« The original BioShock 1 doesn't have achievements (unfortunately), but the Remaster does. »

« One of the very first card games on Steam has some achievements that don’t deviate from the base game much, but still create some challenges for the players to figure out. Good implementation. »

« Persona 4’s design is way better than we expected. There are a few painful achievements (Hardcore Risette Fan), but Atlus gives you plenty of opportunities to acquire them all, including a NG+ mode. »

« Slay the Spire not only defined what deck builders should be like, it also created a series of entertaining achievements that don’t suffer from becoming grindy or a slog. Perfect implementation. »

« Mirror’s Edge doesn't have achievements (unfortunately), but Mirror’s Edge Catalyst does. »

« Without achievements, Sentinels of the Multiverse is a mere tabletop game. With them, it transforms into a list of challenges for players to beat with strategy. A straight improvement for the title. »

« Achievement data in OG Metro 2033 is tied to the save file. Dying, reloading a checkpoint or chapter removes progress. Programming-wise, this is a poor implementation. The Redux fixes this issue. »

« South Park’s achievements are hilarious and fun to collect. Multiple can be skipped, but they can all be collected in just one playthrough. Less missable achievements could have been an improvement. »

« Tales from the Borderlands is the conclusion to Handsome Jack’s story. The game is yet another product of Telltale when they were at their peak. Only metric achievements on this one. »

« Orcs Must Die 2 offers an experience just as good as the original, albeit different. Play both titles. The achievements are still outstanding, although some Coop weaknesses do appear this time around. »

« The Banner Saga can be completed in two playthroughs (normal + guided). Just the right amount of gameplay to absorb all the quality the game has to offer. Top tier game and achievement design. »

« Dynasty Warriors 8 is all about that SHEER MIGHTY grind. Achievements guide you through the plethora of content available and promote trying out all characters. They fit this game like a glove. »

« Supraland was designed for completion: no missable achievements, impactful hidden upgrades and a chest/tomb radar obtained around the end make for a delightful metroidvania FPP. The DLC slaps, too. »

« You can get some mutually exclusive achievements by reloading save files, but others require a 2nd run. Roadwarden plays quite smoothly with prior knowledge, so the design enhanced the game for us. »

« It Takes Two understands the two core principles of Co-op achievements (simple and engaging). The chapter selection screen allows you to hop into any minigame missed during its epic adventure. »

« You are not supposed to get all secrets on your own. They require a community of devotees, something Fez had back in the day. Nevertheless, achievements are perfect and it’s still a top tier indie. »

« Finding all lambda caches can be pretty tedious, but Half-Life 2’s stellar achievement design has aged beautifully over the years. It simply enhances Half-Life. This is how it’s supposed to be done. »

« Payday 2 has well over 1000 achievements, yet only a handful aren’t obtainable Solo and/or are vexing to obtain. The best achievement design we’ve seen to date and a role model for all devs out there. »

« Avalanche 2 offers some extra challenges in its achievements, but it doesn’t need them to keep us hooked on the gameplay. It’s worse than drugs. Jetpack + Balloon + Gloves for the win. »

« HITMAN WoA’s playground is an outstanding opportunity for challenges, experiments and rewards. IO Interactive has cooked something special here, and the achievement design is proof of it. »

« The 3rd instalment of the Zero Escape series takes us back to Spike Chunsoft’s wild ride. Biggest weakness is permanently dividing the characters into 3 groups. Once again, all content = completion. »

« S-ranking levels in Stealth Bastard Deluxe transforms the game into a precision platformer that requires logical thinking similar to puzzle games. And it couldn’t be more satisfactory to perform. »

« The perfect example of why the number of achievements introduced is not a factor for good achievement design. The Witness only needs two, everything else is in-game and up to you. »

« The Mo Moolah achievement in Stranger’s Wrath completely transforms the way to play the game. Other ones are more hit and miss, but Stranger’s Wrath does a good job of enticing the playerbase. »

« FORCED has its issues, but the achievement execution is top notch. Make sure you pick the blue shield guy. »