One of our goals here at TrueAchievements is to provide you, the community, with as much information as possible to assist with unlocking achievements. Achievement flags are designed specifically to aid this purpose, giving you some key information about an achievements requirements at a glance.
As with all information on TrueAchievements we rely on you, the community, to assist us. If you’ve played a game and have any flagging suggestions or updates please feel free to submit them using the ‘Submit achievement flags’ button, found in the ‘Game’ drop down underneath the game tile on the game pages.
Please note that while some Xbox One and Windows 10 achievements are marked with the Offline Game Mode flag these all require an internet connection in order to unlock.
| Offline Mode | These achievements require play in game modes that do not necessitate a connection to any online services.Offline game modes, such as single player campaigns or challenges, local co-op, and system link, do not require an active internet connection. This does not mean that it is necessary to be disconnected from any online services. Please note that while some Xbox One and Windows 10 achievements are marked with the Offline Game Mode flag these all require an internet connection in order to unlock. |
| Online Mode | These achievements require a connection to live services, such as Xbox Live, for playing an online game mode, for sharing content, accessing leaderboards, or validating data with a server.Online game modes are those which require an internet connection in order to play. This includes achievements that require community generated content that can be played in typical offline game modes. |
| Online/Offline | These achievements can be obtained in either an online or offline game mode.Achievements marked with this flag may be unlocked in either online or offline game modes, giving the player some choice in how they earn it. This flag does not necessarily mean that the achievement can be obtained in any and every mode in the game. |
| Single Player | These achievements can be obtained by a single player.Single player achievements can be obtained in any mode which requires or permits solo play against AI opponents, such as campaign, instant action, bot driven modes, or survival levels. It also pertains to any action required by a single player outside of any game mode. |
| Cooperative | These achievements can be obtained by two or more players in a cooperative game mode who have met the achievement requirements.This flag is applicable to achievements earned by players in cooperative game modes, such as campaign, bot driven modes, or multiplayer modes. The Bropocalypse achievement in Halo 4 worth 14 pointsComplete any Campaign mission cooperatively on Heroic or harder. |
| Versus | These achievements can be obtained by two or more players in a face off gamemode who have met the achievement requirements.This flag is applicable to achievements earned by players in modes where they are intended to face off against AI or human opponents. |
| Host Only | These achievements are only earned by the host or primary player.This flag is applicable to achievements which will only unlock for the leading or primary player when the achievement requirements are met. |
| Community | These achievements can be unlocked by interactions with a community.This flag is applicable to achievements where the game mode requires interactions with other gamers while not being simultaneously in the same game mode. These interactions are social by nature and usually are indirect online interaction such as auctions, content sharing, voting, or challenges sanctioned by yourself or other players. |
| Main Storyline | These achievements are gained automatically by progressing through the main game modes.Main Storyline achievements are guaranteed to unlock in the course of the primary playthrough of the main game modes or storylines, and therefore do not need to be specifically sought out. In games where it is unclear what the main modes are, the flag is not used. If the game features a cooperative mode, achievements tied to progression through this mode are also applicable for the Main Storyline flag. The Fin achievement in Assassin's Creed III worth 46 pointsComplete each of the epilogue missions unlocked after the credits roll. |
| Story Completed | These achievements are gained automatically by completing the main storyline. This flag indicates that you have completed the main storyline |
| Difficulty Specific | These achievements require that the game be played on a certain difficulty level.Difficulty Specific achievements ask the player to complete some objective, often to clear the game or a level on a certain difficulty setting. This flag is excluded from the lowest difficulty setting where the difficulty specific achievements have the Stackable flag applied. The Difficulty Specific flag does not refer to more specific options like disabling driving assists, respawns, or to challenging constraints on play style, performance, or skill level. The Hardcore achievement in F1 2012 worth 143 pointsWin the Drivers' Championship in Season Challenge on hard difficulty. |
| Stackable | These achievements can be unlocked at the same time as, or in the course of, earning its more difficult or less difficult counterpart.The Stackable flag is applied to any achievement that can be unlocked by fulfilling the requirements of a similar, more difficult or less difficult achievement. Aiming for the most difficult achievement first is most efficient, since doing so unlocks the easier achievements as well. The flag is used only when attempting the harder versions later results in duplicating effort, not in cases where the easier achievements are mere stepping stones on the way to unlocking the harder one(s). Simon's Best - Bronze in Just Dance 3 stacks with Simon's Best - Silver in Just Dance 3 which in turn stacks with Simon's Best - Gold in Just Dance 3. All of these can be unlocked at the same time, depending on the prowess of the player. |
| Collectable | These achievements are obtained by exploring the game environment to find a set of unique objects.Collectables come in a variety of forms; they are not necessarily items to be picked up, but may also include other kinds of objects that can be interacted with in the game world. In general each object can be distinguished from the rest by its location, number, or some other identifying means. This excludes items or actions that require all to be collected or interacted with in a specific sequence. The Collector achievement in Gears of War 3 worth 6 pointsRecover 5 Campaign Collectibles (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade). In some instances collectables may be found in a single area of a game and all of the items might need to be collected in one playthrough of that area. |
| Missable | These achievements can be missed.An achievement is flagged as Missable if it is possible to bypass all opportunities to unlock it. This flag is not applicable to achievements that are tied to natural progression, such as reaching a score threshold in a particular game mode or purposefully avoiding unlock criteria such as skipping save points. The Pacifist achievement in Deus Ex: Human Revolution worth 319 pointsComplete Deus Ex: Human Revolution without anyone dying by your hand. (Boss fights don't count.) |
| Cumulative + | These achievements are obtained by repeatedly performing the same action or set of actions over time.Cumulative + achievements involve a counter which increases whenever the player performs a relevant action or set of actions. It does not constrain players to perform actions consecutively, in a single match, before time runs out, or within other similar limitations. Progress should not suddenly reset to zero except in the case of a glitch. |
| Cumulative - | These achievements are obtained by repeatedly performing the same action or set of actions over time, but progress can diminishCumulative - achievements involve a counter which increases whenever the player performs a relevant action or set of actions, but can decrease over time or as a result of other actions. It does not constrain players to perform actions consecutively, in a single match, before time runs out, or within other similar limitations. In some instances money, or other in game currency, needs to be on hand in order for the achievement to be obtained. |
| Level | These achievements must be obtained by levelling up in-game components.Level is applied to achievements that require a specific level, rank, or experience point accumulation to be reached at the time of unlock or as a prerequisite. |
| Shop | These achievements require the purchase of an item or a series of items from a shop.A Shop achievement must be earned from buying items from a shop which includes purchasing game components, such as characters, weapons, or costumes. This is also used for buying abilities to upgrade a character or a weapon where you have an in-game currency that must be used to purchase them. This excludes items which are not guaranteed purchases or which are crucial to advance in a playthrough. |
| Viral | These achievements are obtained by contact with a player who meets the requirements for spreading it to others.Viral achievements are those which spread throughout the online community as people play games together. In order to spread a Viral, one must be a permanent member of a special group of players. These include the group of players possessing the viral achievement, owning another special achievement, being officially affiliated with the game (e.g. developer, moderator) or permanently holding a specific rank or title. The Lambency achievement in Gears of War 3 worth 69 pointsExecute an Epic employee, or someone who already has Lambency, in Versus multiplayer (any mode). |
| Online Skill | These achievements require a certain TrueSkill rank or a certain position on a Leaderboard to be reached. |
| Players Required | These achievements require a minimum number of participating players to attempt.This flag alerts players that a group of a minimum size, either players or controllers, is required. Some games may not start or track progress without enough players, or feature requirements that are impossible with too few players. Note, only achievements that need three or more players will have a version of the Players Required flag assigned. |
| Time/Date | These achievements require you to play the game or perform actions at certain times, within a time limit, or on specific dates. |
| Multiple Playthroughs Required | These achievements cannot be earned during the initial playthrough.This flag indicates that you cannot earn the achievement during the first playthrough of a game. To earn these achievements you will need to restart the game after completion or continue into a “new game +” mode. This excludes choice based storyline achievements. |
| External Content | These achievements require content outside the game or input devices other than the system default.This flag is applicable to achievements which require content beyond a copy of the game, excluding DLC, or additional peripherals, other than the system default. These may include, but are not limited to, the following: Redeeming an online pass, a save from another game, a normal or full third party account, Other controller options, such as Kinect Sensor, uDraw tablet, or musical instrument DLC and required TU’s are only considered External Content when one DLC requires owning another separate piece of DLC. |
| Time Consuming | These achievements require at least 20 hours of play time to obtain.The Time Consuming flag is applied to achievements that require at least 20 hours to unlock, not counting time spent on progress towards Main Storyline, Multiple Playthough Required, or Missable achievements. Achievements which could take an indeterminate amount of time depending on skill or online activity are measured by how long an achievement takes to boost. The following are Time Consuming: The following achievements are not considered Time Consuming: Achievements like this will naturally unlock upon completing the game and natural game progress is excluded from counting towards the Time Consuming flag. Achievements like this will clearly require additional time to complete, which is covered by the Multiple Playthroughs Required flag. |
| Buggy + | These achievements may unlock before the requirements have been met.Buggy achievements are those which do not behave as expected. Some buggy achievements will unlock prematurely before the requirements have been met or at seemingly random times others will unlock after performing a completely unrelated task. The Base Jumper achievement in Crackdown worth 15 pointsJump from the top of the Agency Tower and land in the water below |
| Buggy - | These achievements may unlock after the requirements have been met or not at all.Buggy - achievements are those which do not behave as expected. Some buggy achievements will unlock unpredictably after the requirements have been met and exceeded or will unlock after performing a completely unrelated task. The Work It, Honey achievement in Dance Central worth 92 pointsPass these moves: & Feelabout, Club Monster, Pose, Ride, and Wind It Up. |
| Partly Discontinued / Unobtainable | These achievements may no longer be obtainable by players who have not already met specific requirements.These achievements may no longer be obtainable by players due to closed servers, a game bug or game version requirements but may be obtainable for some who had previously met the requirements. Those who have met the requirements before the discontinuation of the game related service, those living in a specific region, those who have not encountered the achievement breaking bug or those playing pre/post patch may still be able to unlock these achievements. |
| Discontinued | These achievements can no longer be obtained due to closed servers, a bad patch, or other unusual circumstances.The Discontinued flag is used to mark achievements which used to be obtainable but are now impossible to unlock legitimately. This does not include achievements that are difficult or inconvenient to obtain due to changing circumstances such as the presence of leaderboard blockers or a lack of multiplayer activity. |
| Unobtainable | These achievements have never been possible to unlock legitimately.For an achievement to be marked as Unobtainable means that it can never be awarded even when the stated requirements have been met, or that it is literally impossible to meet said requirements. This is almost always due to programming flaws in the game, but in some cases it reflects the fact that content necessary for the achievement has not been made available. If a patch fixes the game code, or the missing content is released, the flag will be removed. |