Steam is changing how players track achievements, making it easier to complete games, keep track of DLC progress and compare results with friends. The new Achievement Sets feature is now available in the Steam client beta.
Achievements have long been part of the Steam experience, but they can become harder to manage as games receive expansions, DLC and seasonal updates. Valve wants to make that process more straightforward with a new feature called Achievement Sets.
Announced on October 16, the feature is available through the Steam client beta. Developers can divide a game's achievements into separate collections, giving players a clearer overview of their progress.
Achievements Get Their Own Sets
Achievement Sets allow developers to organise achievements according to the structure of their games. For example, a game could have separate sets for single-player and multiplayer achievements, while another could organise them around different character classes.
Each set has its own progress bar. Once players unlock every achievement in a set, Steam awards a completion trophy to their profile. Importantly, a set remains marked as completed even if the developer adds more achievements to it later.
This should be particularly useful for players who have already completed a game and return when new content arrives. Instead of having their original completion progress affected by additional achievements, they can track the new content separately.
DLC Achievements Will Be Easier to Track
One of the biggest changes concerns downloadable content. Some games add achievements that can only be unlocked by purchasing an expansion or DLC. Under the new system, developers can place these achievements in dedicated DLC sets.
Players can still see the achievements available for a game, including those associated with additional content. However, DLC achievements only count towards a player's overall game progress when they have access to the relevant content.
Steam also uses different colours to distinguish the sets. Base-game progress and trophies appear in blue, while DLC progress and trophies appear in purple.
The change gives players a clearer picture of what they have completed without making achievements tied to content they do not own part of their overall progress.
Seasonal Achievements Can Be Archived
Valve is also introducing support for archived achievements and achievement sets. Developers can use this system for limited-time challenges, seasonal events and holiday content.
Previously earned achievements will remain visible on the profiles of players who unlocked them. Archived achievements will not appear on the profiles of players who never earned them, and they will no longer prevent those players from completing the relevant set or game.
This provides developers with more flexibility when running temporary events without leaving other players permanently unable to complete an achievement collection.
A Redesigned Achievement Page
The new system comes with an updated achievement page that brings more information together in one place. Players can switch between their overall achievement progress and individual sets without navigating through separate pages.
Search filters also allow players to focus on particular achievement sets or display only locked or unlocked achievements. Steam is updating other parts of its interface as well, including game lists, library pages and profile sections that display completed games.
The former Perfect Games tab is being renamed Completed. It can show both fully completed games and games in which players have completed individual achievement sets.
Compare Achievement Progress With Friends
Players can compare their progress with up to three friends. The comparison includes completed sets, rare achievements and progress in DLC-specific collections.
Steam also provides a more detailed total achievement count. The number of achievements available to each player can vary depending on owned content and whether certain achievements are temporary or archived.
Which Games Already Support Achievement Sets?
Valve says several games already support the new system. The initial list includes:
- Against the Storm
- Age of Wonders 4
- American Truck Simulator
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- Crusader Kings III
- DREDGE
- Euro Truck Simulator 2
- Forza Horizon 5
- Flock Around
- He is Coming
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Portal 2
- PowerWash Simulator
- PowerWash Simulator 2
- Team Fortress 2
- Victoria 3
Support will expand as more developers adopt the tools. The new system does not automatically mean that every supported game already has multiple achievement sets configured for players.
How to Try the New Steam Achievement System
Achievement Sets are available in the Steam client beta. Players can opt into the beta through Steam's client settings and explore the redesigned achievement pages in games that support the feature.
Valve says it will continue improving the system during the beta period. More games are expected to adopt Achievement Sets as developers begin using the new tools.
For achievement hunters, the update could make long-term completion goals easier to manage, particularly in games that receive frequent updates or substantial DLC.
Source: Valve's official Steam announcement
Webmastahhh is the creator of Mastanet, a gaming and technology website where he shares news, reviews, guides and personal insights about games, hardware, software and the future of digital entertainment.
