SimCity offline mode arrives today with Update 10

SimCity's eagerly awaited offline mode will be arriving today as part of game Update 10. Although today's update includes optimizations to improve gameplay, the big feature is the ability to play in a single-player offline mode, a highly requested feature since the launch of the game over a year ago.

"The new Single-Player Mode allows you to play SimCity anytime, anywhere, without the need of an active Internet connection," Maxis explained. An internet connection is required to download the update, but after that you will no longer need to be connected to play offline in single-player mode.

Below are the Update 10 release notes:

• New: SimCity Single-Player Mode.
  • Enables Offline Play.
  • Single-Player Mode includes multi-city play, regional interdependence, and city specialization. Regions are saved locally and there is no limit on number of save games.
  • Autosave can be disabled in Single-Player Mode in order for players to experiment and load their regions at a previous save point.
  • Save As a copy feature. Players can make copies of their regions at multiple save points.
• Performance: Optimizations in the simulator to improve performance of both Multiplayer and Single-Player Mode.
• Friends: Friends Search now uses the Origin friend search.

Maxis has posted a lengthy FAQ about offline mode, which can be read here.