The physical edition of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora requires an internet connection to install. This will come as a huge surprise to many because one of the biggest reasons to get a disc is to play the game without needing the internet. However, the disc version of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will need you to be online to start.
Reddit user Interesting-Squash81 received their physical PS5 copy of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora early, but when they tried to play it, they got an image simply showing the game’s logo and release date of December 7, 2023.
After changing the time and date on their console, the user tried launching the game offline but was still shown the same image.
Perhaps a day-one patch is required, or maybe the game will simply check online to see if the release date has passed. Regardless of how the physical edition is configured, players need an online connection to be able to boot it.
According to VGC, there is a small message on the front of the game’s final box art: “Internet required to install the game.” The box art shown during pre-ordering should have included this message. At this point, being online isn’t an issue since most gamers are, but it still doesn’t sit well when you think about it.
To preface, we don’t know if this is an internal timing thing on the disc, so we may just know how long it will take regardless, but we’re thinking it may need confirmation from the server the first time you try to connect. If it needs to be permanently online, then anytime the servers are down, the game will be unplayable. This isn’t okay because you paid for a disc that is meant to be usable regardless of whether you have an internet connection.
We’ll have to wait and see what this means, but single-player games that are permanently online aren’t what many gamers want. Make sure to check out our countdown so you can be ready right when the game releases!
