Ubisoft Finally Delivers Offline Mode for The Crew 2, A Win for Game Preservation

After more than a year of development, Ubisoft has officially released the long-awaited offline mode for its open-world racing game, The Crew 2. Dubbed ’Hybrid Mode,’ this new feature allows players to choose between online and offline play at startup, or automatically launches into offline mode when no internet connection is detected.

This update is a direct response to the significant backlash Ubisoft faced after shutting down the servers for the original The Crew game in 2024, which rendered it completely unplayable. The new system ensures that The Crew 2 will remain accessible even after its official online services are eventually retired.

While playing offline, some online-exclusive features like multiplayer, in-game store purchases, and user-generated content will be unavailable. Progress and save files are also kept separate between the two modes, though players can export their online save to overwrite their offline progress.

In a related development, the original The Crew has been revived not by Ubisoft, but by a fan-made server emulator mod called The Crew Unlimited, highlighting the community’s role in preserving games abandoned by their publishers.