Best offline survival games for Android
Looking for a survival game to play on the bus or somewhere with no signal? Plenty of games say they are offline, and an hour in they ask you to connect. Here are some worth trying, and what to watch for before you download.
Ask yourself first
- Does it really work offline? Or is only solo play offline, and the rest needs a server?
- Paid or free? Are there ads or in-app purchases?
- Is it in Arabic, or English only?
- What happens when you die? Back to the last save, or erased?
Games worth a try
This is what we found on the games’ own pages and in published reviews. Prices change a lot, so check the store yourself.
- Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition
- Paid, one time. You live in a hand-drawn wilderness and manage your hunger, health and sanity, with creatures all around. Works offline. Support page.
- Minecraft
- Paid. Survival mode works offline if you play alone. Only multiplayer and Realms need a connection.
- Day R Survival
- Free, with optional purchases. A fit if you play alone and want to progress without timers or waiting.
- Last Day on Earth: Survival
- Popular, and its solo play is good. But some features rely on a server, so check that it opens without a connection before you depend on it.
- Nile’s End
- Free, no ads, and the whole game works offline. In Egyptian Arabic and English. It is set in Egypt in 1985, after a nuclear war, on a map of the real country. Read more.
Nile’s End is our game, so take our opinion with a pinch of salt. It is a much smaller game than the others here, but it is different in the world it is set in.
How to check that it is really offline
Install the game and let any extra downloads finish, then switch on airplane mode and open it. If it opens, saves your progress and carries on, you are fine. If it asks you to sign in or connect, it is not a truly offline game.
If you are still unsure
Start with a free one, so you lose nothing if it is not for you. Once you know what you like about the genre, pick a paid one if you want. And there is a guide to Nile’s End if you try it and want some tips.
