline play is supported but progress isn't saved to the cloud.

Offline caveat: a few reviewers, one as recently as September 2026, say the free version wouldn't start offline after an update. Premium has fewer complaints. Test before you go.

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors is a cheap thrill: walk around, dodge, and watch your weapons wipe out thousands of monsters. It's free, with optional ads and paid DLC, and Apple lists it in its offline games story.

Offline caveat: reviewers report that paid DLC sometimes won't load without a connection, leaving only the base game. The base game is reliable offline.

Best offline arcade and sports games

Alto's Odyssey

Alto's Odyssey is a calm sandboarding endless runner with a Zen Mode that removes scores entirely. It's $4.99, and the listing says "no ads or in-app purchases."

Offline caveat: two 2018 reviews reported crashes when opening it offline; recent reviewers report no problems.

Crossy Road

Crossy Road is the endless road-crossing game with hundreds of unlockable characters. The App Store listing promises offline play and same-device multiplayer. It's free, with ads and in-app purchases.

Offline caveat: none found. 33 of its latest 500 reviews mention Wi-Fi or offline play, and several say ads stop when the phone is offline.

Retro Bowl

Retro Bowl is a pixel-art American football manager where you also call and throw the plays. It's free, with ads and an optional paid upgrade. 35 of its latest 500 reviews mention Wi-Fi or playing offline, nearly all of them happily.

Offline caveat: buying the upgrade needs a connection.

Best offline story and sandbox games

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is the farming RPG that can swallow a whole transatlantic flight and the trip home. It's $4.99, and the App Store listing says there are no in-app purchases. Pocket Tactics calls it a natural pick for when you have no internet connection.

Offline caveat: single-player is fully offline. Reviewers say co-op needs both players on the same network.

Minecraft

Minecraft on iPhone costs $6.99, and its single-player worlds work offline.

Offline caveat: as Pocket Tactics notes, you can't join a server with friends while offline. Paid private servers and Marketplace downloads need internet too.

Two players, one phone, no internet

Five picks above let two people share one device with no connection: Polytopia (Pass & Play), Wingspan (local play), Lichess (over the board), Crossy Road (same-device mode) and Vampire Survivors, which runs 1 to 4 player couch co-op in landscape if you pair Bluetooth controllers.

Torpedo, our #1 pick above, adds a sixth: two players on one phone with a handoff screen, or two phones side by side over Nearby, with no internet either way.

For more two-person ideas, see our guides to games for couples, road trip games for two and the best 2-player board games. And if every battery is dead, a sheet of squared paper still works: here's how to play sea battle on paper.

Games to play on a plane: a pre-flight checklist

Do these at home, on Wi-Fi, the day before you fly:

1. Update every game. Updates are large downloads, and you won't want to fight in-flight Wi-Fi for one.
2. Open each game once online and play a round. This lets cloud saves sync and confirms your purchases. Several Balatro reviewers lost progress after offline sessions.
3. Download paid add-ons and open them once. Vampire Survivors DLC, Dead Cells DLC and Monument Valley's extra chapters all need a connection the first time.
4. Turn on Low Power Mode. Apple says it reduces display brightness, turns off Background App Refresh and turns off automatic downloads. Fast action games use more power than puzzles, so pack a charger or power bank.
5. Switch on airplane mode, then add back what you need. Apple notes that airplane mode turns off every radio except Bluetooth, so your headphones and controllers keep working. Turn Wi-Fi on only for the plane's Wi-Fi or a Nearby game.
6. Pack headphones. Several of these, including Alto's Odyssey and Mini Metro, are much better with sound.

How to check if a game works offline

You can test any game at home in a couple of minutes:

1. On Wi-Fi, open the game, play briefly, then close it completely (swipe it away in the app switcher).
2. Turn on airplane mode and make sure Wi-Fi is off in Control Center.
3. Open the game again from cold and play a full round or level.
4. Close it, reopen it, and check that your progress is still there.
5. Watch for warning signs: a spinner reading "Syncing" or "Loading cloud save," locked daily modes, or missing DLC.

Apple Arcade games: Apple says Arcade games play online or offline, and its 2019 launch announcement said all of them are playable offline, with no ads or in-app purchases. Arcade costs $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year and can be shared with up to five people. Twelve of the picks above have an Arcade edition, usually with a "+" in the name: Monument Valley, Threes!, Mini Metro, Polytopia, Balatro, Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Vampire Survivors, Alto's Odyssey, Crossy Road, Retro Bowl and Stardew Valley. They are separate apps that need an active subscription, and saves don't carry over from the paid versions. Run the same airplane-mode test on them before a trip.

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