diff --git a/src/fetch.ts b/src/fetch.ts
index 10c91583..d0a407ef 100644
--- a/src/fetch.ts
+++ b/src/fetch.ts
@@ -54,12 +54,18 @@ export function createFetch(globalOptions: CreateFetchOptions = {}): $Fetch {
         retries = isPayloadMethod(context.options.method) ? 0 : 1;
       }
 
-      const responseCode = (context.response && context.response.status) || 500;
+      // When there is no response (network / connection error), bypass the
+      // status code check and always retry. Previously the code fell back to
+      // 500, which caused requests to silently stop being retried whenever
+      // callers supplied a custom retryStatusCodes array that excluded 500.
+      const hasResponse = !!(context.response && context.response.status);
+      const responseCode = hasResponse ? context.response!.status : undefined;
       if (
         retries > 0 &&
-        (Array.isArray(context.options.retryStatusCodes)
-          ? context.options.retryStatusCodes.includes(responseCode)
-          : retryStatusCodes.has(responseCode))
+        (!hasResponse ||
+          (Array.isArray(context.options.retryStatusCodes)
+            ? context.options.retryStatusCodes.includes(responseCode!)
+            : retryStatusCodes.has(responseCode!)))
       ) {
         const retryDelay =
           typeof context.options.retryDelay === "function"
diff --git a/test/index.test.ts b/test/index.test.ts
index 5ac20b07..4f2f55de 100644
--- a/test/index.test.ts
+++ b/test/index.test.ts
@@ -309,6 +309,33 @@ describe("ofetch", () => {
     await expect(abortHandle()).rejects.toThrow(/aborted/);
   });
 
+  it("network errors are retried even when retryStatusCodes excludes 500", async () => {
+    // Simulate a network-level failure (no HTTP response at all).
+    // Previously, ofetch fell back to status code 500 when context.response
+    // was undefined. A custom retryStatusCodes array that excluded 500 would
+    // therefore also suppress retries for connection errors.
+    let callCount = 0;
+    const networkError = new TypeError("Failed to fetch");
+    const originalFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+    globalThis.fetch = async () => {
+      callCount++;
+      throw networkError;
+    };
+    try {
+      await $fetch("https://example.com", {
+        retry: 2,
+        // 500 is intentionally absent; only proxy-related codes are listed.
+        retryStatusCodes: [502, 503, 504],
+      });
+    } catch {
+      // expected to throw after exhausting retries
+    } finally {
+      globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
+    }
+    // Initial attempt + 2 retries = 3 calls total.
+    expect(callCount).toBe(3);
+  });
+
   it("passing request obj should return request obj in error", async () => {
     const error = await $fetch(getURL("/403"), { method: "post" }).catch(
       (error: any) => error