Best Offline Games to Play on a Flight (iPhone and Android, 2026)

Before you board: the five-minute check

Airplane mode turns off cellular and WiFi on your phone (Bluetooth stays on, so your headphones keep working). Airlines differ on whether, and how much, in-flight WiFi costs, so the safest plan is to assume you will have no connection. Many games say “offline” and then ask to download extra data on first launch. Do this at home:

1. Install on home WiFi. Some games are big: on the US App Store, Slay the Spire is about 0.9 GB and Stardew Valley about 0.5 GB.
2. Open each game once while online and play a minute, so it finishes any first-run downloads and sign-ins.
3. Switch on airplane mode and open it again. If it plays, it will play on the plane. If it shows an error, you found out on the ground.
4. Charge your phone and pack a cable. Many seats have USB power now, but not all.
5. Remember what will not work offline: leaderboards, cloud saves, ads and anything multiplayer. That is normal; your progress syncs when you land.

The list at a glance

Prices from the US App Store on 19 October 2026; Google Play prices can differ and sales change them. Session lengths are our rough estimates. Several of these also come in Apple Arcade “+” editions (see below).

Quick games for taxiing, turbulence and short hops

Short rounds suit the parts of a flight when you get interrupted: boarding, the drinks cart, the seat-belt sign. One-tap games are also easy to play with one hand on a tray table.

Tap Cat (our game, iPhone)

A cat slides across the screen and you tap to stop it right over the faded target cat; the overlap is your score, and 95% or more counts as Perfect. Each level needs three good hits and the cat gets faster as you climb. There are four modes (Adventure, Classic with limited lives, pressure-free Practice and a 60-second Time Attack) and three daily challenges. Every mode plays without WiFi or mobile data; ads only load when you are online. It is free, with no in-app purchases.

Zippy Robo (our game, Android)

You steer a little cleaning robot down a straight corridor. It keeps sliding sideways on its own, and every tap anywhere on the screen flips its direction; touch a wall or an obstacle and the run ends. You score a point for each obstacle you pass and three for each dust pile you vacuum up, and every 30 points takes you into a faster themed zone. It plays offline; only the Google Play Games leaderboard and ads need a connection, and your best score is saved on the phone.

Crossy Road

The classic endless hopper: cross roads, rivers and train tracks with one tap per hop. Its App Store listing names offline play as a feature. Free with ads and optional purchases, on iPhone and Android, and rounds last a minute or two.

Alto’s Odyssey

A calm, beautiful endless snowboarding game across desert dunes, with a Zen mode that removes scores entirely, which is ideal for a night flight with headphones on. It is a single-player premium game: the App Store edition is $4.99 with no ads or in-app purchases, and it is also on Google Play. Its listing does not spell out offline play, so do the airplane-mode test at home.

Puzzles for a one- to three-hour flight

Mini Metro

Draw subway lines for a growing city and keep passengers moving until the network jams. It is quiet, clever and played at your own pace. $3.99 on the App Store and also on Google Play, with an Apple Arcade edition. It is single-player with no online features that we found, but test it in airplane mode first.

The Battle of Polytopia

A turn-based strategy game in which you grow a small tribe into an empire on a random map. A game against the computer takes anything from 20 minutes to an hour and you can stop at any turn. Its App Store listing says plainly that it can be played offline; only online multiplayer needs a connection. Free, with optional tribe packs.

Deep games for a long-haul flight

Balatro

A poker-themed roguelike: play hands, collect jokers that bend the rules, and chase absurd scores. One run is roughly half an hour and it is very hard to put down, which on a ten-hour flight is a feature. $9.99 on the App Store and on Google Play, with an Apple Arcade edition. Travel guides report it plays fully offline; confirm with the airplane-mode test.

Slay the Spire

The deck-building roguelike that started a genre: climb a tower, build a card deck, and lose gloriously. Runs are long but you can save and quit mid-run, so landing never costs you progress. $9.99 on the App Store, also on Google Play, and about 0.9 GB, so download it at home.

Stardew Valley

Inherit a farm, plant crops, fish, and get to know a small town. An in-game day takes about a quarter of an hour, so it fills a long flight easily. The mobile version is single-player. On 19 October 2026 the US App Store listed it at $4.99 (it has been higher before, so this may be a sale), and it is also on Google Play.

If you already pay for Apple Arcade

Apple says Apple Arcade games have no ads or in-app purchases and can be played online or offline, once downloaded. Several games on this list have Arcade “+” editions, including Polytopia, Mini Metro, Slay the Spire, Balatro, Stardew Valley and a remastered Alto’s Odyssey. If you subscribe, download them before you leave and open each one once.

How to pick

• Short flight, lots of interruptions: Tap Cat, Zippy Robo or Crossy Road.
• You want to relax: Alto’s Odyssey in Zen mode, or Mini Metro.
• Long-haul and wide awake: Balatro, Slay the Spire or Polytopia.
• Night flight, want something cosy: Stardew Valley.
• Travelling with kids: one-tap games are easy to hand over; check each game’s age rating on the store page first.

Looking for more like our two? We keep lists of games like Tap Cat and games like Zippy Robo. And if you will be on the airport WiFi before boarding, our travel WiFi checklist takes five minutes.

Questions people ask

What games can I play on a plane without WiFi?

Any game that does not need a server: one-tap games such as Tap Cat (iPhone) and Zippy Robo (Android), Crossy Road, and single-player games like Alto’s Odyssey, Mini Metro, The Battle of Polytopia, Balatro, Slay the Spire and Stardew Valley. Install and open each one at home, then test it in airplane mode.

Do mobile games work in airplane mode?

Many do. Single-player games usually play fine; leaderboards, cloud saves, ads and multiplayer need a connection and simply wait until you are back online. Some games download extra data the first time you open them, which is why you should open them once before the flight.

What is the best free offline game for iPhone?

Good free choices are Crossy Road, The Battle of Polytopia and Tap Cat (made by Srofia). All three are free to download and their single-player modes play without a connection; Crossy Road and Tap Cat have ads, Polytopia has optional paid packs.

What is a good offline game for Android on a flight?

Zippy Robo (made by Srofia) and Crossy Road are free quick games; Polytopia is free strategy; Mini Metro, Balatro, Slay the Spire and Stardew Valley are paid games that are also on Google Play.

Do Apple Arcade games work offline?

Apple says Arcade games can be played online or offline once downloaded. Download them before you leave home and open each one once while connected.

Sources

Checked on October 19, 2026. Prices and features change; check the store listing before you buy.

• Apple — Use Airplane Mode on your iPhone
• Apple — About Apple Arcade
• Crossy Road — App Store listing
• Alto’s Odyssey — App Store listing
• Mini Metro — App Store listing
• The Battle of Polytopia — App Store listing
• Balatro — App Store listing
• Slay the Spire — App Store listing
• Stardew Valley — App Store listing
• Tap Cat (our game) — App Store
• Zippy Robo (our game) — Google Play