Summary
Very few people actually enjoy the experience of being on an airplane. Unless you cough up the extra money for first class, you’re stuck in a claustrophobic space with dozens of other people, in desperate need of a distraction. It’s uncomfortable, whether your flight is four hours or fourteen.
The best games for your flight all have a solid single-player, offline experience that can keep you engaged for hours.Mobile games aremost people’s go-to, but your laptop or portable systems, like the Nintendo Switch, are also up for consideration. With that in mind, the following games have everything you’re looking for.
You can probably kill four or five hours just goofing off withthis game’s physics system, assuming you take breaks to do things like go to the bathroom and enjoy another ginger ale. That’s before you remember that Tears of the Kingdom has an actual story and sidequests to enjoy, which add more hours of content.
LikeBreath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom gives you a beautiful open world to explore. You might get distracted enough by sidequests and exploration that you’ll forget you also need to save Hyrule, but maybe you’re able to save that for another flight. If you own a Switch and haven’t gotten around to playing Tears of the Kingdom yet, there’s no time like the present.
If you’re a fan of deckbuilders, Slay the Spire has a captivating gameplay loop that will keep you occupied for hours. If you’ve never played a deckbuilder before, Slay the Spire is a great introduction to the genre, combining deck-building mechanics with a satisfyingrogueliteexperience.
Not only are you given the satisfaction of crafting a unique deck, you can also encounter all sorts of odd critters from the game’s truly weird bestiary. All of this is boosted by the game’s colorful, quirky art, which breathes life into even the most desolate of locales. However, the crown jewel of this game’s achievements is its soundtrack, which is also great to listen to on its own.
If you have a laptop capable of running The Sims 4, you’re pretty much set. The Sims has always been a game best played during twelve-hour binge sessions, making it perfect for long-haul flights. If you’re only going to be airborne for a few hours, you might spend all your time building a house before your Sims even get to live in it.
Just be mindful of how you play the game if you choose to kill time with The Sims 4. Sure, you might have fun with Wicked Whims and disappearing pool ladders in the privacy of your own home, but the person in the seat next to yours doesn’t need to see the vast underground torture complex you’ve built underneath Grandma’s cottage.
Vampire Survivors is free to play and can be fully enjoyed offline, making it a surprising addition to this list. Sure, there are far fewer vampires than you might expect, but you’ll be too busy mowing down wave after wave of enemies to really care. Despite its minimalistic look, this roguelite offers fast-paced and challenging gameplay.
While the base game is free, there are a few DLCs you can get your hands on prior to your flight if you feel like spicing things up a little. You can alsodownload a Castlevania modif you’re a fan of spooky crossovers, or if you’ve played the base game to death before and want a fresh coat of paint.
2025-07-04
Developer(s)
Lazy Bear Games, Magic Cat
Like most cozy farming games, Graveyard Keeper provides an engaging gameplay loop and soothing visuals, which is more than enough for stressful environments like an airplane. Unlike most games in its genre, however, you’re tending to human graves in a medieval world as opposed to enjoying a peaceful cottagecore existence.
Other than its premise, what makes Graveyard Keeper stand as a cut above the rest is its excellent writing and dialog. Characters speak to you in ways that sound natural and down to earth. You’re also left with interesting moral dilemmas as you play: do you honor the deceased, or sell their flesh as meat for a few more gold pieces?
Darkest Dungeon and itssequelare not particularly forgiving games. This series provides brutal dungeon crawling along with a complex turn-based combat system, providing a difficult but balanced gameplay loop for you to sink your teeth into while you’re waiting to arrive at your destination.
The first Darkest Dungeon’s base game has a satisfying story for you to experience all on its own, but if you’re looking for DLCs to keep you occupied, don’t worry. The Butcher’s Circus and Musketeer’s DLC are free, with Shieldbreaker and Crimson Court available for a reasonable price.
Civilization VI is a game that’s easy to play in twelve-hour sessions where you forget just about everything else in the world. That alone makes it great for a plane ride, freeing you from the drudgery of scrolling through your plane’s movie options before realizing there’s nothing you want to watch.
This turn-based strategy game allows you to build your own civilization, mingling among history’s greatest minds as you grow your empire. The gameplay is complex enough to keep you engaged without feeling overly monotonous. Just remember that you’ll probably have to turn your game off once you land.
Under normal circumstances, you’ll play Stardew Valley and tell yourself you’ll play just one more day while you hopelessly procrastinate on just about everything else. On a plane, the entire world has been left behind on the ground, leaving you to farm to your heart’s content in the sky.
It’s hard to overstate how many options you have at your disposal in this game. Whether you’re playing on a laptop. mobile device, or the Switch, you can start a new save file and knock out Spring of your first year on most flights. If you’re flying internationally, you might even be able to finish an entire year.
You might not have expected Hades to be on this list, but it has everything you’re looking for. The Switch version has decent controls and can fit neatly into a backpack or large purse, making it one of the most portable games on the market for you to die repeatedly in.
Like otherroguelikeson this list, Hades provides a satisfying gameplay loop that you may spend hours getting lost in. It also boasts a great story and truly excellent character designs and voice acting. If you’re having a hard time making progress, you can also enable God Mode, which makes the game just a bit more forgiving.
Terraria might have released in 2011, but there’s a reason the community has been thriving for over a decade now. You can do pretty much everything in this game, from exploring the world to building the house of your dreams. The possibilities are endless, and even long-haul flights will go by without you thinking about much else.
While Terraria has plenty of offline content, you might want to make sure you have all your favorite mods installed before you board your flight. If you’re just getting started on your adventure, you’re able to take a look at ourlist of the best Terraria modsfor you to download.
