Online for First launch??

[Azmak]

Trying to play the game in offline mode, but it keeps telling me it needs to be launched in online mode for the "first" launch, despite having over 4 hours already. What's with this?

[Radiosity]

You can thank Denuvo for that. You need to launch the game in online mode at least once every couple of weeks (might be less than that, I don't remember the precise time it takes) or it'll stop working. So while you 'can' play in offline mode for a while, you'll eventually have to go back online.

Had the same issue with Star Ocean 4 a few years back when I had no internet for an extended period. Couldn't play the game at all :/

[Azmak]

Originally posted by Radiosity:

You can thank Denuvo for that. You need to launch the game in online mode at least once every couple of weeks (might be less than that, I don't remember the precise time it takes) or it'll stop working. So while you 'can' play in offline mode for a while, you'll eventually have to go back online.

Had the same issue with Star Ocean 4 a few years back when I had no internet for an extended period. Couldn't play the game at all :/

Oh, I can't seem to play in offline mode at all. Doesn't this imply this "Denuvo" thing stops me from owning the game I literally paid money for? Is there a way to remove it, or is that not kosher? I don't always have the greatest connection (and I'm lazy lmao). If I had known about this, I would've just gotten it on the PS5 or Switch.

[lukaself]

Originally posted by Azmak:

Originally posted by Radiosity:

You can thank Denuvo for that. You need to launch the game in online mode at least once every couple of weeks (might be less than that, I don't remember the precise time it takes) or it'll stop working. So while you 'can' play in offline mode for a while, you'll eventually have to go back online.

Had the same issue with Star Ocean 4 a few years back when I had no internet for an extended period. Couldn't play the game at all :/

Oh, I can't seem to play in offline mode at all. Doesn't this imply this "Denuvo" thing stops me from owning the game I literally paid money for? Is there a way to remove it, or is that not kosher? I don't always have the greatest connection (and I'm lazy lmao). If I had known about this, I would've just gotten it on the PS5 or Switch.

Everything is as Radiosity explained so feel free to ask for a refund. Screenshot every error message you get and explain your case to Steam's support. Since Australia has strong consumer protection laws, just like the EU where I live, they should grant your refund even outside of the automated window albeit after a bit of back and forth.

There's a curator you can follow to avoid games with Denuvo in the future: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/26095454-Denuvo-Games/