The Crew 2 starts testing the offline mode after controversies and community pressure

After an uncomfortable silence, The Ubisoft started shaping the long-awaited offline mode of The Crew 2, meeting a growing demand from the community after the controversial permanent shutdown of the first The Crew, which left thousands of players without access to the purchased game — and even led to an ongoing legal action by consumer groups and digital privacy experts.

The first tests of the offline mode for The Crew 2 begin on April 30, 2025, with an initial phase restricted to selected users on PC. According to producer Grégory Corgié, "development is progressing well" and the goal is to launch the functionality for all platforms by the end of 2025.

"The offline mode will allow us to switch between online and offline whenever we want, ensuring access to the game even without active servers," said Corgié in an official video statement.

As for the latest title in the franchise, The Crew: Motorfest, the road will be longer. The studio is prioritizing continuous support for the live-service, but confirmed that the offline mode is also part of future plans. "We are focused on sustaining Motorfest as an active service, but the offline mode will be implemented later," said the producer.

The movement from Ubisoft comes amid strong criticism of the always online game model, even for single-player modes. Recently, a digital privacy company filed a new lawsuit against the publisher, accusing it of abusive data collection practices and requiring connection in experiences that should be offline.

It is worth remembering that in September 2024, Ubisoft announced its intention to add these offline modes after the closure of The Crew (2014), whose server shutdown also eliminated access to the game even for those who had legally purchased it. The case led a community of modders to try to rebuild the server software to keep the game functional — an effort that has not yet received official support from the company.

With the arrival of tests in The Crew 2, it remains to be seen whether the initiative will be enough to regain players' trust and set a new standard for digital game preservation.