RetroAchievements with handhelds

I tend not to play a game with retro achievements when I don’t have internet, just to avoid the FOMO on potential achievements.

Edit: Apparently this just doesn't work on some emulators. Test it with a simple achievement that's easily repeatable before doing something like an RPG.

You can play RA without internet, but you have to be very careful.

1. Load up the game and achievements while you still have internet. You can still earn achievements until the emulator is closed, but they won't sync to the site until you have internet again.

2. DO NOT CLOSE THE EMULATOR UNTIL YOU HAVE INTERNET AGAIN!

...and, that's all you have to do. Make sure the achievements sync to the website before closing the emulator. That being said, I've never actually done this myself - playing games on long flights makes me feel sick, so I usually just sleep. You could also play some non-RA games, or watch movies or something else.

I hotspot to my phones internet data. Although Im not sure how well this would work on a plane, even with global roaming activated.

I’ve wondered about that too. I wanted to play my 3ds on a flight but didn’t want to miss out on the achievements. I was worried about the connection to the wifi not being stable enough for the 3ds so I just read instead.

I tend to go back to some of my all time favs that I've already gotten achievements for. Stuff like Super Mario World or the various Zelda games are great for quick game sessions when I've got a moment of downtime while I'm not and about, and I've got all the simple achievements in those games already.

I have a phone plan with 10g of hotspot. I don't use it for anything else, so I use it to retroachievements on the go. I have paid for wifi on a plane before, but ended up deciding it wasn't worth it.

I rarely game outside the house. When I do, I use mobile data.

I actually just got off a flight where I was in this exact situation! I was flying with United Airlines and it was $10-20 for wifi depending on the length of the flight. Although the wifi was pretty weak it was good enough for unlocking achievements.

For flights without wifi I find the the perfect set is Pokemon Regulation Red/Blue Solo Challenge: https://retroachievements.org/game/21533 You play though Red/Blue with a single Pokemon and the only achievement is for entering the Hall of Fame after beating the Champion. In about 3 hours of real world time using fast forward I can get to the Elite Four, then I save and quit and return to it after I land and have internet again to unlock the achievement.

yep, its pretty much what you said, no way around it.

Iirc RetroArch will store achievements for when you get back online? Otherwise I'd just suggest playing something with more of a grind that you can cash in when you're back on wifi. Or Doing stuff but not finishing them to the point where you'd the the achievement. Not a wide selection and not super convenient but if you were really interested in doing ra without online that's the only idea I'd imagine.

Trying to read a book when you trip

If I'm gonna be without internet for maybe 4 to y hours I load one game and don't close it until I connect to the internet again. Otherwise I play things without worrying about acheivements. Usually that means playing a gamecube game handheld since gamecube on Android does not work woth retro acheivements.

We don't fly too much in my coutry ... I was in plane only two times in my life ...

In other areas ? Just hotspot on cellphone

Some cfw will let you create game lists. I find a few games that I have that don't have achievements and put them on the list. For example, Yggdra Union on gba. Then I play those when I don't have wifi. You can use your mobile data to do a Hotspot as well but you can't do that on a plane. I think planes also have internet access depending on your deal.

I save in a non-quick save slot. Right before I believe I may get an achievement. Then When I have internet again, I reload the save and Ill get the achievement. I feel what you mean tho, I have a hotspot on my phone and Retroacheivements doesn't use that much data for an achievement.

Just a suggestion, but if I did I would try to play a game that could have multiple save files. Like a PS1 title or a game that allows multiple save files. Save the game right before the achievement would trigger. This way if it doesn't "store" the achievement on the emulator itself you can always reload the save when you have Internet again. Or you can use save states if you're looking for softcore points.

Play the other games that don't have achievement sets, usually. Various romhacks.