If you’ve been Team Green for any amount of time you’ll most likely have spent much of it hunting down Xbox Achievements in your favorite games. The dopamine hit of that little rounded box popping up with a satisfying ding has had us grinding away at top titles for the best part of two decades. Following rumors last year that Microsoft was looking at an Xbox Achievement overhaul, it looks like such a shift could be edging closer.
As reported by ‘Shpeshal_Nick’ during a recent episode of the XboxEra Podcast, Xbox is “nearly done” with an “overhaul” of its Achievement system, and we’ll be treated to it – or at least a sneak peek of it – at some point this year. With a bit of luck, this year’s Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct – which last year aired in late January – will shine a smattering of light on what it could entail.
Although little has been said about how the system change may materialize, it would be unsurprising to see some sort of Platinum achievement – itself a product of the rumor mill – or, knowing Microsoft’s love of medals in its broader rewards system, something in that realm that can be affixed to your profile.
Xbox Achievements have had their highs and lows over the years. Many of us older gamers can remember staring aghast at Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter’s ‘World Champion’ achievement, which literally required you to be the best player in the world on the leaderboards to get it. Then there was the great Assassin’s Creed 2 feather hunt which still haunts us to this day. Thankfully, no such nonsense exists in Assassin’s Creed Mirage; one of the best games of 2023.
Indeed, in recent times the most egregious achievements have disappeared for the most part, while those requiring total mastery remain – staring at you, Hi-Fi Rush’s ‘What a journey it was…’ However, the representation of just how impressive these achievements truly are has long been a sore spot within parts of the Xbox community. While a hefty helping of Gamerscore is always welcome, it simply can’t hold a candle to PlayStation’s trophy-based offering when it comes to prestige.
Hopefully, then, whatever this new system entails will give Xbox Achievement hunters the kudos they deserve when clearing through all the new Xbox games 2024 and beyond. While we can’t imagine Gamerscore will be scrapped entirely – it’s far too ingrained into the ecosystem at this point – the prospect of a medal or Platinum achievement for mastering the best Xbox games on top of it sounds like a fine addition. Should we be in for a total overhaul as Shpeshal_Nick suggests, however, then there may be plenty of extra bells and whistles afoot.