Offline Games Checklist: On the Train | GameJar

That first online visit stores the games on the device so they keep working when the train goes through tunnels. Do it before you leave, not on the platform while your signal has other ideas.

Tap into the games they actually want, so there is no guesswork later when the connection drops. This is the useful version of preparation, not the dramatic version.

Put it where your child can find it without asking you every ten minutes. A home screen icon is quicker than hunting through tabs while the train lurches.

A profile is just a name and a colour stored on the device. It helps if siblings are sharing one phone or tablet and would prefer not to inherit each other's scores.

No account is needed to play, so skip that part and get on with it. Optional sign-in is only for a parent who wants to sync scores across devices.

A train seat with a dead battery is just a chair with extra disappointment. Start at 100 percent if you can.

A quick test now tells you whether the device is ready for tunnels. If a game opens in airplane mode, you are set.

Trains are inconsistent about sockets, and children are consistent about using batteries. Bring your own backup rather than trusting the carriage to behave.

The games themselves do not need chat or online features, but nearby passengers still do not want to hear everything else on the device. Headphones make shared tables less fraught.

Some children like to note crossword clues or number patterns on paper instead of narrating them at full volume. It also gives restless hands something else to do.

A hungry child is rarely improved by weak signal and a delayed train. A lid matters if the table is also holding the device.

Two-player here means passing one phone or tablet, not playing online. Decide that before boarding and you avoid the usual negotiation conducted in public.

The games work with no signal after that first online visit, so the device does not need to keep searching through every tunnel. That search is surprisingly expensive.

Bright screens drain battery and shine directly at whoever is opposite. On a shared table, courtesy and battery life happen to want the same thing.

Solo games suit cramped seating better than anything involving elbows and theatrical reactions. If drinks, tickets and snacks are already on the table, keep it simple.

Mini Crossword, Guess the Word, Picture Logic, 2048 and Mini Sudoku all work without anyone leaning across the table. That is usually the civilised option.

A train carriage is not obliged to enjoy your child's sound effects. Silent play travels better.

Shared train tables are rarely clean enough to inspire confidence. A quick wipe is less grim than discovering crumbs embedded in the charging port later.

It is a 5x5 puzzle, so it suits the kind of journey broken up by announcements and bags falling over. If they get stuck, there are check and reveal helpers.

It does not need a live connection once stored on the device, and one round is quick enough to survive a tunnel, a ticket check and a snack crisis.

It is a nonogram where the row and column numbers tell you which squares to fill. Every puzzle can be solved by working it out, so there is less random tapping at a crowded table.

Simple swipes are easier than fiddly inputs when the carriage moves around. It is also a decent fallback if the child has five minutes and no patience.

Pick 4x4, 6x6 or 9x9 depending on attention span and journey length. It is generated on the device, which is helpful when the train enters another tunnel at exactly the wrong moment.

Passing one device back and forth works better if neither player is also balancing a sandwich and a fizzy drink. Use them when the table is calm.

It involves hiding four ships on a 7x7 grid and passing the device, so it needs a bit of care. A crowded carriage is not always ideal for tactical secrecy.

Profiles are only a name and a colour, but they save a lot of pointless dispute later. Set that now, while everyone still remembers being reasonable.

Connect Four, Dots & Boxes and Salvo all work on one device, but only if both players get a turn before adolescence ends. Keep turns short at a shared table.

Passing a phone over someone else's coffee is a poor system. If two children are sharing, keep them next to each other if you can.

A surprising number of train disputes are just proximity in a metal tube. Solo options let them stop negotiating and get on with it.

The game includes a cover so neither player sees the other's board. That matters more on a train where everyone can lean at the wrong moment.

Two players means two people on one device, passing it between them. That is the whole arrangement, and on a train it is probably for the best.