A Party Animals offline mode has become a point of controversy for many players. Numerous “not recommended” user reviews for the game have been posted on Steam to the point that, at the time of this writing, it has an overall “mixed” rating. Many of these negative user reviews accuse developer Recreate Games for stating that Party Animals had an offline mode, but then changed the game’s description to say otherwise at launch. Here’s whether Party Animals promised to deliver an offline mode for the game on Steam and Xbox platforms.
Was a Party Animals offline mode promised?
According to a past description of the game on Steam, a Party Animals offline mode was stated.
As indicated by the SteamDB entry for Party Animals, the official store description was originally the following: “Fight your friends as puppies, kittens and other fuzzy creatures in PARTY ANIMALS! Paw it out with your friends both online and offline.” The last part of this quote was changed on September 20, 2023 at 15:40 UTC to be “with your friends online.” This has understandably led many to believe that this to be a simple case of bait and switch.
In response, the developer has provided an official explanation on the Steam discussion forums of what happened. It claims that its intention was “to convey that you can play with your friends remotely (online), or together in the same location using the same device (offline) through split-screen.” It “regrets the misunderstanding” that led players to believe an offline mode would be included, a feature which Recreate Games do not plan to add in the future.
The Chinese developer further says that recent playtests of the game did not include an offline mode and that English is not its first language.
It’s up to you whether you believe this was an honest mistake or if it was intentional. Either way, requiring a connection to online servers for local multiplayer remains an issue for many players.
Party Animals Offline Mode FAQ
A: Yes, an earlier description of Party Animals on Steam mentioned both online and offline modes. The phrase “Paw it out with your friends both online and offline” was later changed to specify only online play, leading to confusion and disappointment among players.
A: Recreate Games clarified on the Steam forums that the description intended to highlight split-screen play on the same device as “offline.” They regretted the resulting confusion and confirmed they won’t be adding a traditional offline mode. It also noted English isn’t their first language.
A: Yes, you do. Despite the ability to play in a local setting on the same device, the game requires a connection to its online servers for local multiplayer, which has been a point of contention for many players.
For more Party Animals guides, here’s whether the game has cross-play and the game’s release date on PlayStation, Switch, and mobile platforms.
