The latest third-person shooter offering from Square Enix is quickly gaining popularity. The CO-OP and story-driven Outriders is not without its launch day blues however. The game has run into continuous server and authentication errors, preventing players from being able to play. The issues have led many to ask. Can Outriders be played offline?
Can Outriders be played Offline?
Short Answer: No. Outriders cannot be played offline and is considered an online-only title. The game requires online authentication to get past the initial load screen and even get to the game menu.
The lack of offline play has been a significant point of frustration for players, with the launch day outages stretching into the second day of launch. If you were not intending on playing CO-OP or matchmaking for CO-OP it would seem as though offline play with this title should technically be possible.
The developers have not released any statements on the recent surge in demand for offline play but have been routinely addressing the community regarding the connection issues via Twitter. Stating that they are working around the clock to resolve all the current problems with getting and staying logged into the game.
Connection issues aside. Most players feel that it would be nice to have offline play in general, even when everything is working. While the vast majority of gamers have internet connections, offline play would allow players to game on the go and play during future outages.
Generally speaking, I wouldn’t hold my breath for offline play in Outriders. Much like other games that have raised the same concerns, adding offline play after the fact is exceptionally challenging. If the game wasn’t originally designed to work without the internet, overhauling the game engine is a major undertaking. The developers simply won’t have the time or resources to do it. It’s best to just ride out the storm and wait for those servers to come back online.
