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A year after troublesome launch, 'SimCity' finally gets an offline mode

A year after troublesome launch, 'SimCity' finally gets an offline mode

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When SimCity came out last March, critics were thrilled with the beloved series' first game in nearly a decade. But no one could praise publisher EA's handling of the launch, which was chronically plagued with server issues that left players stuck with a game they couldn't play. Now, after an entire year, developer Maxis is giving SimCity players what they've been asking for: a way to play the game offline.

Update 10, available today, brings a single player mode to the game. Instead of the always-online multiplayer experience that the title launched with, players will be able to nurture their own cities without worrying about neighbors damaging their metropolis — or troublesome servers meddling with their gameplay.

According to the release notes, you'll still need Origin to use single player. You'll just have to flip the software into offline mode. In addition, it's worth noting that online and single player cities have to be separate — you won't be able to bring your current city offline.