You do need a active internet connection to install and verify but after that you should be able to login offline. It automatically puts you in offline mode if Origin doesn't detect a connection.
What error message are you getting ? Does it want you to activate the game ? Did you ever activate it at all ?
Does the game show up in myGames or do you not get that far ?
Since this is an Origin issue, I'm not really great at helping with it so you might wanna post in the Origin forum on here instead.
You do need Internet to activate the game. Afterwards you can play without.
I recently found this out after buying 2 copies of Sims 3 and neither of us (my sister and I) can play it. We have every expansion of Sims 1 and Sims 2 and got the Sims 3 Starter pack to start our Sims 3 collections. We never needed the internet for the other games. Are all of EA games this way now?? OMG I will not be able to get Sims 4. Good thing I only wasted $50 before wasting more money on Sims 4. Does this go for EA Sports games as well. Double OMG I will have to find other games for my boys for christmas.
Very disappointed in EA Games. This is the stupidest move ever.
Most games work this way nowadays. Sims 3 and 4 don't require a permanent Internet Connection but you need it to install and activate the game. All EA games work this way now.
