Nearly every gamer has experienced the joy of seeing a new achievement light up. In many cases, though, these accolades are considered an afterthought — something that “just happens” as you play through a game. Going out of your way to get achievements may sound like a lot of time and effort, but starting your achievement-hunting journey can be the perfect way to break out of a gaming slump and rekindle your passion for the hobby.
One of the first games I ever decided to achievement-hunt was 2016’s Stardew Valley. Admittedly, this was a bad idea. Despite sinking hundreds of hours into the game, I’m still quite far from my completionist badge. Stardew Valley’s 1.6.9 update last year made the game even harder to 100%, adding extra achievements on top of a host of new features, but I’m still determined to finish what I started.
Since I began my own achievement-hunting journey, I’ve managed to 100% games big and small, in genres ranging from horror games to farming sims. Along the way, I’ve even picked up some helpful tips I wish I’d known earlier — which can hopefully help you avoid the same mistakes I made.
Interested in your own achievement journey, but not sure where to start? This guide will help turn you into a trophy-hunting master. Here are six tips to help you choose your first game to hunt!
1. Don’t Jump in at the Deep End
It can be tempting to go straight to a game with hundreds of achievements. Perhaps you want to rack up your Gamerscore (on Xbox) or trophy count (on PlayStation), or you simply enjoy the bragging rights of being one of the few people to get them all. Be careful, though: Picking your first game is especially important when it comes to achievement hunting.
The last thing you want is to spend hundreds of hours in a game with no clear end in sight and tons of achievements left unfinished. Games like Dead by Daylight (2016), with 288 possible achievements, or Payday 2 (2013), with a staggering 1,328, might not be the best introduction to achievement hunting.
Even if you truly have your heart on 100%-ing a game like this, it’s worth reconsidering just for the time being and starting your achievement hunt with a game with a lower threshold for completion.
Tip: Check out games that can be played start to finish in a couple of hours. That way, if the achievements require multiple playthroughs, you won’t need to spend a bunch of time working on them and can avoid getting bored. Games like Venba (2023) or Unpacking (2021) are great picks.
2. Choose a Game/Genre You Actually Enjoy
This seems obvious, but it’s really important. Sinking loads of time into a game for the sake of a completionist badge or trophy is pointless if you don’t like the game you picked. It will make the experience feel like a chore, even though achievement hunting is supposed to be a fun and satisfying process!
If the games suggested above aren’t your cup of tea, the next tip can help you find your perfect “Intro to Achievement Hunting” game…
3. Join an Achievement-Hunting Community
There are plenty of Discord servers and gaming subreddits dedicated to discussing achievements for specific games! This is a great way to stay motivated when completing a game, and can help you find new games that fit your play style, free time, and general achievement-hunting interests.
The Achievement Scouts group on Steam posts informational reviews stating how long various games take on average to 100% complete. There are also achievement guides available for many games that you can use if you’re stuck on an achievement and need a little help.
HowLongToBeat is another super helpful resource that lets you easily check the average time it takes to complete a game. The website includes statistics based on various play styles (main story, main + side quests, etc.), making it easy to gauge how long it’ll take to earn all achievements, too.
4. Research “Hidden Achievements”
Don’t get caught off guard by a nearly impossible achievement once you’re already 90% finished with a game. A lot of the time, hidden achievements are the hardest ones, and some games even have achievements that are literally no longer obtainable.
That’s not to say these achievements aren’t worth pursuing. One of my favorite hidden achievements, titled “Goooaaal!,” occurs at the beginning of Resident Evil Village (2021) with a deceptively simple task: kicking a ball around the Winters family’s household. Virtually every part of the game from that point onward is an onslaught of pain for Ethan Winters, so it’s nice to have such a wholesome hidden achievement to surprise you before everything goes drastically downhill.
It’s worth previewing these hidden achievements before you commit to completing a game. Be warned, though: Some achievements are hidden for good reason, and their names or descriptions include major spoilers for the game, so check at your own risk!
Tip: On a similar note, check if the game you’re considering includes any downloadable content (DLC) that’s tied to achievements. While not necessarily a reason to avoid a game, this could influence your decision on whether it’s worth it to go achievement hunting!
5. Check Global Achievement Stats
This is similar to the last tip, but it’s equally important. Don’t dedicate yourself straight away to achievement-hunting a game with a minuscule completionist rate. There’s probably a reason why some of the achievements have only been completed by 0.1% of players. It usually means the tasks required for that specific achievement are long, arduous, and simply not fun!
Spending time to get tricky achievements can be really enjoyable once you get deeper into the world of achievement hunting, but it’s not recommended when you’re first starting out.
6. And Finally… Get a Notebook!
This sounds so simple, but it’s a total game-changer for achievement hunting. Keeping track of your progress can be really helpful for lengthier achievements, ensuring you always know what you need to do next. This saves a lot of time in the long run by keeping you organized and on track.
Some games also have achievements for speedrunning, like The Stanley Parable (2013) and many of the Resident Evil games, so keeping a list of what tasks you need to complete in what order keeps things running smoothly, meaning you are less likely to need to start from scratch if you don’t complete it in time. A document, spreadsheet, or physical notebook works great for this.
This tip is particularly helpful for games like Stardew Valley and other farming simulators, which have achievements tied to crafting every item or cooking every recipe. Keeping note of what ingredients you need makes those achievements so much easier.
I used this particular tip when I was achievement hunting in Littlewood (2020), which helped me 100% the game and its achievements in under 100 hours. The notebook came in particularly handy for the “A Perfect Museum” achievement, which involved donating one of every in-game item to the neighborhood museum, a la Animal Crossing. A tall order, for sure! But the process would have been much more complicated without those notes.
Want More Game Completionist Tips?
We hope these tips help you kickstart your achievement-hunting adventure!
For more help checking off that to-do list, read our guide to completing a video game backlog. If you have achievement-hunting tips you’d like to share, let us know in the comments below!
Scarlet (she/they) is a U.K.-based writer who recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in English and film from Manchester Metropolitan University. She loves a wide variety of games, but has a soft spot for horror games and cozy indie games. She loves achievement hunting and
is passionate about queer stories being told in video games. She primarily plays games on PC, but sometimes dabbles in console gaming, usually on the Nintendo Switch with games like Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.
