Crashlands 2, Duck Detective, and more; Games for a Plane Trip - April 2025

It's not uncommon for folks to put out calls for game recommendations, and the one I see crop up more often than the others are requests for mobile game recommendations that are good for a long flight. I just so happen to be going on a flight in the near future, so I have decided to compile a list of recent releases that I plan to play to some degree while in the air.

My criteria for these selections are quite simple, but should fit the bill for anyone who is flying soon as well. These are all games that do not require a data connection to play and have enough going on in them that you can dedicate a long play session to them. While I haven't really played any of these games all that much just yet, see the list below along with my first impressions as well as any flight-specific tips for them.

Gordian Quest (Free)

This is a card-based role-playing game that replicates the feel of old school dungeon crawling. You build a party, enter a location, roll for initiative, and then use abilities out of each character's unique deck type that can be customized as you get further in. It looks neat, although a bit messy on the visual and menu design front, but that's totally fine to muddle through if you have a lot of time to spare anyway. If you want to have the full game available, make sure to boot the game while you still have data to purchase the whole thing ($6.99 one-time purchase). You also probably want to play this on an iPad, as many of the assets and menu items can be hard to read on a smaller screen.

SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered ($28.99)

There's nothing like a classic JRPG to act as a giant time sink while stuck in transit. I have been chipping away at this game even before my trip and it seems to have a completely novel structure, to me anyway. One of the nicest things about this remaster though is that it is super mobile friendly in terms of quick saves, game speed options, cloud saves, etc. which make bouncing in and out of it (or even between devices) super easy. This might not matter all that much while on a flight, but it does facilitate the prospect of actually continuing to play the game and finish it once your travels are over.

Crashlands 2 ($9.99)

The first Crashlands made a name for itself by being a breezy and charming crafting game with enough teeth and depth to it to keep you plugging away at it for a good long time, and Crashlands 2 seems to be doubling-down on that formula. If you have played any previous Butterscotch Shenanigans games, you might already be aware that these developers love tying your game data to an account, which means this is another title you may want to fire up at least once before you're in the air to make sure you can get through that stuff without issue.

Backyard Baseball '97 ($4.99)

If you want something that harkens back to a simpler time, Backyard Baseball '97 has got you covered. This game captures the spirit of baseball better than most games that have come after it, and it is extremely easy to let the rhythm of the game and the patter of the voicework carry you through match after match. As an added bonus, this game's aged nature also makes it one of the most battery-friendly and storage-space friendly titles from this list.

Duck Detective: Secret Salami (Free)

Sometimes, you don't want to spend your entire flight playing a game. Or perhaps you don't want to start a game you won't be able to finish either while in transit or shortly afterward. Duck Detective seems like a great pick for anyone in this boat, as it apparently only takes a few hours to beat. It also looks to be a pretty clever adventure game with full voice acting with enough charm to make you forget how little leg room you have for a bit. Just know that this full game requires an in-app purchase of $ 5.99 so make sure you do that before putting your phone in airplane mode.