You can play steam games offline as long as the game of your choosing is single-player or local multiplayer that is up-to-date.
What Is Steam Offline Mode?
The main reason to play offline would be that maybe your internet is not the best, or you don’t have access to it all the time. Whatever the reason, if you’d like to play your favorite games without an Internet connection, the steps you have to take are pretty simple.
It’s worth mentioning that having your Steam profile settings appear offline to your friends’ list is not the same as having Steam Offline Mode. Once you’ve activated offline mode, Steam will be blocked from accessing gaming servers as well as shopping for games, downloading them, and chatting with friends.
How To Set Up Offline Mode On Steam
To configure Steam Offline Mode on your PC, you just have to follow a straightforward set of instructions.
- Open the Steam app, make sure to check the “Remember my password” box when you log in.
- Make sure that all your games are up to date.
- Launch the game you want to play offline to verify that you don’t need further updates or installations.
- Shut down the game and return to Steam.
- Make sure that the option “Don’t save account credentials on this computer” is not selected. You can do so by going to Steam> Settings > Account.
- Go to the Steam menu and select Go Offline.
- Lastly, click Restart in Offline Mode to restart Steam in Offline Mode.
And you’re all set!
How To Avoid Losing Stored Information
For Offline Mode to function properly, Steam needs stored information. There is a risk to this since that information can be lost when you’re not connected to the internet. To avoid that, make sure to close Steam manually before you shut down your computer. Avoid force quitting Steam as well. Keep in mind any programs that might interfere with Steam or affect its installation files.
Also, make sure to update Steam client or game files. Failing to do so might result in the game not running in offline mode even if it’s “100% – Ready.” You might receive a message saying: “This game cannot be started in Offline Mode.”
Another footnote to keep in mind is that games that require an active connection, such as multiplayer games, or use an external launcher will not work in offline mode.
How To Start Steam In Offline Mode
If you did not follow the steps above, Steam would instead show you an error message that will tell you it’s unable to connect. There is a way to force Steam to launch Offline Mode right away, and that’s by disabling your network connection. There are three ways to do this.
You can manually disable the network adapter in Windows or Mac by going to Network and View Network Connections. Another way is to simply disable your wifi and unplug the Ethernet cable plugged in your computer. This way, Steam will not read a failed internet connection and instead will offer you to enable offline mode for you right away.
For Related Content:
